Pop-punk artist Nick Karcher is an act to watch, with the release of his new heartbreak single, “The Hard Bitter Truth.” The anthem is meticulously composed like a goth daydream – opening with a fleeting lullaby before disrupting into aggressive guitar riffs and drum patterns. Karcher states, “Writing this one was almost like looking into the future a bit… I knew it was time for the relationship to end and I knew it was going to hurt. The thing was, I knew it was going to hurt me a lot more. But that was the hard bitter truth.” Keep up with Karcher’s music here!

Karcher fully embraces his gothic fashion sense, opting to adorn eyes doused in black eyeliner, an inverted crucifix, fishnet stockings, and a skull-patterned skirt. He aims to spread a message of authenticity: “First and foremost, I’m not dressing or marketing my music a certain way to get a reaction. I’m just being myself and queer people are severely underrepresented in this genre of music. We do this shit too. So when somebody hears this song and loves it then realizes its sung by a guy in a skirt wearing more makeup than their girlfriend… I’m not opposed to being a part of that conversation.”