Nashville’s Punk Underdogs secondSELF Deliver a Fierce Debut with The Current Dissent

By Robert White, Editor-In-Chief

In a city synonymous with twang and tradition, secondSELF is a much-needed detour—a full-throttle punk trio challenging the musical norms of Nashville with unapologetic energy and a sharp political edge. With their debut album The Current Dissent set to drop May 23 via Punkerton Records, the band is positioning themselves as a voice for the disillusioned and the defiant.

Formed over five years ago in the quieter corners of Music City’s punk undercurrent, secondSELF emerged not from the glitter of neon or polished studios, but from garage sessions and grassroots grit. “It was just a garage endeavor at first,” says guitarist and vocalist Nate Benardino. “We were three guys bonded by punk rock, not chasing fame, just chasing the sound.”

That sound—fast, raw, melodic, and seething with urgency—was quickly solidified during a breakout club performance at Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas. There, they connected with Brandon from Punkerton Records, who signed them following the band’s studio work with Matt Yonker of Less Than Jake.

The result is The Current Dissent, a record that doesn’t pull punches. From its blistering title track to the latest single “Grape Soda and Gasoline,” secondSELF trades in heavy riffs and heavier truths. “It’s a window into our views about our insatiable appetite for consumerism and those that profit from the consumption,” Benardino explains of the new single. “It’s about the excess we’ve normalized and the divide it’s created.”

The band’s music channels both personal experiences and societal observations. “Most of the songs on this album were born out of real life—our frustrations, the political climate, what we see and feel every day,” Benardino says. “It’s not always intentional. It just pours out of us.”

Their approach to songwriting is equally fluid. Some tracks are collaborative efforts built on shared riffs, while others arrive fully formed—like lightning bolts from a bottle of righteous rage. “There’s no formula to it,” Benardino adds. “Each song has its own identity.”

The band’s name, secondSELF, might not have started with deep intention, but it's taken on meaning with time. “It felt right—like a version of ourselves that we live through when we’re making music,” says Benardino. “A kind of alter ego that tells the truth a little louder.”

For a band that thrives in the margins of a genre-dominated town, secondSELF has built something entirely their own. Their DIY ethos, paired with powerful messaging and stage presence, is turning heads—and bringing punk back to a city better known for pedal steel than power chords.

The Current Dissent drops May 23, with an official release show at the Punk Rock Saves Lives / Punk Rock Hoe Down event in Las Vegas on May 22. A hometown celebration follows at The Cobra in Nashville on June 14, a venue Benardino calls “the heart of the punk scene” in Music City.

secondSELF’s debut album The Current Dissent is available for pre-order now at punkertonrecords.com. Stream their latest single “Grape Soda and Gasoline” on all major platforms.

Listen to the full interview with Nate Benardino on The Savoir Faire Audio Experience