Fauxchella VI Recap

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

1. I want to document this weekend while the events are still fresh.

2. I have COVID, so there’s nothing better to do than watch videos on my phone and reminisce.

3. 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.

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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. 

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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…

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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. 

The Best of Q3 2022: Part 1

Not to sound like a guy in a suit, but it’s the end of another “quarter,” and *adjusts tie* that means it’s time to tell you about some of my favorite releases from the last few months. After all, what better way to celebrate the return of fall than getting all sentimental and retrospective?

If you’d like to read about my favorite albums of Q1 and Q2, click here or here. Other than that, read on for some of the best releases of the summer. Part 2 is coming soon because a bunch of great albums dropped in the last few weeks of September, and I’m working on my own time, baby.

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Brady - You Sleep While They Watch

Flesh & Bone Records

Sam Boyhtari has had a busy year. Somewhere between nationwide tours with Foxing, Home Is Where, and Infant Island, his band Greet Death managed to drop a phenomenal EP called New Low. Forecasted by a breadcrumb of fantastic singles, this 21-minute collection of songs found the Michigan shoegazers digging a little deeper and going a little darker. Impressive for a group whose last album is literally called “New Hell.” After releasing that EP out into the world and relocating himself to a different part of the Midwest, Boyhtari finally had enough time to dedicate to his Chicago-based heavy rock project simply called Brady. 

Self-described on Bandcamp as “the perfect blend of hick shit, innuendo, and a sad story,” it’s hard to think of a better elevator pitch for the group than that. Fans of Greet Death will likely feel at home here, as most of the LP still hovers around a baseline heavy rock sound. What's surprising, however, is just how much Boyhtari has to say and how he decides to present it. 

Much like the writing on his other project, songs like “Radon Blues” and “Family Photos” find their structure with a catchy phrase and a compelling instrumental build. Meanwhile, on songs like “Big Future” and “Catherine,” Boyhtari has enough time to get beautifully poetic and surprisingly grounded. The entire album weaves a stark, urgent, but ultimately beautiful portrait of life in 2022. You Sleep While They Watch is an album that is equal parts crushing and compassionate. A necessary balance to strike in the face of our increasingly-oppressive world. 

Read our full view of You Sleep While They Watch here. 

Carpool - For Nasal Use Only

Acrobat Unstable Records

Can we please talk about Carpool? I’ve been dying to talk about Carpool. For basically the whole summer, I’ve been lucky enough to have For Nasal Use Only on repeat. The EP has soundtracked foggy walks along the Oregon coast, much-needed trips back home, and long flights to visit my girlfriend. Simply put, there’s no collection of songs I would rather have tied to the memories of this past season, and you should be excited at the prospect of attaching these potent tracks to memories of your own this fall. 

The latest dispatch from the Rochester emo rockers offers dancy spurts, catchy chants, and even a left-field acoustic number. After an impressive debut album in 2020 with Erotic Nightmare Summer, the band’s latest EP proves that the group’s penchant for immaculate and hooky emo rock was no fluke. Carpool is one of those bands that make it easy to be a fan. The good news is, with Nasal Use finally out and even more exciting things on the horizon, there’s never been a better time to buckle up and join the ride.

Read our review of lead single “Anime Flashbacks” here. 

Holy Fawn - Dimensional Bleed

Triple Crown Records

Can you feel that? It’s the push of cold fall air gently cresting over the horizon. This change of seasons brings not just crisp weather but legions of darkened shoegaze to earbuds worldwide. Something about the dead leaves and the colder nights makes the genre feel slightly more appropriate right now than during the throes of a summer heatwave. 

Dimensional Bleed is the sophomore album from Holy Fawn and a record that feels tailor-made for this time of year. The release sees the six-piece effortlessly shift and morph between blackened metal, shoegaze, post-rock, and more. There’s a shared murkiness to all these sounds that makes the band feel like a wendigo or a smoke monster, silently gliding behind the listener, waiting for the just right time to unleash their violent fury upon their prey. Songs like “Death is a Relief” and “Lift Your Head” stick out as initial highlights, but really, the whole appeal of this album is slipping in and willingly surrendering yourself to the music for 49 minutes. 

