A music video was released for the song "No Good" in June. It was directed by Eric Teti. In late July, it was announced the band were recording, and in early August the band finished recording its next release. Knuckle Puck supported Senses Fail on the band's Let It Enfold You 10th anniversary tour from late August till early October 2014. In early September, the band released a 7" flexi containing the songs "Oak Street" and "Home Alone", the former of which was intended for release on the group's next EP. The flexi was released by Bad Timing. On October 16, 2014, "Bedford Falls" was available for streaming. On October 23, the While I Stay Secluded EP was made available for streaming and on October 28, it was released by Bad Timing. The EP had peaked at number 5 on the Heatseekers Albums in the U.S. Guitarist Kevin Maida revealed that the band "firmly and confidently" considered the EP the group's best work so far. On October 31, the band released a music video for "Oak Street". In November and December, the band supported Modern Baseball on the group's winter tour.
In November 2014, the various artists compilation album Punk Goes Pop 6 was released, it featured Knuckle Puck covering The 1975 song "Chocolate". On December 22, 2014, Knuckle Puck signed to Rise Records. Maida said that Rise would be "a bountiful new home" for the group and would help the band evolve. Throughout January and February 2015 the band supported Neck Deep on the band's The Intercontinental Championships Tour. In late February, the band announced it had started recording its debut album and by early April, the group had finished. The group joined The Maine on The American Candy Spring 2015 Tour, as a support act, throughout April and May. On June 11, the band's debut album, Copacetic, was announced. The artwork and track list was revealed. On June 19, a music video was released for "Disdain". On June 30, "True Contrite" was made available for streaming. The band played on the 2015 edition of Warped Tour. On July 14, "Pretense" was made available for streaming. On July 23, the album was made available for streaming. Copacetic released on July 31. The band supported State Champs on the group's European tour in September and October. The band toured the U.S. in October and November, with support from Seaway, Head North and Sorority Noise. In February and March 2016, the band supported Neck Deep and State Champs on the groups' co-headlining tour of the U.S.
In March 2017, a 7-inch vinyl single was released, featuring the tracks "Calendar Days" and "Indecisive". On July 27, the band released the first single from their at the time upcoming album onto YouTube and iTunes titled "Gone". A few months later in September the second single "Double Helix" was released on YouTube with its music video. The group released their second album, Shapeshifter, on October 13.
Despite its title, the second album from Knuckle Puck isn’t a reinvention; rather, Shapeshifter is the sound of the Chicago-based pop-punk band taking their best qualities and honing them to make them even sharper. The songwriting became tighter and more deliberate, the lyrics more introspective and urgent—without losing an ounce of the sweat-soaked authenticity and passion that made their debut album, Copacetic, so captivating.
Above all, it’s an album that proves the band are unflinchingly unwilling to compromise when it comes to their art. That’s evident on first single “Gone,” perhaps the most fully realized Knuckle Puck song to date. It’s equal parts muscular and melodic, textured with keyboards, buzzsaw guitars and a buoyant chorus that will integrate seamlessly into the band’s raved-about live show.
“When you reach early adulthood and start to see your life take shape, it’s also important to shape your identity and break yourself free from anything that might be holding you down,” guitarist Nick Casasanto explains. “I hope the album instills a little bit of hope in people. I hope people realize they should consume the things that really speak to them. Through that, I feel like it’s the most satisfying way to be who you want to be.”
True Contrite
Knuckle Puck Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Forgiving pathetic excuses for long term abuse is something I could never justify with God
You live in a lonely state of denial and self-decay
A living reminder of buried weight you never shed in the first place
Disguise your memory with pictures on the walls
(Am I good enough? Am I good enough?)
Replace my every flaw, the ones you never even saw
We dream in color, but see in black and white
Between the covers, we sleep on beds of lies
Someday your true contrite will find you
Your world is what you've made it
Is this all you bartered for?
You live in a lonely state of denial and self-decay
A living reminder of buried weight you never shed in the first place
Disguise your memory with pictures on the walls
(Am I good enough? Am I good enough?)
Replace my every flaw, the ones you never even saw
(As if you tried to, you never tried to)
We dream in color, but see in black and white
Between the covers, we sleep on beds of lies
Someday your true contrite will find you
In this song, Knuckle Puck addresses themes of honesty, forgiveness, and self-reflection. The opening lines suggest that we can learn about honesty from the natural world, specifically from "the dried out leaves of the fallen trees in your life." This could be interpreted as a metaphor for experiencing loss and learning from it in order to be honest with oneself and others. The chorus repeats the question "am I good enough?" as a way of expressing insecurity and the desire for validation from others. The lines "replace my every flaw, the ones you never even saw / (as if you tried to, you never tried to)" further emphasize the idea of seeking validation and acceptance from outside sources, even when it is not necessarily deserved.
Line by Line Meaning
You learn a lot about honesty from the dried out leaves of the fallen trees in your life
Through the struggles in your life, you learn the importance of honesty and facing your problems head-on.
Forgiving pathetic excuses for long term abuse is something I could never justify with God
I cannot bring myself to forgive someone who continually abuses me and makes frivolous excuses for their actions, as it contradicts my own belief system.
You live in a lonely state of denial and self-decay
You exist in a state of denial, disconnected from reality and decaying emotionally and mentally due to this detachment.
A living reminder of buried weight you never shed in the first place
You carry around the heavy burden of your past mistakes and unresolved issues, still feeling their weight despite never working to overcome them.
Disguise your memory with pictures on the walls
(Am I good enough? Am I good enough?)
You try to hide or forget painful memories through physical reminders on walls, yet still question your worth on a subconscious level.
Replace my every flaw, the ones you never even saw
(As if you tried to, you never tried to)
You attempt to change every perceived flaw in order to win someone's affection, even though they never acknowledged those flaws or made any effort to accept you for who you are.
We dream in color, but see in black and white
Between the covers, we sleep on beds of lies
We have vivid dreams and aspirations, but our reality is stark and distorted by falsehoods and delusions, causing us to live in constant deception.
Someday your true contrite will find you
One day, you will finally come to terms with your past mistakes and feel genuine remorse for them.
Your world is what you've made it
Is this all you bartered for?
You have constructed your own reality, but is this meager existence really worth the cost?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: John Siorek, Joseph Taylor, Kevin Maida, Nicholas Casasanto
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TAYLOR SHACKLEFORD
10 years ago this song would've been a number 1 hit across the world.. oh what a time it is..
Jay D Rich
Exactly man fuqn time
Maverick
@Sabrina Paladino 2 years later and it’s even worse now...
Sarah
We dream in color but see in black and white
Damn that line got me
Spiderman
First time I reflect over the meaning of this line and now it got me too
Zachary Rafferty
@RandomChanceZ Why do you say that? Over a year later and I still love my tattoo
Oriental Peach
@***** haha
tara.
+zachary rafferty I've thought HARD about doing just that!
DeemogonMusic
The most beautiful ending I've ever heard across these genres and sub genres. The whole song is sick but damn dude that ending gets me. I can't remember the last time I liked a song this much. Haha.
Zak
this lil riff is still legendary... they let that shit breathe and ooo wee is it spicy