How to Write Easycore Songs

You want a song that slams in the pit and gets stuck in heads at the same time. Easycore is the emotional cousin of pop punk who went to one metal show and came back with spikes. It blends singable, catchy choruses with heavy breakdowns, chuggy guitars, and communal shouted vocals. This guide takes you from first riff to final demo with real life examples, no nonsense workflows, and jokes you can use as lyric placeholders until inspiration shows up.

This is written for busy musicians who want results. You will find practical song structures, instrument specific techniques, vocal tricks, production shortcuts, and an action plan that turns ideas into finished tracks. We will explain every term so you do not have to look up a glossary in the middle of writing a chorus that slaps.

What Is Easycore

Easycore is a hybrid style that combines the melody and upbeat energy of pop punk with the heaviness and breakdown culture of hardcore and metalcore. Think catchy, fist pumping choruses and then a bedrock heavy section that makes people drop phones into toilets in the mosh pit. Bands like A Day To Remember popularized this sound in the 2000s. Newer acts take that template and add modern production and pop sensibility.

Quick term guide

• Breakdown A heavy, rhythm focused section often played at slower or half time feel to encourage moshing. Drums emphasize syncopated hits and low end. No need to overthink. It is the party part of the song.
• Gang vocals Shouted or semi sung group vocals usually recorded with multiple people to give a stadium vibe. Gang vocals equal crowd energy in a box.
• Palm muting A guitar technique where the side of the hand lightly rests near the bridge to create a chuggy, percussive sound. It gives the riff bite without mud.
• Power chord A simple guitar chord using the root and fifth. It is the bread and butter of punk and easycore guitar writing.
• BPM Beats per minute. The tempo speed. Pop punk and easycore usually sit around one hundred and seventy to one hundred and ninety for full speed, with breakdowns often feeling like half that because of the groove.
• Clean vocals Sung melodies without screaming. Clean vocals carry the hook. You want them clear and human.
• Scream or harsh vocals Aggressive vocal style used for accents and tension right before a drop. It should be used sparingly unless you are Kevin from the basement.

Core Elements of an Easycore Song

Tempo and Groove

Easycore thrives on contrast. Most easycore songs push fast tempo in the verses and choruses to keep energy high. Typical BPM range is one hundred and sixty to one hundred and ninety. The breakdown often switches to a heavy groove or half time feel. That half time feel is when the drums and guitars hit with a heavier weight and the crowd can physically react. Imagine sprinting then being told to slow to a heavy stomp. The change delights bodies.

Guitars and Riffs

Guitars in easycore serve two purposes. They create bright, catchy chord progressions for choruses and thick, chunky riffing for the heavy sections. You will use power chords, open chords, single note palm muted riffs, and occasional lead melodies. Drop tuning is common but not required. Drop D tuning gives instant low end without changing your fingering skills. Use double tracking for massive tone. Record the same part twice and pan left and right to make it huge.

Bass and Low End

Bass should be locked to the kick and add fullness without competing with guitars. In breakdowns, the bass can follow a simplified rhythm with distortion or drive to add grit. If you have a bass player, let them play a simplified heavy part with room for dynamics. If you are programming bass, pick a round sample that sits under the guitars and avoid muddy frequencies around forty to seventy hertz unless your room and speakers can handle it.

Drums and Dynamics

Drums are the engine. Fast punk beats during verses and choruses create momentum. Typical drum feel includes driving eighth notes on hi hat or ride with snare hits on two and four. In breakdowns, move to a half time feel with heavy kick or tom patterns to emphasize weight. Cymbal crashes are punctuation marks. Keep fills simple and punchy. Overplaying drums will steal attention from the hook.

Vocals and Harmonies

Easycore vocals are melodic and accessible. Clean lead vocals carry the chorus hook. Backing gang vocals and shouted lines provide catharsis in heavy moments. Add harmonies on chorus lines to increase catchiness. Use less screaming than metalcore acts unless you like throat work. A little grit on words before the breakdown signals an incoming collapse of sanity in the crowd.

