# Motion City Soundtrack
**Motion City Soundtrack** is an American rock band formed in [Minneapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/minneapolis), Minnesota, in 1997, known for blending pop-punk, emo, and power pop with a prominent [Moog synthesizer](https://www.edgepedia.org/moog-synthesizer) and the introspective lyrics of singer Justin Pierre. The band released six albums during its initial 1997–2016 run, achieved gold status for the single "Everything Is Alright," and after a hiatus returned with its seventh album, *The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World*, in 2025.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/motion-city-soundtrack-mn0000595768) • [2](https://motioncitysoundtrack.com/about)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1997 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by Justin Pierre (vocals, guitar) and Joshua Cain (lead guitar)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/motion-city-soundtrack-mn0000595768) |
| Core lineup | Justin Pierre, Joshua Cain, Matt Taylor (bass), Jesse Johnson (Moog/keyboards), Tony Thaxton (drums)[2](https://motioncitysoundtrack.com/about) |
| Breakthrough album | *Commit This to Memory* (June 2005), produced by Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus; debuted at #72 on the Billboard Top 200[3](https://riotfest.org/2016/08/18/motion-city-soundtrack-riot-fest/) |
| Signature single | "Everything Is Alright," about Pierre's battles with OCD, achieved gold status[3](https://riotfest.org/2016/08/18/motion-city-soundtrack-riot-fest/) • [2](https://motioncitysoundtrack.com/about) |
| First run | Six albums from 1997 to 2016, followed by an indefinite hiatus after a farewell tour ending at Riot Fest[2](https://motioncitysoundtrack.com/about) • [4](https://shop.altpress.com/blogs/news/motion_city_soundtrack_announce_indefinite_hiatus) |
| Warped Tour | Played ten Warped Tours over the band's career[3](https://riotfest.org/2016/08/18/motion-city-soundtrack-riot-fest/) |
| Return album | *The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World*, released September 19, 2025 on Epitaph Records, the band's first album in ten years[5](https://www.kerrang.com/album-review-motion-city-soundtrack-the-same-old-wasted-wonderful-world) |
## Formation and early years
Justin Pierre and Joshua Cain founded the band in 1997 after playing together in earlier groups; Cain recruited Pierre, who had been focused on making movies, and the band's name came from Cain's brother Brian, who had intended it for a shop and later named the band's first major record.[6](https://motioncitysoundtrack.net/band.php) The earliest lineup had Cain on bass and Joe Skinner on guitar, with Justin singing and playing guitar; after Skinner departed, Cain switched to guitar and Austin Lindstrom took over on bass.[6](https://motioncitysoundtrack.net/band.php)
By 2001 the band had convinced bassist Matthew Taylor and drummer Tony Thaxton, whom the founders had met on tour, to leave their Virginia-based band Submerge and join them in Minneapolis; Cain then brought in a local friend, Jesse Johnson, as a full-time keyboardist, cementing the core lineup.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/motion-city-soundtrack-mn0000595768) From the band's inception, keyboards were integral to its sound, with both Pierre and Cain sharing synthesizer duties when they were not playing guitar.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/motion-city-soundtrack-mn0000595768)
The band self-released *I Am the Movie* in the summer of 2002 and signed to [Epitaph Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/epitaph-records), which remastered and re-released the album with extra songs in June 2003.[7](https://modern-radio.com/musicians/motion-city-soundtrack/) • [8](https://motioncitysoundtrack.com/music) After signing, the band took part in the [Warped Tour](https://www.edgepedia.org/warped-tour), where its introspective lyrics and melodic hooks made it a festival standout.[3](https://riotfest.org/2016/08/18/motion-city-soundtrack-riot-fest/)
## Breakthrough: Commit This to Memory
In the fall of 2004 the band met with producer and [Blink-182](https://www.edgepedia.org/blink-182) bassist [Mark Hoppus](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-hoppus) at LA's Seedy Underbelly Studios to record what became its breakout album, *Commit This to Memory*, released in June 2005. The lyrics drew on Pierre's bouts of mental illness and his recent treatment for alcohol abuse, and the album debuted at #72 on the Billboard Top 200. The single "Everything Is Alright," an unusually direct song about Pierre's battles with obsessive-compulsive disorder, became a pop-punk classic.[3](https://riotfest.org/2016/08/18/motion-city-soundtrack-riot-fest/) Earlier in the band's rise, "The Future Freaks Me Out," from the debut album, was the song that first put the band on the pop-punk map.[9](https://outlook.monmouth.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/833/2015/01/09.26.07.pdf) • [10](https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/nx-s1-5438432/no-software-update-needed-for-this-band-motion-city-soundtrack-grows-into-middle-age)
## Later albums and hiatus
The band followed *Commit This to Memory* with *Even If It Kills Me* (September 18, 2007), for which the songs were written while on tour with producer John Agnello; *My Dinosaur Life* (January 19, 2010), released during a brief major-label stint on Columbia; *Go* (June 12, 2012); and *Panic Stations* (September 18, 2015).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/motion-city-soundtrack-mn0000595768) • [8](https://motioncitysoundtrack.com/music) Drummer Tony Thaxton left in 2013 and was replaced by Saves the Day member Claudio Rivera.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/motion-city-soundtrack-mn0000595768)