NATL PARK SRVC - EP4

Self-released

Where have all the indie rockers gone? It’s a question that’s been on my lips (and apparently everyone else’s) as of late. For the last half-decade, NATL PARK SRVC has been crafting sweeping indie rock songs with an emphasis on early-aughts sounds that Pitchfork would have eaten up back in the day. For the last half-decade, the group has also been refining their bombastic big band style, typically boasting around seven members or more depending on the occasion. 

While I loved last year’s The Dance, at times, the full-length left me feeling looped around and overwhelmed over the course of its 48-minute runtime. For that reason alone, the five tracks on EP4 feel like a more concise and compact sample platter of what this band does best. Opener “BLOODY” is a hard-grooving track that builds to an ultra-dancy Frank Ferdinand guitar riff as lead singer Dylan Wotock croons, “why don’t you punch me in the faaaace / why don’t you put me in my plaaace,” stretching the last syllables of each line like a kid playing with silly putty. After a Billy Corgan name drop and a Will Toledo-style monologue, this chorus dovetails with a series of carefree vocalizations for an ornate display that bands like Spoon could only dream of. 

From there, lead singles “UP ALL NIGHT” and “VHS” keep the forward momentum with boppy instrumentals featuring the standard mix of guitar, drums, and bass, but accentuated by everything from violin to saxophone and trombone. It’s an ambitious feast for the ears, all spectacularly produced and remarkably clear. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention “SUMMERSIDE,” an undeniable queer anthem that navigates the muddy and often cliche-ridden waters of figuring out your own sexuality. 

The EP’s crown jewel can be found in its closer “PSALM 11:02 PM,” a remorseful and morbid piece with an unshakable Midwest flavor. The song finds Woytcke lamenting the funeral of a close friend, turning their individual grief into a sort of communal outpouring backed by the force of the full band. Mentions of funerals give the song a raw and open-hearted feeling that evokes the honesty of everyone’s favorite Hotelier song. Instead of finding catharsis in a throat-shredding shout, NATL PARK SRVC ascend into a hypnotic repetition of “I still think about it sometimes / I still dream about this sometimes,” which Woytcke sings over a group chant and a winding riff that eventually finds its rest on a charming bed of strings. A beautiful close to a stellar 20-minute release where no second is wasted. 

Pool Kids - Pool Kids

Skeletal Lightning

Throughout their self-titled sophomore record, Pool Kids lay out the various phases and emotions of a breakup, then shuffle them around, deconstructing the experience and distilling it into an explosive and cathartic album-length experience. Their first collection of songs as a full band (outside of a half-jokey hardcore double called POOL), Pool Kids balances its emotional heft with impressively technical instrumentation that will stagger even the most jaded math rock fans. 

At points, this album feels like an amalgamation of every genre I’ve ever loved growing up: emo, metal, pop-punk, prog, and 2000s alt-rock are all represented, everything wrapped in crystal clear production courtesy of Mike Vernon Davis. It’s a testament to both the band’s musicianship and vision that everything folds in so nicely under the Pool Kids banner. 

Pool Kids is unique in that it’s a breakup album in neither the “boo hoo, I’m so sad” territory or the vengeful “fuck you, I will make you pay” camp. At times it has elements of both, but the part that feels true to life is how jumbled and non-linear the process feels. Breakups aren’t all raw heartbreak or revenge fantasies; it’s both of those and much more. Breakups are pity and longing, regret and self-sabotage, moments of reflection and reconnection. Pool Kids recognizes the many facets of emotional turmoil and recomposes them into something anyone can find a piece of themselves in.

Read our review of lead single “That's Physics, Baby” here.

Quinn Cicala - Arkansas

Self-released

Quinn Cicala is back, yee-fuckin-haw. Since 2017, Cicala has quietly been making some of the best alt-country in the whole country. I’ll admit, I first found my way to the musician as a way to ween myself off Pinegrove, and while that may still be a sticky comparison for some, it at least gives you a point of reference for what to expect with this EP. The good news is I eventually grew to love the Cicalaverse on its own merits, and I’d even go as far as to call “24” one of the best songs of all-time. Heavily grounded in the American South, the five songs Quinn Cicala offers up on Arkansas are expectedly pleasant and beautifully compelling. Guided by a folksy twang and breezy instrumentals, these songs unfurl like a sleepy cat in a warm sunbeam. The humid southern air clings to the bones of this release. Whether the band is depicting true love in the heartland or talking about frivolous news publications, it’s easy to find a home within these songs, even if it’s only for a quarter-hour.