Lyrics and Themes

Lyrically easycore sits comfortably between adolescent honesty and adult regret. Topics include relationships, growing up, partying, memory, and resilience. Keep language conversational. Use an image that people can sing back at a show. Specificity wins. Mention a place, an object, or a precise action and the listener will lock in. Avoid being so abstract that fans need a footnote to understand why they are yelling your chorus at a bar.

Easycore Songwriting Process Step by Step

This is a practical workflow you can use whether you play in a band or make tracks alone in a bedroom. Use a timer and commit to hitting each step in order. You will iterate. That is the point.

Step 1 Choose a core promise

Write one sentence that captures the emotional center of your song. This is your thesis. Example: I am holding on to summer even though everyone else moved on. Turn that into a short title or chorus seed. The title should be easy to sing and easy to chant in a crowd.

Step 2 Create a chorus hook first

Start with a simple chord progression that supports a big melody. Pop punk style progressions like I V vi IV work great because they are ear friendly. Sing on vowels until you find a melody that sits comfortably in the lead vocal range. Keep the chorus to one to three lines that repeat or paraphrase the title. Add harmony layers on repeat for lift.

Example chorus seed in the key of C

Chords: C G Am F

Melody idea: Hold the title word on a long vowel over the C chord and let the phrase resolve on Am. Keep the rhythm punchy.

Step 3 Build a verse that sets the scene

Verses are where you show not tell. Use objects, time crumbs, and small actions. Show the listener a camera shot. Keep the verse melody lower and more rhythmic than the chorus. Introduce a new detail in verse two that changes the emotional picture without restating the chorus idea.

Step 4 Write a pre chorus as the energy ramp

Pre choruses exist to push motion into the chorus. Use rising melodic motion, shorter phrases, and a slight rhythmic tightening. The last bar of the pre chorus should feel like it needs release. This sets the chorus up to land like a hug from a very loud friend.

Step 5 Design a breakdown with purpose

Not every song needs a breakdown. When you write one make it memorable. Think about rhythm first and notes second. Drop the tempo feel to half time and create a repeated riff that is easy to move to. Use palm muting and syncopation. Add toms or a low kick pattern and punctuate with silence or a vocal shout to maximize impact.

Step 6 Add a bridge or middle eight for variation

The bridge is your chance to flip the story or escalate a feeling. You can use it for a short melodic counterpoint, a quiet moment, or a ramp into the final breakdown. Keep it short and let the final chorus be the cathartic payoff.

Step 7 Arrange for dynamics

Plan where instruments drop out and where new layers enter. Start with identity within the first eight bars. Add at least one new element by the first chorus to give listeners something to latch onto. For the final section add a slight variation or an extra vocal layer rather than changing the whole song. The audience likes to sing familiar things with a new twist.

Guitar Techniques and Riff Building

Palm muting and chug riffs

Palm muting gives you that percussive chug that powers breakdowns and verse riffs. To palm mute place the edge of your picking hand lightly near the bridge. Tighten the pick attack. Use one or two note power chord shapes for maximum aggression. Example rhythm pattern for verse chug

1 e and a 2 e and a 3 e and a 4 e and a

Play muted downstrokes on the one and the and for a driving punk feel. Then open the strings on the chorus for a ringing, emotional lift.

Power chords and open chords

Power chords give you clarity and punch. Use open chords in pre chorus or chorus to make the sound more full and ringing. A great trick is to play power chords doubled with open chord voicings to keep clarity and add shimmer. Record the rhythm twice with slightly different tones for natural stereo width.

Lead lines and hooks

Small lead phrases placed between vocal lines or in the intro make your song hummable. Use simple motifs rather than long shreddy solos. Think of lead guitar as a second vocal. Harmonize lead lines in thirds to make them pop. Keep them short and repeatable so the crowd can hum them on the bus home.

Drums and Percussion Patterns

Verse groove

For verses play a fast punk groove with steady eighths on hi hat or ride. Snare hits on two and four. Keep fills short and use snare rolls or quick tom phrases to transition into the pre chorus.

Pre chorus lift

Increase ride openness. Use snare rolls that build tension. A half beat pause before the chorus downbeat works wonders. That micro pause creates an anticipatory vacuum that the chorus fills.

