September 24, 2025

Equipment – First time using slang | EP Review

September 24, 2025/ Ciara Rhiannon

In recent years, I’ve found myself growing tired of the increased reliance on nostalgia that seems to hold up a lot of the art being released into the world. I definitely understand the desire to move back to a more familiar time and place, particularly when we’re facing so much uncertainty and myriad anxieties, but too often it feels lazier than it does compelling. This all said, I don’t think the allure of nostalgia should be ignored entirely in the creative process, because it’s still a viable tool and, when done right, can really fucking hit.

First time using slang, the latest EP from Ohio-based punk band Equipment covers so much ground in its quick, yet impressive thirteen minutes. “GLOVES” gets things moving with a fuzzy, heavy riff and repeating lines, “she only wears gloves inside.” Straight out of the gate, this EP feels so incredibly tight, relying mainly on instrumentation and textures to fill out this deceptively uncomplicated opener. The way the colors in the melody shift with each reprisal of the main line results in a stellar, catchy punk track that has a repeat listenability I’ve very much come to associate with Equipment after falling hard for their two most recent singles, “espresso lemonade” and “tequila redbull.”

“LAB COAT” is the track that sticks out for me the most in this collection, drawing you in with one simple guitar line that starts as a modest acoustic riff, playfully swings around to electric, then comes back in full force like a punch to the face… But like, if for some odd reason you really wanted a punch in the face. With lyrics that specifically call out “listening to bands from ‘03,” this track is a perfect example of Equipment’s ability to harness the mystical powers of nostalgia while still keeping things fresh as fuck. The vocals like warm butter in the first few seconds, the bouncy, playful rhythms, the brutally honest and relatable line “Guess I grew out of utility / I’m entitled to my mediocrity" – it all hits. Also, Rainier Beer mentioned.

It's rare to see a band employ the use of a musical suite in an EP, let alone one of this particular genre. Seeing a 7-plus-minute song wrap up an EP in the emo and punk genres is more than welcome to my Coheed-loving-ass, and each piece of “FACIAL PROTECTION” flows like water. It’s contemplative, pensive, and over in a second if you just let it wash over you. “Ensnaring” is the word I keep wanting to come back to, because that’s precisely what these melodies, rhythms, and guitar lines are excelling at. The three movements of this final track deploy three unique approaches, but each arrive at the same spot – wrenching, melancholic mysticism.

I’ve very much come to love the cadence that Equipment is delivering their music – releasing singles and EPs when they have the material that they know will land, and obviously having a preference for quality over quantity. From the minute I listened to this EP, particularly the standout track “LAB COAT,” I knew this release was going to be one to shine as we reflect on the releases of this year. There’s just enough familiarity to rope you in while the Quippiness™ of it all keeps you smashing that replay button. In an era where nostalgia is often used as a crutch, Equipment is using it as any other weapon in their arsenal.

Ciara Rhiannon (she/her) is a pathological music lover writing out of a nebulous location somewhere in the Pacific Northwest within close proximity of her two cats. She consistently appears on most socials as @rhiannon_comma, and you can read more of her musical musings over at rhiannoncomma.substack.com.

July 02, 2025

The Faux 8 Diaries

July 02, 2025/ Taylor Grimes

Have you ever seen that video of a guy dancing alone at a music festival? It’s broad daylight in a wide-open field. Some people sit scattered around on blankets, but there he stands, dancing all alone, waving his arms like a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man, grooving out in the truest sense of the word. Eventually, another guy wanders over and starts busting out his funkiest moves, and all of a sudden, this shirtless dude who was standing off by himself is now dancing with someone. Then another person joins in, and three is a crowd. Shortly after that, another couple of people come up, then a group of three. Soon, the mass is growing too fast to count. By the end of the video, people are running towards the crowd, eager to join the actively expanding dance floor. That’s what Fauxchella feels like.

For the uninitiated, Faux (fka Fauxchella) is a DIY/emo/punk music festival in Bowling Green, Ohio, organized by the now-defunct house venue The Summit Shack. While the first two incarnations were hosted at The Shack, all of the following Fauxchellas (plus a few seasonal offshoots) have taken place at Howard’s Club H, a 200-cap dive bar with two stages, $3 PBRs, and $2 shots. Hell yeah. Previous iterations of the fest have included the likes of Origami Angel, Ben Quad, saturdays at your place, Michael Cera Palin, and so many goddamn more. I’m not being hyperbolic at all when I say that it’s basically heaven on earth if you like fast music and guitar tapping.

If you’re interested in learning more about the history of Fauxchella and The Summit Shack, a couple of years ago, I conducted a long-form interview with Conor Alan, which serves as a retrospective of the festival in all its iterations. There’s also a big recap I did on Fauxchella VI, complete with lots of video footage of different sets.

This June, I made the 12-hour drive up to Bowling Green for Faux 8, because this was one I could not miss. First and foremost, this was set to be the last Fauxchella at Howard’s, given that the fest has long outgrown the confines of the dive bar’s charming sticker-covered walls. Musically, I was excited to catch sets from old faves like Equipment, Summerbruise, and Kerosene Heights. There were also many bands on this year’s lineup I was ecstatic to catch for the first time, like Waving, 95COROLLA, Fend, red sun, and Keep for Cheap. On top of all this, the lineup for day two felt like a miniature sequel to Liberation Weekend, featuring the likes of Pretty Bitter, Ekko Astral, and Home Is Where.

Since I just published a big write-up on Liberation Weekend, I wanted to do something different for Faux and not just go through the lineup band by band. Swim was also tabling the event, slinging shirts, totes, lighters, and cool little zines, so I knew I’d be too busy to realistically catch every set. Instead, I brought my trusty digi cam and tried my best to snap pics of every set and merch spread, plus some cool portraits of band members. Esteemed members of the Swim Team, Josh Ejnes and Ben Parker, were also on-site, so you’ll find their thoughts on each day below, plus some other surprises.

Thanks to Conor, Ellie, Jake, Mike, Sergei, Trey, Nick, Jacob, and all the people who make it possible to put an event like this together. It truly takes a village, and it’s been an absolute blessing to join in and be a part of it. Faux forever.

Faux[DACTED]

Before we get any further into this article, we should address the name of the festival. While the previous seven iterations of the fest were named “Fauxchella,” this year’s iteration was unceremoniously re-titled “FAUX 8.” That’s because, back in April, The Summit Shack received a cease and desist from AEG, the second-largest ticketing company in the world, and, notably, the purveyors of the Coachella music festival. Despite the fact that Coachella is the name of a place, despite the fact that the fest is named after a joke from Workaholics, and despite the fact that “Fauxchella” is a 200-person music festival happening halfway across the country at a college town dive bar in Ohio, AEG still felt the need to sic the lawyers on ‘em.

In the end, Faux 8 played out exactly like any other Fauxchella would, and nothing sizable changed aside from a knowing gap in the posters that were amended to read “FAUX 8” with a big blank spot. A good handful of the bands poked fun at this from the stage between songs, calling attention to how absurd it is that the people running the $600-a-head Influencer Music Festival were getting litigious and using intimidation tactics on a defunct DIY venue. While I’m glad Faux continued unabated, to me, this just feels emblematic of the way that these giant companies will crush, mangle, and intimidate anyone they can if it means a few extra dollars. The fact that they seemed to take so much glee in threatening a zero-profit emo festival, it’s no wonder why live music is in such a bad spot. Fuck you and your $15 beers.

Alright, that's enough preamble, let's get into it.

Josh & Ben on Faux 8: Day One

In all honesty, my specific memories of Faux 8 are few and far between. Edibles are partially responsible for this, but a bigger factor is that—at least for me—enjoyment of an event like Faux comes from surrendering to the experience as a whole rather than latching on to any particular moment. When I try to file things away in my brain for later, I often miss other stuff that’s happening right in front of me, so I prefer instead to just let everything wash over me. One benefit of this approach is that when I do remember something distinct, it means a little more; the imprint a result of organic impact rather than personal diligence.

The thing that stuck with me the most throughout the first day of Faux 8 was how good the sound was; it kind of didn’t make any sense. Over the two days of the festival, more than 40 bands played half-hour sets in rapid succession, a schedule that doesn’t accommodate typical load-ins or soundchecks. On paper, this should be a recipe for frequent technical issues and a poor mix, but everything sounded great. I’m not even grading on a curve here because of the circumstances; the average Faux set sounds better than what you’d expect to hear at your local venue’s regular shows. I think that this high-quality sound production is an underappreciated element of what makes Faux sets so special. Shout out to Jake Pachasa and Mike Seymour, absolute killers on the boards.

There are so many bands out there that I mean to listen to but don’t. I’ll see a band come across my feed, I’ll pull up Tidal to check them out, and then bang, the doorbell rings or my dog needs to go to the bathroom. By the time I come back to the computer, I've forgotten what I was doing, and suddenly I’m listening to the Menzingers for the thousandth time. FinalBossFight! were a frequent victim of this pattern for me; they just kept falling through the cracks. Watching their set on day one of Faux, I felt like an absolute fool for not checking them out sooner; they were so good and 100% in my wheelhouse. A few songs in, I was thinking about how their stripped-down approach to pop-punk kind of reminded me of Joyce Manor, a thought that was immediately followed by their killer cover of “Five Beer Plan.” It was very serendipitous. FBF! are now a band that will forever be in my regular listening rotation, thank you Faux for the introduction.

Another day one highlight for me was Bottom Bracket, a Chicago band I’d listened to a few times but had never managed to catch live. Their set was a way more arresting performance than I was expecting. I can't fathom how someone can play guitar like that and sing so well at the same time. Their set was at 7 pm, which is where I found myself starting to feel the fatigue of the day, but they snapped me right out of it. Good bands I enjoy; great bands send a jolt through me, and Bottom Bracket firmly sit in the latter camp—very cool stuff.

