Cartel

MEMBERS:

Will Pugh (vocals/guitar/piano/programming), Joseph Pepper (guitars), Nic Hudson (guitars), Jeff Lett (bass), and Kevin Sanders (drums).

Album:

Chroma.

Release Date:

June 13, 2006.

You'll Like 'Em If You Like:

Motion City Soundtrack, The Academy Is�, The Starting Line, Simple Plan, Copeland.

Cartel on Cartel in Five Words or Less:

Salty, Tired, Lazy, and Fun.

When it rains, it pours -- and that's a good thing for Atlanta quintet, Cartel. With the re-release of their debut full-length album, Chroma, the band is poised to take over the pop-rock scene with their catchy melodies and relatable lyrics. After scoring a spot in last summer's Warped Tour line up, a track in Madden NFL 2007, and a place on countless "Need To Know" lists, there aren't many pop-rock fans who haven't heard the band's first single, "Honestly." But it's not much of a surprise that Cartel is rising to fame -- the band won Yahoo!'s monthly Who's Next competition, joining the ranks of Bullet For My Valentine, Matt Costa, and My Chemical Romance. We talked to drummer, Kevin Sanders about the band's accomplishment and hometown pride.

You've been named as a promising up-and-coming band more than a few times. When do you finally decide that you've made it?
I don't know -- I still feel we have tons of things to accomplish as a band, so I in no way feel we've made it, but we made the next step that a lot of bands don't get the chance to take.

The video for "Honestly" is awesome. How did you come up with the concept?
Our friends, David Ahuja and Jay Ellis at Athletics NYC came up with the treatment, and we shot it twice in Brooklyn, New York.

Which of the band's accomplishments are you most proud of?
Touring with New Found Glory. That was the one tour I really wanted to do in my life.