Russian Circles - Gnosis

Sargent House

I ran the numbers, and it turns out Russian Circles have been a presence in my life for 16 years. My Russian Circles fandom is officially old enough to drive. Ever since I heard the pummeling guitar of “Death Rides a Horse” back in high school, I’ve been hooked on everything the Chicago trio has put out over the course of their hyper-consistent career. Always a reliable source of instrumental metal riffage, Russian Circles seem locked into a new mode of operating on Gnosis, sounding tighter and heavier than they have in years. Every style and speed of the band is represented here; “Conduit” is a ferocious and gnashing song, while the title track is a slow-simmering black cloud that mounts into a torrential downpour. Regardless of where I’m at in life or what I’m doing, I can always count on Russian Circles to be there, scoring the scene with brutal metal that crushes me in a warm embrace. 

The Best of May 2021

Easily the most stacked month of 2021 thus far, May saw oodles of emo, heaping helpings of punk, and even a few fantastic folk releases. Of course, we also threw in some blues and metalcore for good measure, plus an actual grunge album to top it all off.

Stars Hollow - I Want to Live My Life

Acrobat Unstable

The Iowa emo trio moves from licking their wounds on Happy Again and arrested development on “Tadpole” to active progress on their debut album. Capturing equal parts self-discovery, self-destruction, and self-improvement, I Want to Live My Life is one person’s journey from passive complacency to active betterment. This story is soundtracked by tappy guitar licks, emotive screams, and killer drum fills. As the listener stitches together the threads connecting each song, putting the pieces together results in one of the most satisfying emo experiences this year. 

Read our full review of I Want to Life My Life here.

NATL PARK SRVC - The Dance

Self-released

The Dance sounds like mid-aughts “classic” indie rock in the best way possible. Seven members deep, complete with a horn section and occasional strings, NATL PARK SRVC sounds like they could have opened for Arcade Fire or Broken Social Scene at the peak of those band’s respective Pitchfork-fueled successes. The Dance feels like a hidden gem you’d stumble across in a record store circa-2003 and would obsess over for years. It sounds like the cassette you’d find in the car of your best friend’s cooler older brother and would have an immediate respect for based on that association alone. This is a high-flying, highly-polished indie rock album that arrives to us fully formed. While the record comes with familiar trappings, it feels like NATL PARK SRVC have already carved out their own corner of the world in just 48 minutes and 7 seconds. 

The Black Keys - Delta Kream

Nonesuch Records

I’ve been a fan of The Black Keys for as long as they’ve been around. In retrospect, picturing myself as a pre-teen listening to Junior Kimbrough covers and songs like “Grown So Ugly” is objectively hilarious but made all the sense in the world as an accompaniment to my rabid White Stripes fandom. Watching the band evolve from sleazy, sloppy garage rock into a poppier and poppier version of themselves has been one of the great displeasures of my music listening career. That said, I don’t begrudge the band for chasing success, even if it means becoming synonymous with car commercial music in the process. 

On Delta Kream, The Black Keys genuinely get back to their roots with 11 covers of blues greats ranging from R. L. Burnside to John Lee Hooker. This record captures my favorite version of the band; it’s the one that I first fell in love with and one that I never thought we’d see again. The guitar tone is muddy, the vocals are mumbled, and the songs feel like they have space to breathe. This album is a direct contrast to 2019’s “Let’s Rock”, which feels like a collection of blues-rock songs that were bitten by a radioactive Subaru Outback. Delta Kream may not get a sold-out tour or million-dollar placements in commercials, but I’m glad it exists, and I know I’m not alone. 