One of the things I was most looking forward to at the fest was Carly Cosgrove’s performance. This was my first time seeing the band since the release of The Cleanest of Houses Are Empty, and I’ve so badly wanted to yell “You, old, dog, you old dog, you, old, dog, you old dog, you, you old dog, you old dog, you!” in a room full of people since first hearing the record. I finally got to do it at Faux, and it was just as magical as I imagined. Tough to beat seeing a band with a no-skip discography live—great way to cap off the night.
– Josh Ejnes

Waving

Harrison Gordon

Bottom Bracket

Wise Disguise

boy clothes

I am foolishly the kind of person who sees the opportunity to spend a total of 24 hours inside a small dive bar in Ohio and thinks, “How can I spend as much of my time as possible there without leaving?” On day one, I am proud to say I left only once, and that was during the much-earned hour-long break built into the schedule. Even then, I only went next door to a little deli for a chicken sandwich and some waffle fries that were better than they needed to be.

The real reason I wanted to spend so much time at Faux was not just because of the incredible line-up of bands and absurdly cheap drink prices, but because Faux 8, much like all years prior, is really built on such a small and niche community that unites yearly to dance and drink $3 beers together. Nothing from the day stands out more to me than going around and seeing people from the internet who I have been aware of for a long time and was finally able to meet.

There is also something really special about attending a festival and being able to get in a moshpit with the same people that you paid money to see. The band members are all running around and taking time to see the sets. It is very rare anymore that you go to a major show and get to actually talk to the folks who are the show. It is one of the things that makes Faux feel like a giant DIY family reunion.

There are two bands that I want to take time to talk about, and the first is Later Gator. The Indianapolis emo outfit delivered an incredible side-stage set, despite being in a challenging position, immediately following Topiary Creatures and preceding Bottom Bracket. I was at the first-ever Later Gator show, and to have seen them grow from what they were to a band that can fill the room for a Faux set is incredible. Guitarist Jonathan Bayless and his ability to wield both a guitar and trumpet at the same time is nothing short of wizardry. There were two different covers that the band performed: one was “Higher” by Creed, and the other was a spontaneous, improvised cover of “We Are Young” by fun. that materialized after Bayless broke a string. This band kept the room moving, and it was incredible to see.

The other band I need to mention is Strelitzia, the Arizona-based math rock group who put on what had to be one of the most special performances of the entire Faux weekend. The band rarely gets out of their home state, let alone all the way to the Midwest, so getting to see them come out and play songs off their 2024 album Winter was nothing short of astounding. I sat there at the front, thrashing around and sobbing the entire set. All I can truly say is if you have the opportunity to see this band, take it, because they are better than anybody could ever tell you.
– Ben Parker

Merch Mayhem

Ever since my first Fauxchella six years ago, I’ve viewed merch as an essential part of this festival’s identity. Bands travel from all over for this fest, many already on tours routed to or from Bowling Green just for Faux. This means that almost every band has merch with them, and at this scale, you’ll never know what you’re gonna get. Free stickers? You bet your ass. Hooters logo rips? Sure, why not. Crocheted alligators? Obviously.

Tucked in the back corner of Howard’s main room, spread across two pool tables and half a dozen other surfaces, you will find a packed corner of all the best emo finery you could want. Most bands had shirts and stickers, some of which were custom-made just for this fest. Others offered vinyl records, CDs, tapes, lighters, tapestries, friendship bracelets, and toothbrushes. Several of the bands provided free earplugs, Narcan, drug test kits, Plan B, leftist literature, and wallet-sized cards about how to talk to ICE, as well as other harm-reduction supplies. It was impressive to see all these merch spreads and the infinite ways that artists create beyond the music you hear on the record. Here is a gallery of merch spreads, all photos taken with permission from the bands.
– Taylor Grimes


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Caro’s Warped Tour Report: Day One

Hi Taylor, Josh, and Ben! It’s Caro, and I am on the ground and reporting not-live from that national embarrassment happening in D.C. You know, the first stop of the 30th Anniversary of the Vans Warped Tour.

The first thing I did was follow a guy smoking a cigarette and wearing a Memphis May Fire hoodie because I thought he would know where the gates were. He didn’t. But, thanks to my bloodhound navigational skills and a giant sign that said “ENTRANCE HERE,” I found the doors. When I approached the security check, they were blasting “Can We Just Get High?” by Carpool. Honestly, I thought I was imagining it for a second, like a desert mirage, heat psychosis already setting in, but it was real and it rocked. It was finally time to take my first steps into the very big parking lot where this was all going down and start paying $18 per tall boy White Claw all weekend.

The day started with D.C.’s own Origami Angel performing in the first hour slot on one of the main stages to a giant crowd. They played a fuck-this-shit-up version of “Dirty Mirror Selfie” and a “Love Sosa”-infused “Doctor Whomst”. I want to make it clear that people went off for our hometown heroes.

Publicly, I wrote an article last year about the ascent of saturdays at your place as one of the pillars of contemporary emo — you should read it — so I felt pretty clever when they were announced for Warped Tour. Privately, I’ve had a list on my phone for the past few years called “bands that deserve to have Warped Tour re-invented so they can play in a parking lot at 2 pm,” and saturdays has been on that list since 2023. Hang my byline in the rafters because guess where I was standing at 2:35 pm. Also, why did the founder of Emo Nite walk by me?

saturdays were playing on one of the smaller stages, not the one sponsored by Ghost Energy, not the one sponsored by Beatbox, not the one sponsored by Vans, and not the other one sponsored by Vans. This corner of the festival hosted smaller artists with looser genre affiliations (think local bands like Angel Du$t or legends like Fishbone) and rowdier crowds. In this slice of paradise, saturdays kept the audience locked in through fast jams like their Blink-182-ish “pourover” and the more anthemic songs like “it’s always cloudy in kalamazoo.” The founder of Emo Nite walked by me again. When the band launched into their Certified Emo Classic, “tarot cards,” the crowd reacted accordingly, launching crowdsurfers towards the stage.

After saturdays, I walked over to the Vans Left Foot Stage to scope out the crowd and watch Chiodos. Taylor, Josh, and Ben, I am here to say that there were fewer Elder Emo shirts than you would think. I’m assuming that you picture everyone here wearing something like that, but honestly, of the annoying apparel, it’s pretty evenly divided between Elder Emo shirts, Make America Emo Again hats, and It Was Never a Phase patches, but overall, it just wasn’t a lot of people. Everyone else was wearing band shirts or getting a sunburn in tank tops. Also, Chiodos ruled.

Historically, the Vans Warped compilation CD has never cost more than $5, and Smartpunk collaborated with the festival to keep this tradition alive. They also worked with Warped to do a series of less-formal sets under a tent in the middle of an alley of vendors. On Saturday, they showcased local bands like American Television and The Dreaded Laramie, as well as the cannonball-ish local band Combat. Many reading this may remember Combat’s bombastic Faux performance last year, so imagine that, but at literal Warped Tour. They rocked the fuck out, took requests from audience members like Ryland Heagy and Esden Stafne, and started a thrashing moshpit with passerbys from the Sublime and Cartel crowds.

I want to end with this begrudging Day 1 thought: I know it’s easy to be dismissive of the Warped Tour revival. Like I know the jokes write themselves and it’s easy to pick apart, but believe me, your field reporter, the crowd was consistently fucking hyped. For the most part, everyone here paid a lot of money to hear good ass music and good ass music is what they found. Minus Ice Nine Kills.
– Caro Alt

Josh & Ben on Faux 8: Day Two

Went into day two of Faux more tired than I would have liked. I bought a Deal or No Deal DVD game for the trip, sort of as a gag, but my friends and I actually ended up getting quite addicted to it, and our sleep suffered as a result; despite this, I was able to power through and watch some great sets. An earlier-in-the-day favorite of mine was Palette Knife, a late addition to the fest, who had the side stage absolutely rocking. Felt similarly about them as I did Bottom Bracket: how can you play like that and sing like that simultaneously? Doesn’t feel like it should be possible. “Jelly Boi” is one of my favorite emo songs, and I loved hearing it live. Definitely going to be catching Palette Knife next time they’re in Chicago.

Pretty Bitter’s set at Faux 7 was one of the best of the weekend, so I was super stoked to see that they were on the lineup again for Faux 8. I felt like last year the band didn’t fully get the hype they deserved (partially due to a tough mid day timeslot), so I was really happy to see so many people dancing and singing along as they played this year; it seems like they’re a band whose fanbase is growing exponentially, which I couldn’t be happier to see. Through their set, the band’s new stuff mixed in seamlessly with the old, culminating with an all-out performance of the incredibly hooky “The Damn Thing is Cursed,” which brought the house down. Everyone in Pretty Bitter is a great performer, but at Faux 8, I found myself particularly drawn to their drummer, who was smashing those things and doing all sorts of stick spins and tricks—rockstar stuff, love to see it.

This brings us to my favorite set of the festival: Fend. I don’t think I’d even heard of Fend heading into Faux, and in all honesty, I had intended to skip their set to catch some fresh air before Summerbruise played. As I started to walk by the side stage, the band’s sound pulled me in like a tractor beam; they were unlike anyone else at Faux. I’ve been listening to their record, Disc, pretty much continuously since I got home, I just can’t get over their vocal melodies. Honestly, I wish I had more specific things to say here, but their set put me into a stupor of sorts; my reaction was visceral in a way I struggle to describe. I guess it was kind of like the first time I had Nerds Gummy Clusters and my brain was firing off in ways it hadn’t in years, the result of elements I’m familiar with being put together in a combination I can’t effectively deconstruct. They just sounded awesome. Listen to this band.

