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Motion City Soundtrack Bio

“Don’t Call It a Comeback” isn’t just the name of a song off Motion City Soundtrack’s 2003 debut I Am The Movie, it’s also an apt way to summarize the band’s mission statement. During Motion City Soundtrack’s initial run from 1997 - 2016, the Minneapolis-based group released six celebrated albums, toured the world countless times and achieved gold status for their hit single “Everything Is Alright.”

After taking a three year hiatus, the band—vocalist/guitarist Justin Pierre, guitarist Joshua Cain, bassist Matt Taylor, keyboardist Jesse Johnson and drummer Tony Thaxton—started performing live again in 2019, but even the most optimistic fans didn’t necessarily expect a follow-up to 2015’s Panic Stations. “When we started conceptualizing the idea for this record, I was thinking about what we loved about doing this originally,” Cain explains. The result is The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World, an album that sees the band transmuting the last decade of life experiences into the most catchy songs of their career.

Featuring cameos from Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump (who also co-wrote the song “Particle Physics”), Citizen’s Mat Kerekes and Deanna Belos of Sincere Engineer, the album sees the band reclaiming their crown as punk rock’s most accessible—and infectious—acts. However the most impressive aspect of The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World is the fact that instead of relying solely on nostalgia and album anniversary tours, Motion City Soundtrack continue to experiment outside their comfort zone. “ It's a very interesting thing to feel like we made the most important record of our career this late in the game,” Johnson explains.

““I think that if you look at a lot of our past records, it’s about ‘What’s wrong? What am I not getting right? Why do I feel fucking crazy? Why can’t I figure this out’… and I figured it out,” Pierre admits. “It’s almost like I felt I didn’t have an identity [in the past] and now by working through the hard stuff, I know who I am.” That sense of self-discovery is mirrored by the music, so when the final track fades out with just acoustic guitar and Pierre’s vocals it may be the conclusion of the album, but it’s the beginning of another chapter for Motion City Soundtrack’s collective journey.

Upcoming Shows

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  1. 7.18.2025
    Saint Paul, MN
    Minnesota Yacht Club Festival 2025
  2. 11.19.2025
    Houston, TX
    House of Blues Houston
  3. 11.21.2025
    Austin, TX
    Emo's Austin
  4. 11.22.2025
    Dallas, TX
    House of Blues Dallas
  5. 11.25.2025
    St Louis, MO
    The Pageant

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@motioncitymusic

On May 1, June 5, & July 3 (the 1st Friday of each month), @Bandcamp is waiving their revenue share for all sales,… https://t.co/kbRMvY9Gj3

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@motioncitymusic

For the month of April, @TheCurrent is putting together some special programming around Minnesota Music Month & we… https://t.co/t8iIoyybTt

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@motioncitymusic

This one hurts. Our friend and producer of Even If It Kills Me, the tremendously talented Adam Schlesinger, passed… https://t.co/SA2i2efzRh

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@motioncitymusic

Tonight this sale will end. But you, yes YOU, can go on, stronger than before; bolstered by uplifting words screen… https://t.co/0r4AnUGKev

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@motioncitymusic

Today is our hunky drummer @tonythaxton’s birthday 🎁! Send him some love! https://t.co/eAComcOoNx

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@motioncitymusic

Today is our hunky drummer @tonythaxton’s birthday 🎁! Send him some love! https://t.co/eAComcOoNx

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@motioncitymusic

We re-recorded some old songs for a 7” gift last tour for our VIP program. Thinking about what we could do for our… https://t.co/RQbwHdZZCP

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@motioncitymusic

Many of you have been inquiring about the song “Crooked Ways.” Well, here’s a bit of history about it from Stepheni… https://t.co/2ZlILui11k

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@motioncitymusic

We released a song today called Crooked Ways. It is available wherever music is sold or streamed. Enjoy! https://t.co/rNYxKAU1mq

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@motioncitymusic

Saving for a Custom Van is out now! It’s a compilation honoring Adam Schlesinger and his musical genius. We covered… https://t.co/IV0tR6WvD5

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@motioncitymusic

Today is our hunky drummer @tonythaxton’s birthday 🎁! Send him some love! https://t.co/eAComcOoNx

See Original

@motioncitymusic

We re-recorded some old songs for a 7” gift last tour for our VIP program. Thinking about what we could do for our… https://t.co/RQbwHdZZCP

See Original

@motioncitymusic

Many of you have been inquiring about the song “Crooked Ways.” Well, here’s a bit of history about it from Stepheni… https://t.co/2ZlILui11k

See Original

@motioncitymusic

We released a song today called Crooked Ways. It is available wherever music is sold or streamed. Enjoy! https://t.co/rNYxKAU1mq

See Original

@motioncitymusic

Saving for a Custom Van is out now! It’s a compilation honoring Adam Schlesinger and his musical genius. We covered… https://t.co/IV0tR6WvD5

See Original

@motioncitymusic

On May 1, June 5, & July 3 (the 1st Friday of each month), @Bandcamp is waiving their revenue share for all sales,… https://t.co/kbRMvY9Gj3

See Original

@motioncitymusic

For the month of April, @TheCurrent is putting together some special programming around Minnesota Music Month & we… https://t.co/t8iIoyybTt

See Original

@motioncitymusic

This one hurts. Our friend and producer of Even If It Kills Me, the tremendously talented Adam Schlesinger, passed… https://t.co/SA2i2efzRh

See Original

@motioncitymusic

Tonight this sale will end. But you, yes YOU, can go on, stronger than before; bolstered by uplifting words screen… https://t.co/0r4AnUGKev

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@motioncitymusic

Hey you! Need some fresh gear? What timing! We just updated our store with some of the merch from tour! If you hurr… https://t.co/LW3S8wSuRq

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