Breakdown rhythm

Switch to a half time drum pattern. Place heavy kick hits on the one and sparse hits on other beats to make the groove heavy. Layer toms or low kick samples for extra depth. Keep cymbals minimal to leave room for low end and guitars to breathe.

Vocal Production and Performance

Lead vocal tips

Record multiple passes. Keep one clean take for intimacy and one louder pass for chorus power. Comp the best syllables together. Tune subtly to keep personality. Use small breaths and consonant edits to make the vocal sit in the mix.

Gang vocals and layering

Record gang vocals with as many friends as you can. If you are alone, record the same line multiple times with different distances to the mic, and change vowel shape. Pan group layers across the stereo field. Compress gently to glue the group together. Add a touch of reverb but keep it short so the words remain sharp.

Using screams and grit

Screams should be used sparingly and with technique. False cord or fry scream methods are common. If you do not know how to scream safely take lessons or warm up properly. Layer a scream under a word right before a drop to increase tension. Do not let screams compete with the mix. Use them as spice.

Lyrics That Connect and Get Sung Back

Write lyrics like you are confessing to a friend on a rooftop at midnight with a cigarette that is not necessarily real. Use concrete images and short sentences. Repeat the title like a chant. Place a twist at the end of the chorus that adds depth.

Before and after examples

Before I feel lost and I do not know what to do

After Gas station coffee at two am and your mixtape on repeat

Before We had good times and bad times

After You kept the forever playlist and left my hoodie on the floor

Use the crime scene edit. Circle every abstract word and replace it with something tangible. Add a time or place. If a line could be a shot in a music video you are on the right track.

Song Structure Templates You Can Steal

Template A Radio friendly easycore

• Intro with hooky guitar phrase
• Verse one with driving rhythm
• Pre chorus rising energy
• Chorus big singable hook
• Verse two adds new detail
• Pre chorus
• Chorus
• Bridge short and melodic
• Final chorus with gang vocals and extra harmony

Template B Heavy breakdown first

• Intro short riff
• Verse
• Chorus
• Breakdown heavy riff with shouted chant
• Bridge quiet then build
• Final double chorus with breakdown tag

Template C Anthemic and cinematic

• Cold open with gang vocal chant
• Verse atmospheric then full band enters
• Pre chorus instrumental rise
• Massive chorus with harmonies
• Short solo or lead motif
• Half time breakdown
• Final chorus and outro riff

Production and Mixing Tips That Save Hours

Guitar tone and tracking

Use a tight rhythm amp setting with scooped mids for modern heavy guitars or slightly boosted mids for punk clarity. Double track the rhythm guitars and pan wide. Record a clean DI for reamping options. Use amp sims like Neural DSP, Positive Grid BIAS, or free options if you are broke and proud. Blend cabinet impulses for realism.

Kick and bass glue

Sidechain the bass to the kick slightly to avoid mud. Use tight compression on the kick and a low mid cut around two hundred to three hundred hertz if the mix feels boxy. Layer a clicky sample over your kick to give it attack in headphones and small speakers. Bass distortion or saturation can help the bass be felt on systems that do not reproduce low end well.

Vocal chain

Basic vocal chain equals EQ, compression, de esser, subtle distortion for attitude if needed, then delay and reverb for space. Use parallel compression if you want the vocal to sound present without squashing dynamics. Automate the lead vocal volume so the chorus breathes but still hits you in the chest.

Breakdown pop and impact

Create impact with transient shaping and parallel distortion. Add sub layers to the kick and guitars in the breakdown. Use short risers and a small impact sound right before the drop. If you have a shouted line put that through a different chain so it sits above the wall of guitars.

Arrangement Dynamics and Transitions

Use silence as a weapon. A one beat gap before a drop creates urgency. Remove everything but a vocal line before the chorus to make the chorus feel huge. Add one new element in the second chorus for variety like a harmony or a countermelody. Keep the listener oriented with recurring motifs.