The last day two act that I want to shout out is Leisure Hour, who closed things out on the festival’s side stage. It feels like Leisure Hour have been touring nonstop lately, and their reps on the road are paying off. The band was already great when I first saw them in Chicago last October, but since then, it seems they’ve leveled up even further. The crowd reaction during their closer “jenny” is probably the most hype I saw people get all night, they absolutely owned the space.
– Josh Ejnes

Much like my peers, I went into day two with little to no sleep. I also overheated on the way in because my friend and I chose to walk the 20 minutes to Faux from the hotel. This was also one of the few times during any fest that I was willing to miss any of the sets, as I was down the road from Howard’s with many Faux attendees for the No King’s Day protest. It was powerful to be there with friends and band members as we all chanted and felt the spirit of protest. It was beautiful, as many Bowling Green locals were out and the streets were lined. I am certain that, of all the things that happened during the weekend, this had to be the most important.

Upon arriving at the festival, I chose to spend my day wandering around and taking time to meet people while passively viewing most of the sets. You kind of hit this realization that you are surrounded by people you won’t see for at least a year, and all you want to do is bask in that community. I took the time to meet the people I was terrified of, such as Mel Bleker from Pretty Bitter, with whom I have developed a friendship over the years on Twitter due to the nature of us both being poets. It led to a beautiful and surreal moment where we were both able to complement each other’s writing and connect as humans. I also got to go with my friend, who had never seen Summerbruise, over to their merch table and talk to Mike, who called me the “Michael Jordan of attending Summerbruise shows.” Being in moshpits and always having a group conversation to walk into is exactly what Faux is about.

There were many sets from Day Two that I loved, and the first I wanted to touch on is Echo. This is a fascinating band as it is essentially just Summebruise flipped around with the drummer, Stanli, taking over vocals and leading the band. They began with a magical cover of “Shooting Stars” by B.o.B. This stood out to me because I had spent the time walking into the fest joking about the concept of a band playing this song on Twitter. The rest of the set was filled with some fun-filled, ass-throwing emo music that had the kids moving early in the morning, as it was many of the protest group’s first set.

Another one of the sets I wanted to highlight is Tiny Voices. This set was always going to be different as their vocalist was unable to make the fest, and Luke Ferkovich (Kule, Endswell) was filling in on the mic. The crowd for this set was absolutely raucous and filled the main stage room. I was right at the front, and early on, I got forced onto the stage from the crowd pushing forward, and not once was I able to get off. It is a testament to this band that even without their vocalist, they were able to put on one hell of a show. Half of the vocals were provided by the crowd, as a beautiful cacophony of mic grabs took place repeatedly throughout the entire set. At one point, Luke even went into the crowd and got the whole room moving. It was the kind of set that jumpstarts a band’s momentum, à la Combat at Faux 7.

The pinnacle of the day for me was getting to see Summerbruise for the 12th time. They are a truly special Indiana band and one of the few things I feel pride for in my home state. This was a strong four-piece Summerbruise lineup, which couldn’t be a full-band set as Mitch Gulish was at Warped Tour playing with saturdays at your place. Summerbruise played all of the hits, and the first moment that stuck out was during “Dead Daddog 20/20” when the entire crowd overpowered vocalist Mike Newman, who broke down into tears on stage. It was a beautiful moment that was well-deserved by a band that has been a mainstay in the Faux lineup over the years. Outside of Equipment, Summerbruise is the Faux band. This group inspires community and supports each other in a way that not many others do.

Summerbruise was also able to debut their recently released track “Never Bothered,” which really took off at the bridge as around six different band members rushed on stage to grab the mic for backup vocals through the end of the song. The set concluded as many Summerbruise sets do, with Mike introducing “Bury Me at Penn Station” as a song for the community and the people who make these shows worth it (despite it being about his wife). However, this performance was a little different, as Frederick Loeb of Dear Maryanne came onto stage to play guitar, allowing Mike to spend the end of the set in the crowd, connecting with people in a way he usually can’t due to his dual role as a guitarist and singer. Beautiful set from a fantastic band.
– Ben Parker


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Caro’s Warped Tour Report: Day 2

Hi Taylor, Josh, and Ben! I respawned in Parking Lot 6 and am once again live from the Bam Margera Look-Alike Convention. The Hot Topic Conference on Reviving Wallet Chains. The Consortium of People Who Loved Illegally Drinking the Original Four Loko. Vans Warped Tour Day 2. And I am here to see motherfucking Carpool. This bit was sponsored by Ghost Energy. #DRINKGHOST

Warped Tour has an infamous no crowdsurfing rule. Obviously, it’s a joke rule that was historically ignored, but that didn’t stop Kevin Lyman and Co. from putting up the old “you mosh, you crowd surf, you get hurt, we get sued, no more Warped Tour" signs. What they didn’t have a sign against was bands jumping into the crowd. Enter Carpool.

Carpool ripped through heaters like “Come Thru Cool,” “I Hate Music,” and “Thom Yorke New City” (thank you again for playing that), but everything came to a boiling point for “The Salty Song” when Stoph Colasanto jumped the barricade to join the crowd, turning the pit into a party. It has long been the belief of this site that Carpool fucking rocks, but this was the pinnacle so far. The only way for Rochester’s rowdiest crew to go is up. (And if you haven’t checked out Pretty Rude’s new album — fix that.)

Now, Taylor, Josh, and Ben, I don’t think anyone I’ve ever bought old band merch off of has ever performed on a festival main stage, but then Eric Egan walked onto the Ghost stage, so I guess I can cross that one off. I know a lot of y’all have watched Heart Attack Man’s rise and might have even caught them at Faux last year, but did you know they also played in 2018 pre-Fake Blood? It’s all pretty cool and even cooler to see a lot of people came to Warped explicitly for Heart Attack Man.

God bless the state of Oklahoma. That’s all I can think when Cliffdiver starts up. I’ve seen them a lot over the years, but every time I catch them, I can’t help but get completely lost in their positivity and zest for life, despite it all. Like a couple of bands this weekend, Cliffdiver discussed how monumental it felt to be performing at Warped, and it genuinely did feel like an event. After all, how could you not feel important and joyous when Cliffdiver is playing “goin’ for the garbage plate”?

*Cliffdiver - Photo by* *Caitlyn McGonigal*

Between Bri Wright’s stage banter and Joey Duffy’s FUCK ICE shirt, Cliffdiver spent a lot of time addressing the political state of things. If you missed the news, Trump held a military parade for his birthday in the city, flooding D.C. with violent dipshits and that tension made its way over to the Festival Grounds of RFK Stadium. All weekend, artists addressed the state of everything: The Wonder Years spoke about trans youth, ICE, and Palestine while Dan Campbell wore a FREE GAZA shirt, Big Ass Truck gave a speech about what they hate, Meredith Hurley from Millionaires wore a Protect Trans Folks shirt, and Buddy Nielsen from Senses Fail addressed the history of sexual assault this festival festered and used his time to advocate for Palestine. This doesn’t even include all the other artists, such as Origami Angel, Scene Queen, Pennywise, Motion City Soundtrack, The Suicide Machines, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Magnolia Park, Combat, sace6, and Fever333, and MORE who also dedicated time in their sets to using their voices to advocate for change. This also isn’t even including all of the political conversation happening in the crowds, which largely expressed similar sentiments to these bands and responded with support.

The MVPs of the whole weekend are easily Leisure Hour, who played Fauxchella Saturday night and dipped down to D.C. to play the Smartpunk tent on Sunday evening. Not to mention that their load-in at Warped Tour was literally through the crowd since they weren’t playing a formal stage. Rock and fucking roll. And I concur with Josh, go listen to “jenny.”

Rain had threatened the entire weekend, and the storm was finally unleashed as Kerosene Heights was taking the stage after their drive from Bowling Green. That didn’t stop anyone from partying; in fact, it got everyone even more excited. I was stopped several times through the set by people passing by to ask who they were, all to which I replied, yelling, “KEROSENE HEIGHTS FROM ASHEVILLE.” It was just so fun. It’s kind of what this is all about, you know?

*Kerosene Heights - Photo by* *Alec Pugliese*

My final thoughts? I think there’s a temptation to get into an us (very cool music listeners) vs them (nostalgia-obsessed poser) mentality. Because yes, the whole Elder Emo thing is grating, but this was also the first music thing I’ve been to where someone was wearing a Pg. 99 shirt — which is objectively some of the most authentically Elder Emo you can get. My point is that on the ground, it didn’t matter; we were all already there, so there was nothing left to do but have fun. I’m immensely proud of all the new bands that got spots to play the festival and I would be lying if I said I didn’t love seeing the old shit too. I literally almost waited in line to meet Levi Benton from Miss May I.
– Caro Alt

Taylor’s Portraits

Grabbing portraits of bands was something I wanted to do at Liberation Weekend, but I never quite worked up the courage to commit to fully. Because I knew the bands and the space better at Faux, I was much less shy about asking band members for a quick picture whenever the opportunity presented itself. Most of the time, I was operating on a simple “one and done” philosophy, snapping one pic and saying “cute” or “sick” and thanking the band. I’m incredibly proud of how some of these came out, and I hope I can continue to take many more pictures of band members in this capacity.

If you haven’t seen it, we've just launched a Photography wing of this website, featuring photo recaps of concerts. I plan on doing a Faux 8 photo recap at a later date, so more of these to come.

Summerbruise

Red Sun

Kerosene Heights

Harrison Gordon

Penny Guarantee (of Waving and Equipment)

Palette Knife

95COROLLA

Jael Holzman (of Ekko Astral)

Pretty Bitter

Heccra

Vinny Cederna (of MooseCreek Park)

Home Is Where

Jacob Fowler (of Beautiful Rat Records)

Conor Alan (of Summit Shack)

Faux 8: Honorary Day 3

While Faux 8 was only a two-day fest, a daytime Sunday show at The Swarmyard, a local BG DIY institution, acted as an unofficial continuation of the festivities. The lineup consisted of Decatur, Illinois folk rocker Marble Teeth (who we profiled earlier this year) and Equipment. When I showed up at The Swarmyard a little before doors, a group was forming across the street already a few dozen strong. By the time they started letting people in, it was clear the basement would not fit everyone comfortably or safely. Instead, everyone poured back out into the street and assembled at the front of the house for two front porch acoustic sets.

