Khaki Cuffs – 3rd and Long | Single Premiere

Knowing when to end something is hard.
Knowing how to end something is even harder. 

Khaki Cuffs were a Delaware-based emo band that existed from 2017 to 2020. While the group started (as so many do) with a series of rough-around-the-edges demos and scrappy recordings, they had just begun to break through to the larger emo scene in April of 2020 with the release of their self-titled album. Obviously, the ongoing global pandemic prevented Khaki Cuffs from touring on the record, but that didn’t stop them from gaining a sizable number of fans over the last year. 

Khaki Cuffs was worth its weight in emo gold. The record effortlessly waded from screamo wails to affirmative revelations in a matter of minutes. Outside of the music, the band had some of the best merch in the game and went viral on places like TikTok and Twitter more times than I can count. Simply put, they were doing everything right. They tapped, they riffed, they got heavy as shit, but despite all this, they still made the difficult decision to call it wraps on the project by the end of 2020. 

Now, nearly a year after the release of their breakthrough album, the duo, comprised of Brody Hamilton (guitar, drums, vocals) and Drew Rackie (bass), have remastered and reissued their self-titled, completely redone from the ground up. The gorgeous vinyl, courtesy of Chillwavve Records, features new album art and contains one extra song that acts as the record’s new de facto closer. This brings us to “3rd and Long,” the final Khaki Cuffs song, which we have the honor of premiering here today.

“3rd and Long” begins with a hilarious clip from a Delaware state hearing in 2019 about Newarks’ anti-partying law. Samples like this have been a staple of the band’s discography for as long as they’ve been creating music, so it only feels right that their final song would begin with such a snippet that also pays homage to their home state. Similarly, “3rd and Long” has been a staple of the band’s live set for almost two years now, so this song finally seeing the light of day is truly a poetic full-circle moment.

This sample gives way to a propulsive emo instrumental that will immediately get your head bobbing along as if you were in a packed basement show. As the instrumental careens forward, Hamilton airs out their insecurities with lyrics that are equal parts regretful and uncertain. 

After another hard-charging instrumental push, a banjo emerges to accompany the second verse, echoing previous tracks like “how to turn your emotional anguish into cold hard cash.” This use of banjo encapsulates Khaki Cuff's dynamic sound within the emo realm and feels like something that only this band can pull off so well. 

The group hits us with one more chorus, and then the song drops out into a rolling instrumental stretch that paves the way for one final screamo outburst. As Hamilton rattles off a stream of consciousness in their unmistakable shrill wail, it feels like a reminder of what makes this band great. The way Khaki Cuffs manage to transition from boppy midwest emo to raw screamo confessionals has always been impressive.

Soon after this screamo passage, the instrumental snaps into place in the most satisfying way. The band manages to regain their composure just long enough to hit the listener with a hypnotic singalong bridge that carries the song out. And just like that, Khaki Cuffs is no more. Long live Khaki Cuffs.

“3rd and Long” drops on streaming platforms tomorrow, and Khaki Cuffs’ self-titled record is available for pre-order now through Chillwavve Records.