Recording and Demo Workflow

1. Sketch demo with guitar or piano and a click track
2. Record a scratch vocal so you can map phrasing and energy
3. Track drums or program a realistic drum pattern
4. Record rhythm guitars doubled hard left and right
5. Record bass locked to kick
6. Record lead vocal with multiple passes and gang vocals
7. Mix rough and check on headphones and phone speakers
8. Make one improvement pass based on feedback and finalize demo

Demo mindset rules

• Ship the demo that conveys the idea even if it is rough
• Fix only things that block clarity between the idea and the listener
• Ask friends to listen without explanation and tell you the line they sang after

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

• Too heavy for no reason Fix by adding a melodic chorus and brighter guitars to balance heaviness.
• Breakdown lacks movement Fix by changing rhythm, adding tom groove, or simplifying notes to emphasize syncopation.
• Chorus is buried Fix by carving guitars around the vocal with EQ, adding a doubled vocal, or thinning the guitars in the chorus by using open chords.
• Lyrics are vague Fix by applying the crime scene edit and adding a time or place.
• Gang vocals sound thin Fix by layering more takes, changing mic distance, and compressing gently.

Exercises and Prompts to Write an Easycore Song

The Two Chord Chorus Drill

Pick two chords, play them for a full minute, and sing nonsense vowels. Record. Listen back and mark the moments that want words. Turn the best two gestures into a chorus and write three short lines around the title. Ten minutes to a hook.

The Breakdown Rhythm Trap

Program a drum loop at half time and muting guitars with palm muting. Do not play any notes above the root for the first twenty bars. This forces you to make rhythm interesting. After you find a groove add one melodic motion. You now have a breakdown riff.

The Gang Vocal Party

Write a one line chant for the breakdown. Record it five times with different vocal textures. Pan across the stereo field. Add slightly different words in the last take for spice. You just made a stadium moment in thirty minutes.

Finish Checklist

• Title states the core promise and is easy to chant
• Chorus hook is singable and repeats
• Verse lines show with concrete details
• Pre chorus builds energy into the chorus
• Breakdown has a clear rhythmic identity and attack
• Guitars are double tracked and panned
• Vocals are comped and tuned subtly
• Demo translates on phone speakers
• Three people can sing the chorus after one listen

Real Life Scenarios

Scenario one You are in a rehearsal room with three friends and only one amp. Use the Two Chord Chorus Drill on a single guitar. Someone writes a chant. Record on your phone. You have a song starter and a crowd moment. Bring the idea to the next practice and assign parts.

Scenario two You are alone in your bedroom and you want a banger. Program drums, track one guitar DI, record scratch vocals, and use amp sims to get tone. Focus on chorus first. When the chorus is singable record double guitars, bass, and send the demo to a friend for feedback.

Scenario three You have a killer breakdown but the chorus is weak. Try the Crime Scene Edit. Replace vague chorus lines with a single object or a place. Add a simple harmony on the title. Layer a stomp clapping sample under the chorus to give it stadium energy without changing the arrangement.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tempo should easycore songs be

Most easycore songs sit between one hundred and sixty and one hundred and ninety BPM for full on sections. Use a half time feel for breakdowns to create weight. If your feet are not moving you might be at the wrong BPM. Tempo is emotional. Pick a tempo that lets your chorus breathe and your breakdown hit like a truck.

Do I need to detune my guitar to play easycore

No. Detuning like dropping to drop D or lower gives heavier bottom end and allows easier power chord shapes. It is common but not required. Many catchy easycore songs use standard tuning and live in the upper registers. Choose what serves the riff and your band.

How many gang vocal layers do I need

More layers are not always better. Six to twelve takes panned and stacked give a stadium vibe. If you are alone record five to eight different takes with different vowel shapes and distances. Compress lightly. Keep the words clear. The goal is energy not smudge.

Can I write easycore on laptop only

Yes. You can program drums, use amp sims, and record vocals on a laptop. Use good headphones and reference tracks. The core ingredients are rhythm, melody, and attitude. If you can communicate that you have a song. A real room may add richness later but it is not required to start.

How do I make my breakdown memorable

Give the breakdown a motif and repeat it. Use syncopation, a memorable vocal chant, and a contrast in dynamics. Remove clutter so the motif hits. Small production elements like a reverse cymbal before the drop or a short vocal sample can make a breakdown stick in memory.