Marble Teeth beguiled with his talky acousti-folk setup, playing guitar, harmonica, and CRT TV. At the beginning of each track, Caleb Jefson would select a song off a custom-made DVD menu, which would provide the beat as he sang and played guitar. He wove through songs off his early LPs Cars and Park, 2023’s top 10 times i’ve cried, as well as some new material that Jefson teased as part of an EP coming out on July 4th.

After Marble Teeth’s set, Nick Zander took the mantle of the front porch for an all-request Equipment set. Occasionally joined by Penny and Ellie, the group rocked through a one-of-a-kind three-hour set, playing everything from embarrassing cuts off their 2015 demo to the then-just-a-few-days-old “espresso lemonade.” It was a staggering thing to take in deep cuts from every era of this band as Zander shredded and sang with Springsteen-like endurance. The crowd sang along whenever words were forgotten, and Zander was more than happy to provide the crowd with fun backstory and lore about nearly every track.

The afternoon set was a beautiful and unique experience that will sadly act as the last from the Swarmyard, as the venue was forced to shut down following this show. Much like the AEG C&D, this feels like an overreaction and overreach; the last drops of life being squeezed out of a passionate group of people putting on shows purely out of love. That said, if I know anything about Jacob and Beautiful Rat Records, it’s that this energy will not go away, merely be diverted to other projects. Plus, if there’s any way to close up your house venue, it’s hard to beat a massive, mega four-hour show headlined by hometown heroes like Equipment.
– Taylor Grimes

Some Closing Thoughts

Six years ago, I attended my first Fauxchella because a few bands I liked were performing. I figured it was worth the 90-minute drive down from Detroit to see Origami Angel, Stars Hollow, and Charmer. It turns out that “worth it” doesn’t even begin to capture the experience. I came away from Fauxchella III more inspired and enthused about music than I’d ever been in my life. As I sat eating Rally’s on the hood of my car after the gig, I found myself in absolute awe at the type of communal experience that was possible outside the confines of a traditional music festival experience. To me, this realization goes part and parcel with my Pacific Northwestern ass experiencing authentic Midwest DIY culture for the first time, amazed that people could throw shows out of their living room or basement, not to mention the ability to support and interact with bands directly, as opposed to strictly over a merch table (if at all).

After attending Fauxchella III, I came back to Bowling Green for DIY Prom, then (on two separate occasions) made a 12-hour drive up from North Carolina just for Fauxchella. It wasn’t lost on me how silly it was to travel so far and take time off work for a festival happening in a college town outside of Toledo, but the lineups were too specific and too tailored to my tastes. It was like someone took my last.fm charts and turned them into a festival lineup. How could I miss that?

This year at Faux 8, I spoke with a couple who had traveled up from Mexico specifically for this festival. I was pretty amazed and said, “You guys probably traveled further than anyone here.” These were words I wound up eating mere hours later when I was talking to another group who had traveled from Alaska for Faux 8.

On the second day of the festival, I found myself out back chatting with members of Keep For Cheap and Fend when Autumn Vagle said, “Minnesota needs something like this,” referring to Fauxchella’s tight-knit sense of community and impressive artistic draw. Similarly, at one point in the night, I was catching up with Jael Holzman, frontwoman of Ekko Astral and one of the people who spearheaded Liberation Weekend. She cited Fauxchella directly as an inspiration for how a festival like this can and should run, saying that watching Faux over the years was proof of concept that they could do something similar in DC. The result of that inspiration was an incredible festival that raised nearly $40k for the trans rights advocacy collective Gender Liberation Movement. That’s inspiration in action.

With next year’s venue still an unknown, any future Faux will look undeniably different. There will be no more Fauxchella as we’ve known it, but hopefully, there will be Fauxchellas sprouting up everywhere as people take this energy and inspiration back to their home scenes. Fauxchella itself isn’t special. It’s not the venue, the lineup, or even the people running it; what makes Fauxchella special is the community. It’s all these people coming together for two days of music and friendship and $3 beers. What makes Fauxchella special is you.

It feels poetic that Conor Alan, the person organizing most everything related to Fauxchella and the Summit Shack, had a baby on the literal day before Faux 8. As Conor steps into the role of father, it feels as if his other baby is now finally old enough to go off and live on its own. The format of this festival is something that can (and should) be replicated in every music scene across the country. And hey, maybe the first version is just a bunch of local bands and comedians performing in a garage, but keep at it, and who knows how big it could become? Who knows how many people will travel from other states and countries to be a part of your scene? What I do know is that you won’t find out until you start.

Fauxchella, as it has existed for the last near-decade, is gone, but in its place will come another Fauxchella in a different place run by the same people. Then another Faux-like festival with a different name, run by a completely different group of people. Then maybe even one in your hometown. Faux is more than just a music festival; it’s an idea, and ideas can be replicated, shared, and built upon. This is yours now.

Fauxchella Forever ∞

October 31, 2023

The Best of Q3 2023

October 31, 2023/ Taylor Grimes

We’re in the final stretch of the year, and while other music blogs are already gearing up for their Album of the Year lists, we’re still hung up on the summer. Continuing our series of quarterly roundups, here are some of our favorite albums, EPs, and splits released from July to September.

Angel Du$t – BRAND NEW SOUL

I have a few questions for you, dear reader: do you like ROCK music? Do you like LIFTING heavy things? Do you like SHAKIN’ your little butt? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then BRAND NEW SOUL might be for you. The latest album from the ever-shifting Justice Tripp-led supergroup picks up right where YAK left off, which is to say, wildly inventive and ignoring every boundary of genre or expectations. Less of a “hardcore” group than ever before, Angel Du$t feels like a band whose artistic mission statement is to follow whatever sounds fun at that moment. Most of their music can still be defined as “Very Aggressive” but morphs from folk-punk to electro-bops to Chili Peppers worship at a moment’s notice. There are still a couple of ragers here like “Sippin’ Lysol,” but most of the music should be filed under jammers and slammers – an important distinction. The girls that get it get it.

Taylor Grimes - @GeorgeTaylorG

Astra King – First Love

Midway through the year, the visionary PC Music announced that 2023 would be their last year releasing new music before shifting to archival projects. This was heartbreaking news for girlies, gays, and music fans all across the World Wide Web, yet we must rejoice, for Astra King is here with a definitive hyperpop contribution in the label’s eleventh hour. King is a relatively recent addition to the PC Music roster, a younger artist with less than a half dozen songs to her name; even still, the four tracks that make up First Love are so pristine that they somehow stack up to the decade-long legacy of the PC Music label. From the anthemic unfurling of “A Little Bit Closer” to the too-cute-for-its-own-good title track, every song fleshes out a different shade of reflective, chromium future pop. In many ways, First Love is the ideal EP: a lightweight fifteen-minute collection that finds an artist seemingly already zeroed in on her sound and going four for four, all with one of the coolest covers of the year to boot.

Taylor Grimes - @GeorgeTaylorG

awakebutstillinbed – chaos takes the wheel and i am a passenger

awakebutstillinbed’s brand of throwback ‘90s emo has always been my jam ever since pressing play on their 2018 LP, what people call low self-esteem is really just seeing yourself the way other people see you. The band’s latest record, chaos takes the wheel and i am a passenger, picks up where the last left off, but already the sounds and songs are better. The drums hit hard and dry, snapping like twigs and booming like thunder as spindly guitars snake through adagio dirges such as “bloodline.” Shannon Taylor, whose ragged and reedy voice stands strong in a scene that’s rapidly embraced pop vocal sounds, really lets her vocals shriek, crack, and take center stage. Every chord feels knotted and dissonant, but every song is beautiful, and though most of these tracks are north of three minutes by a large margin, you won’t be snoozing at any point. This is what a perfect emo record sounds like in 2023.

Michaela Montoni - @dumpsterbassist

Broken Record – Nothing Moves Me

Denver-based Broken Record are self-described “stadium emo,” and you know what? That’s so goddamn true. Their very good second full-length, Nothing Moves Me, pulls from some of the greatest bands to ever make the jump from DIY house shows to playing for thousands. Think Jimmy Eat World, Sunny Day Real Estate, and the best second-wave emo bands who also obsessively listen to The Cure. The album sounds amazing (produced and recorded by Broken Record’s Lauren Beecher and Gleemer’s Corey Coffman), the guitars are huge, the riffs are crushing, the drums are driving, and the hooks are singable—this band rocks.

Ben Sooy - @bensooy

Read our review of Nothing Moves Me here.

Chain Whip – Call of the Knife

Vancouver’s Chain Whip is a down-and-dirty punk band with viciously compressed production and the tightest 13-track LP I’ve heard in years. This shit is all the garage energy of Amyl and the Sniffers with none of the major-label Gucci-deal bravado. The production is homespun but clear: the drums pound, the guitars rip, and the vocals sound like an unhinged goblinesque Jello Biafra. Chain Whip aren’t just any modern punk band, either, with vague allusions to political messaging. Tracks like “The Flag Means You Suck” and “Class Decay” pull no punches against the totalitarian fist of Western “democracy.” Spin this or get fucked, it’s only 21 minutes.

Michaela Montoni - @dumpsterbassist

Coronary – The Future… Is Now

These days, the market for fast hardcore is pretty much gone– industrial and blackened beatdown have infected the mainstream like a disease, and slam-dancing has taken the masses by storm (see: endless mosh discourse, the new Knocked Loose). But the world has not stopped making punk rock music, and Coronary from Chicago are proof– thrash-punk crossover guys playing ridiculously fast. Their guitar playing is impeccable, the drums rumble and sputter like a chainsaw engine, and the lyrics cut straight to the heart of the political issues of our day. Does it reinvent the wheel? Yes and no– while sonically, it’s hard to say that anything happening here started in 2023, it’s so rare to find a band this hard-rocking with slick production, a huge sound, and good hearts. It’s rare, it’s great, I love it, and I want to hear more of it.