Smol Data - Inconvenience Store

Open Door Records

As explained by the band themselves on Twitter, Inconvenience Store is a collection of songs about the “insane little art community you made the center of your universe as a teenager.” More specifically, the album is about aging out of that community and trying to figure out where the hell you’re supposed to go next. That’s a pretty universal experience every music-adjacent creative feels growing up, and the songs reflect that universality whether it’s through the poppy hums of “Salaried (Bankruptcy Eve)” or the ska-flavored “Bitch Store.” The record stakes out a space that melds the personable, eccentric indie-pop of Illuminati Hotties with the wholistic world-building of Glass Beach, and that is a Venn diagram I can one-hundred percent get behind. 

Just Friends - JF Crew, Vol. 2

Pure Noise Records

Just Friends is serotonin in audio form. Just Friends is pure adrenaline packed with a punch of love, acceptance, and good vibes. Following an excellent three-pack of songs from earlier this year, the band is back with another stack of fun-loving funk-rock tunes. Opening track “Sizzle” is a 100-mile-per-hour banger that sees lead singers Sam Kless and Brianda "Brond" Goyos Leon vivaciously trading bars. As Brond delivers a series of spitfire boasts with Sam as her hypeman, the song eventually breaks down into a stank-face-inducing stoner rock riff. The grooviness doesn’t stop there because this opener gives way to a Lil B remix and a fantastic No Doubt cover in the proceeding tracks. Three songs, no misses. With this EP, Just Friends once again prove that they are a reliable supplier of feel-good ass-shakin’ tunes… as if there was ever any doubt.

The Devil Wears Prada - ZII

Solid State Records

Back in 2010, The Devil Wears Prada were riding high. They had just released (arguably) the best album of their career one year prior, then they dropped a zombie-themed EP at the undeniable height of the early-aughts zombie zeitgeist. Aside from being a collection of six fantastic songs, in retrospect, it’s impressive how well the band was able to strike while the iron was hot. The Walking Dead was just revving up on TV, the video game world was inundated with games like Left 4 Dead and Call Of Duty, and films like Zombieland were doing gangbusters at the box office. Over the next decade, the band became a little shakier. They got heavier and darker with Dead Throne in 2011, they lost a founding member in 2012, and then released the middling 8:18 in 2013. The group seemed to be righting the ship in 2015 with Space EP, a similarly committed concept EP about the dangers lurking in the sci-fi corners of space. One year later, they delivered the massively underrated Transit Blues in 2016, then released the somehow even more underrated The Act in 2019. With ZII, the band is signaling that they’ve finally returned to the heights they achieved over a decade ago. 

The Devil Wears Prada may have undergone lineup changes and indulged in new sounds that didn’t always pay off, but now they are venturing back into the zombie world they began to flesh out back in 2010, and this time it’s not a gimmick. The band is able to pick up right where they left off on the first Zombie EP as if the intervening years happened in the blink of an eye. The band sounds as sharp, and the screams sound as ferocious as they did a decade ago. The lyrics faithfully stick close to the horror theme but still leave room for compelling narratives and bits of songwriting to occur without being overshadowed by a sense of novelty. For those who have been “tuning out” of the metalcore scene for the last few years, this EP is an appeal directly to you. For most fans, it was clear that the band was achieving new artistic heights with their last full-length, but this EP is an affirmation. It’s a signal to grab your old metalcore tee out of the closet and break it out one last time for 2010’s sake. 

Mannequin Pussy - Perfect

Epitaph Records

Mannequin Pussy are masters of the punk craft, and with each release, the band’s skills have only sharpened. The group’s newest EP, Perfect, is a five-song master class in the punk genre. The emotions have become more fierce but also more controlled. The choruses have become catchier but don’t forfeit their deep-rooted rage. Every type of Mannequin Pussy song is represented here. “Control” hones in the poppier chorus-driven side of the band’s spectrum, “Perfect” is the fast, thrashy punk song, and “To Lose You” is the mid-tempo rocker that pulls at your heartstrings ever so slightly. While each track is fantastic in its own right, the two biggest surprises come at the tail end of the release.