In 2016, after nearly two decades, the band announced an indefinite hiatus, citing exhaustion from years of heavy touring, and played a farewell tour that concluded at Riot Fest in Chicago on September 17, 2016, followed by a final show at the Double Door club the next night.[3](https://riotfest.org/2016/08/18/motion-city-soundtrack-riot-fest/) • [4](https://shop.altpress.com/blogs/news/motion_city_soundtrack_announce_indefinite_hiatus) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/motion-city-soundtrack-mn0000595768)
## Reunion and The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World
After a three-year hiatus the band, with its original lineup of Pierre, Cain, Taylor, Johnson, and Thaxton, began performing live again in 2019.[2](https://motioncitysoundtrack.com/about) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/motion-city-soundtrack-mn0000595768) In August 2024 it released the single "Stop Talking," written for the film *Dìdi* (弟弟).[11](https://motioncitysoundtrack.com/discography)
*The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World*, the band's seventh album and first in ten years, arrived on September 19, 2025, on its longtime label Epitaph.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/motion-city-soundtrack-mn0000595768) • [5](https://www.kerrang.com/album-review-motion-city-soundtrack-the-same-old-wasted-wonderful-world) The band reunited with producer Sean O'Keefe at Electrical Audio in Chicago, having previously worked with producers including [Ric Ocasek](https://www.edgepedia.org/ric-ocasek) and Mark Hoppus.[2](https://motioncitysoundtrack.com/about) The 11-song album runs a little over 30 minutes and features two notable guests: Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy co-wrote and sings on "Particle Physics," and Mat Kerekes of Citizen appears on "Your Days Are Numbered."[2](https://motioncitysoundtrack.com/about) • [12](https://www.punktastic.com/album-reviews/motion-city-soundtrack-the-same-old-wasted-wonderful-world/) • [13](https://distortedsoundmag.com/interview-motion-city-soundtrack-not-the-same-old-song/) The lead single, "She Is Afraid," had originally been conceived during the making of *Panic Stations* a decade earlier.[2](https://motioncitysoundtrack.com/about)
## Sound and lyrics
The band's core sound pairs hard-driving alternative rock with a prominent Moog synthesizer, and critics have described it as bridging the gap between pop-punk and emo.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/motion-city-soundtrack-mn0000595768) Its musical roots lie in early 1990s indie and post-hardcore acts such as Pixies, Weezer, Fugazi, and Jawbox.[12](https://www.punktastic.com/album-reviews/motion-city-soundtrack-the-same-old-wasted-wonderful-world/)
Lyrics that name the hard things. Pierre's writing has long treated mental health in specific, sometimes painful detail, a trait Kerrang! noted the band practiced well before open conversations about mental health became commonplace; the new album continues the blend, with Pierre's self-deprecating humor intact alongside songs that let a darker feeling stand without a punchline.[5](https://www.kerrang.com/album-review-motion-city-soundtrack-the-same-old-wasted-wonderful-world) • [10](https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/nx-s1-5438432/no-software-update-needed-for-this-band-motion-city-soundtrack-grows-into-middle-age)
## References
1. [Motion City Soundtrack biography by Timothy Monger, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/motion-city-soundtrack-mn0000595768)
2. [Motion City Soundtrack, About, official site](https://motioncitysoundtrack.com/about)
3. [Motion City Soundtrack Concludes Two Decade Career At Riot Fest, Riot Fest](https://riotfest.org/2016/08/18/motion-city-soundtrack-riot-fest/)
4. [Motion City Soundtrack announce indefinite hiatus, Alternative Press](https://shop.altpress.com/blogs/news/motion_city_soundtrack_announce_indefinite_hiatus)
5. [Album review: Motion City Soundtrack – The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World, Kerrang!](https://www.kerrang.com/album-review-motion-city-soundtrack-the-same-old-wasted-wonderful-world)
6. [About The Band, Motion City Memories fan site](https://motioncitysoundtrack.net/band.php)
7. [Motion City Soundtrack, Modern Radio Record Label](https://modern-radio.com/musicians/motion-city-soundtrack/)
8. [Motion City Soundtrack, Discography and Music, official site](https://motioncitysoundtrack.com/music)
9. [The Outlook, Entertainment section, Monmouth University](https://outlook.monmouth.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/833/2015/01/09.26.07.pdf)
10. [No software update needed for this band: Motion City Soundtrack grows into middle age, NCPR/NPR](https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/nx-s1-5438432/no-software-update-needed-for-this-band-motion-city-soundtrack-grows-into-middle-age)
11. [Motion City Soundtrack — Discography](https://motioncitysoundtrack.com/discography)
12. [Motion City Soundtrack – 'The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World', Punktastic](https://www.punktastic.com/album-reviews/motion-city-soundtrack-the-same-old-wasted-wonderful-world/)
13. [Motion City Soundtrack: Not the Same Old Song, Distorted Sound Magazine](https://distortedsoundmag.com/interview-motion-city-soundtrack-not-the-same-old-song/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Metal, hardcore, and punk bands › Pop punk and skate punk bands*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license