Michaela Montoni - @dumpsterbassist

Del Paxton – Auto Locator

For some people, emo is a seasonal genre. I’ll admit the crunch of a fall leaf hits extra hard when you’re listening to American Football or AGBPOL, but that could never be me. I spin this shit all year long; even still, there’s an undeniable fall air about Auto Locator, the first album from Del Paxton since 2017. The record opens with a freight train headed directly toward you and ends with a sizzling 7-minute send-off that still somehow leaves you wanting more. Aside from the palpable fall feeling, Auto Locator offers up bouncy rippers like “Up With A Twist” and “Chart Reader,” but also aren’t afraid to gnash their teeth and get a little aggressive on tracks like “100 Words For Snow.” The whole thing feels like an emo record from a different era in the best way possible.

Taylor Grimes - @GeorgeTaylorG

Downward & Trauma Ray – Split

It’s fall, and Shoegaze Season is officially here. While there’s no shortage of dudes with bad hair and black jeans cranking out over-fuzzed riff slop and Whirr worship, these bands are not that. Coming off a pair of excellent 2022 EPs, Downward and Trauma Ray have combined forces for a four-song split that pummels the listener into submission with distorted guitars, floaty vocals, and forceful riffs—a perfect way to kick off the season where heavy music hits the hardest.

Taylor Grimes - @GeorgeTaylorG

Equipment – Alt. Account

Equipment has been a band for almost a decade at this point. They’ve released fantastic EP after fantastic EP, including one earlier this year, and even though 2018’s Ruthless Sun is the band’s first LP, in many ways, Alt. Account is the band’s first album. During the album’s writing process, Equipment’s lead singer/guitarist, Nick Zander, was diagnosed with bipolar II; his first medication is seen on the cover of the record, and the insomnia it gave him led to the creation of the majority of this album. The result is a collection of emo-tinged indie rock that feels like a celebration of the fact that he’s now tamed the instability of his initial diagnosis. Songs are punctuated by clips of a 12-year-old Zander, who can be heard talking about LEGO stop-motion and the Sega Genesis, all snippets ripped directly from his 2008 YouTube channel. It’s a lot to take in, but luckily, Alt. Account is just as listenable without any background, a record packed with sublime riffs, singable choruses, and highly relatable sentiments. With a solidified lineup, an undeniable collection of bangers, and a tour-ready spread of merch, all self-released under their own label, Alt. Account is just the first step in Quippy World Domination.

Taylor Grimes - @GeorgeTaylorG

Fiddlehead – Death is Nothing to Us

After hearing the sophomore record from Fiddlehead, I was a little worried that the band had run out of things to say. It’s not like Patrick Flynn has any shortage of thoughts to share, more so that Fiddlehead was initially started as a one-off supergroup collaboration that wasn’t meant to last beyond a single EP. Through a combination of luck, pre-existing fanbases, and stellar songwriting, Fiddlehead have now created three albums, and Death is Nothing to Us makes a strong case that this band was always meant to exist. There are kickass riffs, surprisingly sharp melodies, and enough group chants to make you lightheaded screaming along. As you would expect from the title, the band’s latest record is primarily concerned with death (as was the case on the last two albums as well), yet the band finds an infinite number of new ways to pontificate on and philosophize around this topic, wrapping everything in a catchy hardcore outpouring that lends some comfort to the living.

Taylor Grimes - @GeorgeTaylorG

Gravess – i still feel it, crawling, under my skin.

Continuing the trend laid out by bands like Funeral Homes and Rosewilder, Gravess is yet another stellar shoegaze project out of Florida. While those other bands lean further into the dreamy side of the genre, Gravess aren’t afraid to throw in a few extra screams and breakdowns for good measure. You can practically see the mosh pit form when listening to the one-two punch of opening tracks, but the high point of this bite-sized EP comes in its final two songs, where the band deploys a hypnotic guitar lick and then proceeds to construct a brilliant cresting instrumental around it. Beginning in a suspended dream state, the band eventually unleashes a torrent of heavy music, sweeping the listener up in a beautiful cacophony.

Taylor Grimes - @GeorgeTaylorG

Harrison Gordon – The Yuppies Are Winning

The one good thing TikTok ever did was show me Harrison Gordon. The million-viewed video speaks for itself, featuring POV footage from a “sweaty house show” and the bridge of “Kirby Down B,” which references Zelda, Dragon Ball Z, and, of course, Super Smash Bros. It’s a frenetic song whose energizing call to action, “OI OI OI,” has led me to describe the project as “Zoomer Jeff Rosenstock.” After I kept coming back for “Kirby Down B,” I gradually became obsessed with the rest of the album, which deals with post-gifted-kid syndrome, decaying childhood friendships, meds, and self-destructive tendencies. There are a couple of Worst Party Ever-style acoustic tracks that provide a brief respite from the seemingly bottomless supply of group chants, but what I love most about this record is how old it makes me feel. For the first time ever, it feels like I’m listening to the next generation of emo kids reflecting on their own nostalgia from a time when I was already an adult. The fact that I can still connect to it goes to show how wonderfully written these songs are. Here’s hoping I’ll soon be packed in that sweaty house show, screaming along to songs about Kirby.

Taylor Grimes - @GeorgeTaylorG

Honey Creek – Self Preservation

When I first became musically conscious, I knew early on that I was drawn towards “rock music.” In my mind, this descriptor covered everything from AC/DC and Motorhead to Sum 41 and Nirvana. Eventually, I learned more about genres and subgenres, and I’d wager one of the first hyper-specific scenes I became obsessed with was easycore. This semi-fake genre was basically pop-punk that threw in a breakdown once in a while and often used high-pitched keyboard noises. Think A Day To Remember, Four Year Strong, and Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! Imagine my surprise then when Honey Creek started rolling out the singles for their awesome new EP, and it sounded exactly like some shit I would have been obsessed with in high school. The band has fresh-as-fuck all-white fits, cool music videos, catchy-as-hell choruses, and (thankfully) dig a little bit deeper than the typically-bro-leaning undertones that come with most easycore. It may just be 11 minutes, but there’s not a wasted moment or bit of energy on this EP, and while it may lean on some trappings of a very specific subgenre, Honey Creek do a fantastic job of making these sounds feel updated for 2023.

Taylor Grimes - @GeorgeTaylorG

Josaleigh Pollett – In The Garden, By The Weeds

Salt Lake City DIY artist Josaleigh Pollett is a beautiful enigma to me. The closest artist I can truly compare them to is David Bazan, especially those Care and Blanco records, not just because they share some musical DNA with Pollett’s In The Garden, By The Weeds, but also because Pollett is a lyricist (a songwriter! a poet!!) on par with Bazan. The recording of In The Garden… was a partnership with producer Jordan Watko, and what they’ve made together is one of the greatest indie pop albums of all time. Pollett’s vocals will break your heart, Watko’s beats will have you dancing your ass off, but in like a moody and hopeful sort of way.

Ben Sooy - @bensooy

Read our review of In The Garden, By The Weeds here.

Mauve – About The Weather

The crazy thing about the internet is that I can show you my exact first impression of Mauve. Back in January, my brother and I were huddled up against a table in McMenamins White Eagle Saloon, nursing a couple of ciders. We were there mainly to catch the Tallest Emo Band™ Swiss Army Wife, but when Mauve took the stage and started tuning, I could already tell we were in for a treat. We secured a primo spot right up front and proceeded to take in a set of pure, unbridled Portland Emo. Once I found myself on the other side of the band’s invigorating performance, I was absolutely over the moon that my hometown felt like it had a legitimate emo scene for the first time ever. Released six months after that fateful concert, Mauve’s debut album is chock-full of tasty riffs, gnarly screams, and pit-opening tunes that show a glimpse into an alternate reality where the Pacific Northwest eclipsed the Midwest as the true ruler of the emo genre.

Taylor Grimes - @GeorgeTaylorG

MINDCLOT – Profit Over People

From the instant you press play, it’s apparent that MINDCLOT are not fucking around. Their weapons-grade d-beat hardcore doesn’t let up for the entire duration of their second album, blasting through politically charged ragers like it’s nothing. Vocalist Mike Mutersbaugh’s piercing shriek cuts the tastefully muddy mix like butter, and the driving rhythms will surely keep any show-goer in the most violent pit of their life. There are tastes of the moshcore revival here too towards the back end, with straight-ahead and danceable two-steppers like “Hypocrisy” rounding out the straight-ahead Discharge-worship on Side A. With a quick run-time and absolutely killer riffs front to back, particularly “Poison” and “Two Faces,” this release is sure to be a modern punk touchstone for ages to come. Up the punx, check out MINDCLOT if you know what’s good for you.

Michaela Montoni - @dumpsterbassist

Pacing – Real poetry is always about plants and birds and trees and the animals and milk and honey breathing in the pink but real life is behind a screen

If you couldn’t tell from the album title, the second full-length album from Pacing is very funny, extremely clever, and painfully self-aware. There’s a Sidney Gish sensibility that runs through the whole thing, making it a joy to listen to, inspiring to read along with, and rewarding to revisit. In an early song, Katie McTigue ponders whether it’s weird to go for a walk, a concern that spirals into a commentary on her own laziness, paranoia, and climate change – all in two minutes! There are well-observed songs about home ownership, surface-level wellness culture, and obnoxious electronic communication, but, to me, the crux of this record can be found on “unReal / forReal,” which finds our hero questioning the intertwined reality and the surreality of the world around us. Things end with McTigue waking up and realizing that she “forgot to be scared,” which, given everything that’s happening, can feel like a blessing or at least a brief respite. While this all might sound heavy, the bubbly delivery and anti-folk instrumentation help keep things light and breezy, even as you contemplate societal decay and mourn the environment’s decline.

Taylor Grimes - @GeorgeTaylorG

Ratboys – The Window

Twang is so hot right now. In fact, “twang” is so popular that Spotify has a playlist showcasing the best country-flavored indie rock we have to offer, including MJ Lenderman, Florry, and Hovvdy. Ratboys, however, have been making music at this intersection for twelve years now, and The Window sees them as masters of their domain. From the scintillating 8-minute lead single to the Frankenstein-esque “It’s Alive!” the Chicagoans spend 47 minutes and 45 seconds flexing their musical chops, with the four band members more in sync than ever before. There’s a suite of love songs in the album’s title track, “I Want You (Fall 2010),” and “Bad Reaction,” making a case for this being the most tender-hearted Ratboys record yet, but the band isn’t afraid to make some noise with snotty punk tracks and exuberant guitar solos. Just another day of being the world’s greatest indie rock band.

Taylor Grimes - @GeorgeTaylorG

Read our review of The Window here.

Ringworm – Seeing Through Fire

Ringworm’s demo turns 32 years old in 2023, which is mindblowing to think about. They’ve consistently been one of the heaviest and most biting bands in metallic hardcore since then, and Seeing Through Fire is no deviation. The band continues to find new ways to make the most explosive sounding aggressive music out of the Midwest, with another crop of anthemic circle pit initiators like “No Solace, No Quarter, No Mercy” and “Thought Crimes.” Ringworm is keeping their Holy Terror scene alive with each new album, and they’ve outdone themselves once again.

Logan Archer Mounts - @VERTICALCOFFIN

Slow Pulp – Yard

This August, I spent a few weeks boxing up my childhood room as my parents prepared to sell the house where I spent the first twenty-something years of my life. As I was unearthing adolescent artifacts long since forgotten, I was spinning an advance of Slow Pulp’s Yard, which perfectly soundtracked this excavation. Since the beginning of the year, the album’s lead single, “Cramps,” had already become a mainstay on my playlists, and my excitement only mounted with “Slugs” and “Doubt,” each song eclipsing the last as my favorite thing the band has ever done. The album collects these knockout singles and pads them out with a few more mid-tempo tracks of transition and impermanence. Having relocated from Madison to Chicago in the time since their excellent 2020 record Moveys, Slow Pulp themselves have undergone a move as a collective, and Yard reflects that. There are multiple songs about moving away and making changes in your life, all of which made it feel stupidly on-brand to spin as I moved every earthly possession I have into boxes to be opened at a later date. There’s a slight lull in the middle, but the rockin’ “MUD,” woozy country-leaning “Broadview,” and the pensive “Fishes” make for a final three-song stretch that balances out the pep-heavy front half. All in all, Yard makes for one of the most exciting, youthful, and catchy indie rock records of the year.

Taylor Grimes - @GeorgeTaylorG

Squirrel Flower – Tomorrow’s Fire

Smoldering. If I were to boil Tomorrow’s Fire down to one single descriptor, it would be that. After an album full of slow-burn stunners that were kneecapped by the pandemic, Ella Williams was anything but discouraged. Over the last couple of years, she segued some phenomenal covers and singles into the desolate, naturalistic heat death of Planet (i) and a haunting companion EP that leaned into her more minimalistic sensibilities. It’s understandable that after all of the false starts and fraught life events, Williams was ready to rock. Earlier this year, she dropped “Your Love,” a one-off single featuring a full-band recreation of a similarly named song from the Planet EP, signaling a new page for the project. Backed by a band comprised of MJ Lenderman, members of Bon Iver, and the War On Drugs, Williams had free reign to construct the most grand, sweeping, and holistic collection of songs ever released under the Squirrel Flower moniker. There are reflections on the spirit-crushing nature of capitalism, queer Springsteen-style love songs about escaping out past the edge of town, and unrequited skatepark hookups aplenty. The songs tend to crackle as monstrous shoegaze riffs but also know when to pull back into something slower for maximum impact.

Taylor Grimes - @GeorgeTaylorG

Star99 – Bitch Unlimited

The debut LP from Bay Area four-piece Star99 has maybe the most perfectly-matched-to-the-music cover art of 2023. An I-Spy-esque jumble of kitsch and miscellany–stickers, teacups, a stray earring, model train tracks –crowd a floral surface (“an I-Spy-esque jumble of kitsch and miscellany” would also be an apt description of the ten songs as well). Peeking out from underneath the Dollar Store clutter is the album title: Bitch Unlimited. It all feels like it was ripped straight from Rookie Mag circa 2013 or the 8tracks account of the coolest girl at your high school (also circa 2013), an effect that only intensifies when you press play. This isn’t to suggest that Bitch Unlimited is in any way stale or derivative– it’s one of the freshest, most innovative rock records I’ve heard all year –but Star99 feels like the kind of band that I thought didn’t exist anymore. Their earnest-yet-irreverent blend of pop-punk, power pop, and garage rock hearkens back to bands that existed on the fringes of emo’s fourth wave. Bands like Chumped and Swearin’ that were bursting at the seams with snark, exuberance, and the stickiest of hooks. Bookended by slot machine sound effects and eschewing any polite, small-talking introduction, opener “Girl” barrels in with blistering snapshots of suburban angst and young heartbreak, culminating in frontwoman Saorise delivering a gleeful “guilty” verdict. From there, the hits don’t let up, with Saorise and Thomas switching off on lead vocals. From the Joyce Manor-reminiscent jaunts about self-sabotage (“Salt”) to poppy confessions about the less-glamorous aspects of living and working in DIY spaces (“South Second”) to meditations on codependent friendships (“Elastic”) to frenetic bouts of agoraphobia (“Vegas”), Bitch Unlimited is a 26-minute firecracker, its fuse lit by defiant spirit and white-hot hooks. During “Spit Take,” Saorise declares, “Life’s a bitch, and so am I!”; life may be a bitch, but bands like Star99 make it way more fun.

Grace Robins-Somerville - @grace_roso

Stephen O’Malley & Anthony Pateras – Sept duos pour guitar acoustique et piano préparé

That title translates to “seven duets for acoustic guitar and prepared piano,” in case it seemed like a mystery what you might be in for on this album. Stephen O’Malley is one half of Seattle’s drone legends Sunn O))), and he appears in collaboration on this album with Australian composer Anthony Pateras. It’s their second album together following 2018’s Rêve Noir, and it’s a perfect split between unsettling and comforting. The two compliment each other pristinely, O’Malley adding unsuspecting guitar strums over Pateras’ minimalist, avant-grade piano hits. Both musicians are incredibly prolific and are no strangers to experimental music, so their second team up here seemed like it would have been a knockout no matter what.

Logan Archer Mounts - @VERTICALCOFFIN

Talking Kind – It Did Bring Me Down

Somewhere, there exists a Venn diagram containing MJ Lenderman, Slaughter Beach Dog, and the Barenaked Ladies. At the center of this diagram, you’ll find Talking Kind. Talking Kind is the project of Pat Graham, a Philly-based musician making catchy, power-poppy, singer-songwriter fare that’s as touching and true as it is goofy and fun-loving. The first song on It Did Bring Me Down utilizes features from Radiator Hospital and The Goodbye Party to deliver a title drop and mission statement for the project after Graham explains “I just say shit.” Over the album’s remaining 24 minutes, Graham busts out immaculate melodies (“Damn Shame”), makes adorable pasta-based improvisations (“Pretty Flowers”), and romanticizes truck life (“My Truck”). There’s some beautiful slide guitar on “Never Bored” and one of the best love songs of the entire year in “Trader.” The whole release wraps up on “World of Peace,” an ode to fellow Philly musician Greg Mendez that doubles as a thought experiment about how beautiful the world would be if everyone were literally Greg Mendez. That’s the world I want to live in.

Taylor Grimes - @GeorgeTaylorG

Teenage Halloween – Till You Return

I know what you’re thinking, and no, this isn’t some Misfits-esque horror punk band; rather, Teenage Halloween describe themselves as “flaming queer power pop,” and if that doesn’t perk your ears up, then I don’t know what to tell ya. The group’s second album refines the recipe laid out in their previous work but blows the colors up to maximum saturation and packs the whole thing with catchy hooks and boisterous shouts. There are still deep questions to be grappled with here, like mental health and navigating the world as a queer person, but with those moments of realness also come euphoric successes and moments of love. The whole thing is speedy, shouty, and lively–a record that feels tailor-made for sweaty New Jersey basements packed wall to wall with people who share the same struggles as you. This album is the sound of being alive.

Taylor Grimes - @GeorgeTaylorG

Thank You, I’m Sorry – Growing in Strange Places

Thank You, I’m Sorry has had a few lives. The project initially began as Colleen Dow, alone, recording solitary acoustic songs about heartbreak, self-doubt, and isolation. Eventually, Dow was joined by a talented group of musicians who helped flesh out some of those initial songs and added a few new ones on 2020’s I’m Glad We’re Friends. Now, a little over three years later, we have Growing In Strange Places, a sprawling and impressively diverse collection of indie rock songs that shows a band working together to push far beyond any descriptor that’s ever been applied to them in the past. The emotions are still conveyed primarily through Dow’s infinitely charming vocals, but the instrumentals range from kaleidoscopic electronica and desolate slowcore to relatable dance-ready bops and even a hardcore rager for good measure. There’s also one of the best love songs of the year, and the whole thing wraps on a solo song that feels like a beautiful full-circle moment for the project. Song topics are just as relatable and confessional as before; the difference is now the artistic expectations have been dismantled entirely. The result is an album that feels like TY,IS achieving their true potential: a collection of tracks as vibrant, engaging, and ever-changing as the people behind the music.

Taylor Grimes - @GeorgeTaylorG

TORSION – DEMO 2023

I’d be remiss not to talk about hometown greats. No one knows anything about this band yet. Their debut 7” just came out a matter of days ago. It’s five songs, five minutes long (and change), and one track on Bandcamp. It’s fucking blistering. The guitars are gnarled and heavy, the d-beats fly on a thumpy cardboard drum kit, and the vocals are low and gravelly in that perfect early black/death metal way. This is fucking Pittsburgh hardcore, and I can’t wait to hear more riffs. If you’re in the area, stay tuned for one of their shows, and if you like Bomb Threat or Razorblade, you’re gonna fucking love this.

Michaela Montoni - @dumpsterbassist

October 23, 2023

Fauxchella VI Recap

October 23, 2023/ Taylor Grimes

*Yours truly, about to have the weekend of his life.*

First off, this is going to be much more of a “multimedia” post than this blog is used to. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I haven’t been publishing many things on Swim Into The Sound lately. In fact, I haven’t posted anything since August. Whoops. At first, that was kind of just a lack of inspiration. Then, I moved across the country, and that took a fair amount of brainpower, energy, and attention. After that, my excuse was that I was “settling in” to this new part of the country and enjoying life in my newly-no-longer long-distance relationship. Lately, I’ve been thinking it’s some combination of all those things. My life has shifted around massively, and sometimes things take a while to equalize.

As I write this, I’m still recovering from Fauxchella VI, which happened smack-dab in the middle of October. If you didn’t read my massive 5,000-word Fauxchella interview/retrospective back in April, I don’t blame you (after all, it was 5,000 words). The gist of it is that Fauxchella VI was a three-day 69-band DIY punk festival that took place in Bowling Green, Ohio. This sixth iteration of this festival kicked off at 2:00 PM on Friday, October 13th, 2023, and played its final notes sometime around midnight on Sunday, October 15th.

The days were packed with an overwhelming slew of talent, from plucky, fresh-faced newcomers like Saturdays at Your Place to seasoned scene vets like Dikembe. I got to shout along to Equipment, Ben Quad, and Michael Cera Palin. I got to see Carpool fight Summerbruise in a battle set I’ll never forget. I got to shout along to “Pepe Sylvia” and “Fight Milk!” on the same stage on the same weekend. It did my Midwest emo heart good.

The short version is that Fauxchella VI was a three-day all-you-can-eat buffet of riffs and infectious energy, and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. There was popcorn, Jell-O shots, and an endless sea of merch nuzzled in the back, and if you’re anything like me, you are not immune to popcorn, Jell-O shots, or cool t-shirts.

The draw in both fans and talent was immense. Some bands traveled from neighboring Ohio towns, while others hopped on planes just for the opportunity to rip a 30 minute set in front of an adoring sold-out crowd. In my case, my girlfriend and I drove up 12 hours from North Carolina the night before just so we could be there all weekend. I’ve spent the last half-decade of my life listening to, loving, and writing about this type of music, and the opportunity to hear so many essential songs played loud-as-fuck and in-the-flesh was nothing short of life-affirming.

The whole weekend was a constant stream of seeing bands I’ve loved for years, meeting people whose art I’ve written about, and finally putting faces to the names of Twitter avatars I’ve seen the whole pandemic. It was a beautiful, communal moment, all put together by the lovely people over at Summit Shack. Thank you, Conor, Ellie, and the whole crew, for everything you do, everything you’ve done, and everything I know you will put together in the future. You are the best of us, truly.

I wanted to recap some of my favorite moments that I happened to catch on video because

I want to document this weekend while the events are still fresh.
I have COVID, so there’s nothing better to do than watch videos on my phone and reminisce.
I want to keep this to the blog so I don’t annoy people on Twitter with an endless spool of emo music posting (at least more than I already do).

Also worth noting that this is not comprehensive, just some of my favorite sets as I saw them and captured them on video. Before we get into my little collection of homemade videos, I’d also like to share that I made this Spotify Playlist of (almost) every band’s most recent material in performance order if you’d like to listen along or just need 39.5 hours of emo music to fill your day. Let’s get into it.

Saturdays At Your Place

Going into Fauxchella, Saturdays At Your Place was one of the bands I was most excited to finally catch live. I’ve had always cloudy on repeat since January, and over the last ten months, it’s emerged as one of the strongest emo EPs of the year. At first, I was drawn in by the undeniable singalong emo anthem that is “Tarot Cards,” but I soon grew to love every track on the 18-minute release just as much. These days, I’m especially drawn to the cresting bombast of “eat me alive,” which was a marvel to scream along to live. If “pourover” is any indication,” the band’s upcoming split with Summerbruise and Shoplifter means we only have more heaters in the future.

NATL PARK SRVC

Only one band dared to cram eight of their own musicians onto the stage, and that was Minneapolis’ NATL PARK SRVC, whose excellent album Magician comes out in just a matter of days. For 30 minutes, the indie rock septet blessed us with hits from their upcoming record, including hit singles “Smiling” and “Dizzy.” Adorned with trumpet, violin, lap steel, and backup vox, these songs sprawled out into exciting, danceable bits of indie rock that sounded like no other band on the weekend’s lineup. The group also doled out CD copies of their album early so attendees could get a sneak peek at the double album before it hit streaming services.

Thank You, I’m Sorry

Keeping the Minneapolis train going, Thank You, I’m Sorry took the stage at 6 pm for an absolutely triumphant set. Things began with a stripped-down rendition of “how many slugs can we throw against the wall until we question our own mortality,” which mounted into a gazy full-band wall of noise in the back half. After that crowd-pleasing classic, the band mostly played songs off their excellent sophomore album, Growing In Strange Places, which was released only a few weeks prior. There were fun little dance numbers (Chronically Online), fist-balling ragers (Head Climbing), and a solitary closing number where half the band walked into the crowd to spread a bouquet of flowers. A lovely, intimate, and affirming set from a band that just put out their best work yet.

Funeral Homes

Chalk this up under “band I never thought I’d be lucky enough to see live,” Funeral Homes is my under-the-radar choice for best shoegaze band currently working. Performing as a three-piece, the trio launched through hit after hit off Blue Heaven, their hazy masterpiece from last year. These songs hit like a truck, and bobbing my head along to “Double Vision” is something I have been wanting to do since this time last year. It’s not often you get to hear one of your favorite shoegaze albums of the year played directly in your face for 30 minutes, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Equipment

While their members have moved around a bit in recent years, Equipment may, for all intents and purposes, be a Bowling Green band. With Toledo just a short 20-some-minute drive up the road, it’s fair to say Equipment had home field advantage when they took the stage at Howard's at 7 pm. The fact that they dropped an excellent EP earlier this year and a killer album just weeks ago meant that this might as well have been a hometown album release celebration, and it certainly felt like it.

Perspective, A Lovely Hand To Hold

After a short pizza dinner break, we got back just in time to catch the career-spanning set of Perspective, A Lovely Hand To Hold, who made Fauxchella one of the stops on their farewell tour before putting the band to rest. The band took listeners through their discography backward, starting with some cuts off last year’s Phantasmagorialand and winding all the way back to crowd-pleasing classics like “Pepe Sylvia.” The band’s final show will take place at Fest 21 later this month, but I’m just glad I was able to see the New Hampshireites one last time before they put the project to bed—Perspective, Forever.

Carpool vs. Summerbruise

In what I consider my personal “Main Event” of Fauxchella Day 1, we had a battle set between Rochester’s Carpool and Indianapolis’ Summerbruise. If you’ve read this blog even a little, you’ll know I have a storied history with each of these groups and loving their music. Between Erotic Nightmare Summer and The View Never Changes, these two bands have made some of the best collections of emo music this side of 2020, and to see them both on stage together was practically too much for my heart to bear. For an hour straight, the bands took turns ripping through their hits, trading blows, and swapping insults. After raging at each other and with the crowd for nearly an hour, the two bands squashed their beef, joining forces for a group cover of Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff,” which electrified the whole room. Two titans at the height of their power.

Ben Quad

Ben Quad released the emo album of the year in 2022, and you could really tell as hordes of fans packed in so they could scream every word and note back at them. Pits were opened, fingers were pointed, and guitars were tapped. Performing against a backdrop of Dumb & Dumber clips, the band ripped through the high points of I’m Scared That’s All There Is, as well as their hardcore one-off “You’re Part of It” and songs off their freshly-released two-piece single. If you haven’t been riding the Ben Quad train, this set could have convinced even the most cold-hearted emo hater to jump on board.

Charmer

I first saw Charmer at Fauxchella III back in 2019, and that set converted me into a lifelong fan. To see the band live again in the same spot four and a half years later only affirmed that they are masters of their domain. We were treated to songs off both their LPs, plus sneak peeks at a couple of upcoming tracks. The cherry on top came when they played “Topanga Lawrence” with live horn accompaniment courtesy of DIY Emo stalwart J-Fudge. A transcendent way to end day 1.

Brown Maple

A band that feels primed to be the next Equipment, Brown Maple kicked off day 2 with a rockin’ cover of Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night,” which made me feel like I was living in an unreleased copy of Punk Goes Pop. Despite some grogginess from the day before, the band quickly whipped the crowd up into a frenzy with their tap-happy riffage, pulling mainly from last year’s EP and recent singles. By the end of the set, a group of fans had stormed the stage, commandeering the mic, getting the day off to a great start in the process.

Kerosene Heights

Kerosene Height’s first official album, Southeast Of Somewhere, has been a mainstay on my weekly charts and regular listening ever since it was first released at the beginning of the summer. I don’t even really have a great video to share because I spent the entire set up front screaming along to every word, and I guess that’s an endorsement enough on its own.

Smoke Detector vs. Gwuak!

Early on in day 2, we had our second battle set of the festival as the twinkly Smoke Detector went head to head with the tap-happy Gwuak. Each two-piece commanded their half of the stage, bouncing through hits from their recent records, but the room truly came alive when Smoke Detector pulled out the big guns: a cover of Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten.”

Aren’t We Amphibians

Scheduled up next were Aren’t We Amphibians, who were traveling up from San Diego and just dropped a fantastic little EP, which I was excited to see live. On Friday, their van broke down, stranding the group somewhere in Arizona. But fear not! The DIY community is a vast support network. By the next day, the group had met their Go Fund Me goal and were back on the road to kick off a tour with Equipment… but they would sadly miss their Fauxchella set. This was a bummer until the spirit of DIY camaraderie provided a miracle of a fill-in band in the form of…

MooseCreek Park

I wouldn’t have known about MooseCreek Park if it wasn’t for Swim Into The Sound’s very own Brandon Cortez, who reviewed the band’s new album for this site back when it dropped in July. Thanks to Brandon’s glowing review, I felt like I was in early on the frantically-tapping New Jersey weedmo group. I was ready to witness the frantic tapping of “Ok Dylan” and belt out the chorus of “Pieces,” and while I was sad to miss AWA, swapping them with MooseCreek wound up being a more-than-suitable consolation prize.

Dad Bod

Yet even more Minneapolis representation, let’s talk about Dad Bod. I hope we’re all in agreement that “Rot” is one of the greatest songs of the 2010s because that’s a given to me. Hearing that song live was an absolute revelation; even though I still want to hear the band blow that instrumental at the end into a wandering outro, but I’ll take it. Aside from that, the band’s live presence created a crushing and engaging wall of sound, all backed by School of Rock’s invigorating middle act.

Brewster

On from the sad stuff to the yee-haw stuff, Brewster brought the country-fried excellence for a twangy alt-country sway that made me miss the sweet tea back in North Carolina. Interestingly enough, the band is based in Jersey, which is funny since the record feels like an easy recommendation for anyone who used to like Pinegrove. If that’s not enough for you, Brewster also manages to drawl things out into a My Morning Jacket or even Drive-by Truckers-esque bramble, which I always appreciate.

Okay, rapid-speed through the rest of Day 2 because whew…

Riley!

Incredible to witness live. Their energy and proficiency know no bounds. The new stuff sounds great 👀

Cheem

Felt like I was witnessing history watching this band play these songs live. People packed in to shake their asses to “Smooth Brain,” as they should.

Newgrounds Death Rugby

One of my biggest surprises of Fauxchella was how incredible NGDR sounds live. The perfect balance of dancing and moshpitting.

Short Fictions

Also having just put out an awesome album, the Short Fictions set was half new, half tried-and-true oldies.

Oldsoul

Yeah, there was a Macarena in the pit. You read that right. They started with “High On Yourself,” and I belted along with every word.

Michael Cera Palin

I’ve been waiting about five years to finally see this band live. They have two EPs, a single, a song on a comp, and a goofy cover of “Soak Up The Sun.” Every song is incredible. I know every molecule to these songs, and part of me couldn’t even believe I was taking them in live. They played the obligatory cover, but everyone knows it’s way better to scream along to “GodDAMN, I need a cigarette!”

Next, I watched Camping in Alaska and Dikembe respectfully, tiredly, and excitedly, from the sidelines. Good, because the next day started early with a last-minute solo acoustic house show at 10 am from…

Equipment

Celebrating the five-year anniversary of their (loosely) disowned first album, Ruthless Sun, Nick Zander from Equipment led a basement full of about two dozen fans through a full-album playthrough early on Sunday morning. We huddled up with our coffees and sang along with this rudimentary form of Quippy as Zander padded the time between songs with color commentary and easter eggs. A few lyrics were forgotten, and a few other, newer songs were slipped into the mix, but this felt like a beautiful moment of homecoming and celebrating the album that got the band to their new album, which is the culmination of years worth of touring, songwriting, and turn-grinding. A special thing to be a part of.

Mango Tree

Two of the members of Mango Tree had just gotten married weeks earlier, but they put off their honeymoon just to play a hometown show surrounded by friends, and lemme tell you, it was worth it. The second time I teared up on Sunday alone, this alt-folk punk set was intimate, therapeutic, and love-filled. A brilliant high note to start the day out on.

Hummus Vacuum

AKA Rivers Cuomo

Yes, that’s the name of the band, yes we brought them hummus, yes they have a song about getting your foreskin taken. Any more questions?

See Through Person

I’m not in the business of betting on the success of a band; I just write about shit that rips. However, if I were to be making bets on who’s preparing to have a big 2024, it’s See Through Person. The Florida-Michigan transplants only have six songs released across two EPs, but not only do they all rip, but the kids came out for this set, making for a sweaty 2 pm prelude to the final battle set of the festival…

Ben Quad vs. Arcadia Grey

Going into this, I thought for sure this was going to be a clean sweep. Then I saw how many people packed in for Arcadia Grey’s set the night before, and I wasn’t so sure. The set began with a kidnapping and ended in a kiss. I love happy endings, especially when a Modern Baseball cover comes before the finale.

Honey Creek

Easycore is back, and we have Honey Creek to thank for that. I definitively fucked up my voice during this set, screaming along to every word of the band’s just-released Self Preservation. Plus, I always respect a band adopting a uniform, and the all-white get-ups were a nice touch that tied everything together.

Innerlove.

Another country counterpoint to Fauxchella’s typically-emo-leaning lineup, Innerlove brought the twangy goodness as they played hit after hit off their summery Roscoe. A prime example of the Emo To Alt-Country Pipeline, Innerlove specalize in songs about drinking (negative) and bad decisions (also negative). Luckily, the songs are so fun to sing along to live that you almost forget all that. Bonus points for having the hardest, loudest drummer of the whole weekend.

Excuse Me, Who Are You?

Earlier this year, I spent about 1k words waxing poetic about the awesome four-track EP from Excuse Me, Who Are You?, so if you want to know my specific thoughts on this band, go read that. In what might have been the most hardcore set of day 3, EMWAY ripped the roof off Howard’s as hordes of fans screamed along to every anguished turn of the band’s screamo set. Fists were swung, pits were opened, and minds were blown.

Swiss Army Wife

Look, I’ve lived in the Midwest, up in the mountains, and down south, but in my heart of hearts, I’ll always be a Pacific Northwest boy from Portland, Oregon. The same goes for Swiss Army Wife, a tall-as-hell emo crew who flew out from my home state just to give the Midwest a taste of their fucked-up dance-punk.

Palette Knife

I’ve been a fan of Palette Knife since their first album, but their music sounded almost too precise and too acute to be real. I’m happy to report that, when playing live, these guys can bang out every riff you hear on the record and make them sound even more full of life. It probably helped that a few dozen fans crammed up against the side stage to help scream along to every lyric and thrash along to every breakdown, but wow, sometimes seeing is believing.

Khaki Cuffs

In one of the most novel arrangements of Fauxchella, Khaki Cuffs’ set found bandleader Brody Hamilton behind the kit as a standalone mic allowed the crowd (and a couple guest stars) to take up vocal duties as the guitars and bass played along with Hamilton’s live percussion. This was my first time seeing Khaki Cuffs live, and it was fun to see these songs in such a novel way.

At this point, I was drained and practically dead on my feet from three straight days of music festing. The breathtaking Jetty Bones played Fauxchella VI out with their confessional brand of indie rock, and the next day, we were all back to our normal lives. In my case, we were waking up early to check out of our Air Bnb and settling in for a 12-plus hour drive back to North Carolina. We were drained physically, emotionally, and financially, but infinitely satiated by three days of meeting friends and taking in incredible set after incredible set. I felt blessed to see so many of these bands in their best form and watch a countless number of my own favorite emo songs played directly into my face. I may have gotten sick as hell and spent the next three days sleeping off COVID, but Fauxchella VI was everything I ever would have wanted and then some. Thanks to everyone involved, every band that played, and every friend that said ‘hi,’ you make this all worth it, and I can’t wait to do it all again someday.

Blog

Faux[DACTED]

Josh & Ben on Faux 8: Day One

Merch Mayhem

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Caro’s Warped Tour Report: Day One

Josh & Ben on Faux 8: Day Two

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Caro’s Warped Tour Report: Day 2

Taylor’s Portraits

Faux 8: Honorary Day 3

Some Closing Thoughts

Angel Du$t – BRAND NEW SOUL

Astra King – First Love

awakebutstillinbed – chaos takes the wheel and i am a passenger

Broken Record – Nothing Moves Me

Chain Whip – Call of the Knife

Coronary – The Future… Is Now

Del Paxton – Auto Locator

Downward & Trauma Ray – Split

Equipment – Alt. Account

Fiddlehead – Death is Nothing to Us

Gravess – i still feel it, crawling, under my skin.

Harrison Gordon – The Yuppies Are Winning

Honey Creek – Self Preservation

Josaleigh Pollett – In The Garden, By The Weeds

Mauve – About The Weather

MINDCLOT – Profit Over People

Pacing – Real poetry is always about plants and birds and trees and the animals and milk and honey breathing in the pink but real life is behind a screen

Ratboys – The Window

Ringworm – Seeing Through Fire

Slow Pulp – Yard

Squirrel Flower – Tomorrow’s Fire

Star99 – Bitch Unlimited

Stephen O’Malley & Anthony Pateras – Sept duos pour guitar acoustique et piano préparé

Talking Kind – It Did Bring Me Down

Teenage Halloween – Till You Return

Thank You, I’m Sorry – Growing in Strange Places

TORSION – DEMO 2023

Saturdays At Your Place

NATL PARK SRVC

Thank You, I’m Sorry

Funeral Homes

Equipment

Perspective, A Lovely Hand To Hold

Carpool vs. Summerbruise

Ben Quad

Charmer

Brown Maple

Kerosene Heights

Smoke Detector vs. Gwuak!

Aren’t We Amphibians

MooseCreek Park

Dad Bod

Brewster

Riley!

Cheem

Newgrounds Death Rugby

Short Fictions

Oldsoul

Michael Cera Palin

Equipment

Mango Tree

Hummus Vacuum

See Through Person

Ben Quad vs. Arcadia Grey

Honey Creek

Innerlove.

Excuse Me, Who Are You?

Swiss Army Wife

Palette Knife

Khaki Cuffs

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