“Pigs Is Pigs” sees Missy handing vocal duties over to bassist Colins "Bear" Regisford for a Turnstile-esque track that tackles police brutality. Based on Ellis Parker Butler’s short story of the same name, “Pigs Is Pigs” encapsulates an all-cops-are-bad-narrative by illustrating how bureaucratic, systematic violence by the cops will never truly end by weeding out the “bad apples” and calling it a day. Bear uses this short story as an analogy for the dire need to defund the police as well as the ideology and policy set during the days of slave patrolling which formed the force from the inside out. As policing has become more assertive, expansive, and militaristic, the techniques have become more violent, punitive, and discriminatory, leading to extreme cycles of violence and death. Furthermore, as the rules behind policing become more violent and fascist, the general public has continued to fear the cops and act within privileged safety nets. On this song, Bear reminds the listener that these rules ascribed to us are only disguised as “right” to hide the violence and injustice behind them. This challenges all of us to decide what is actually right. Is the pervasive narrative good for your community and humanity, or are you just listening to what you’re being told? Mannequin Pussy tells us to pick a side: fear or fight. 

Closing track “Darling” is a soft-spoken confessional ballad with an electronic beat, understated guitar, and even delicate bells which carry the release out. Over its 14 minutes, Perfect sees hardened punk perfection slowly unraveling to reveal a tender core. Closing out a rager of an EP with a muted love song follows the sentimental theme found on the closing track of 2019’s Patience, and it is as poignant as it is lovely. 

Fiddlehead - Between the Richness

Run For Cover Records

When Fiddlehead dropped their debut album back in 2018, I went in completely blind. I hadn’t heard the band’s ep from three years prior; I wasn’t even familiar with the member’s other projects, Have Heart or Basement. Nevertheless, I checked the record out solely because Springtime and Blind was being put out on Run For Cover, and that was a label I trusted implicitly. My trust paid off, and that album became my favorite of 2018. 

After a brief pitstop in 2019, Fiddlehead is back with another 25 minutes of careening and grief-ridden post-hardcore. While Springtime and Blind saw lead singer Patrick Flynn reckoning with his father’s death, Between the Richness is a markedly more optimistic record about centering yourself and finding peace in between the ambivalent chaos of life. While Between The Richness may be more uplifting, that doesn’t mean the band has made a complete sonic shift. Luckily, this record bears the same throat-shredding bellows as the group’s previous work. The choruses are sticky and primed for anthemic sing-alongs in a crowd full of sweaty strangers. Richness is life-affirming rock music that comes from a deep and genuine place. Being able to venture into this world for 25 minutes at a time is an absolute miracle. 

Bachelor - Doomin’ Sun

Polyvinyl Records

My first listen of Doomin’ Sun happened in a cabin on a farm tucked far up in the mountains of Colorado. This first listen came at the tail end of a long day spent hiking, taking in the natural world, and feeling appreciative of the love I’m able to share with my partner. It turns out that was the perfect way to first experience the collaborative album from the minds behind Jay Som and Palehound. Doomin’ Sun is an album made for porch beers and long drives through the mountains at sunset with the person that matters most to you. It’s laid-back, easy-going, and emotionally forthright. I look forward to this record soundtracking many more sun-drenched memories over the coming months and years. 

Downhaul - Proof

Refresh Records

Much like the debut album from Stars Hollow, Proof is a record about personal growth as measured through one person. Throughout its ten songs, we watch our narrator work his way from hollow connections to genuine betterment. However, unlike most albums centered around this topic, Proof recognizes that the most challenging part of personal progress isn’t always growth itself, but admitting you need it in the first place. Proof is an album about wrestling with the almost imperceptible seismic shift that happens once you fully own up to the weight of your existence in every form.

Read our full review of Proof here.

The Give & Take - Great Pause

Knifepunch Records

After a five-year hiatus, Expert Timing drummer Gibran Colbert revives The Give & Take to deliver a collection of five excellent songs about uncomfortably growing into the first real adult phase of your life. These songs focus in on physical manifestations of adulthood like a gifted briefcase that has fallen into disuse. They also pan out to address more universal issues like religion, isolation, and mental health. Colbert describes the band as “twinkle country” with inclusive, positive vibes, and the release reflects that, even in its moments of vulnerability. Songs like “Settled” possess an easy-breezy porch swing sway, despite the topic of not quite being where you want to be. The release finds peace in what might make others uncomfortable, all leading up to the last two tracks, which form an emotionally resonant one-two punch that gives this EP the heft of a full-length album. 

Gulfer, Charmer - Split

Topshelf Records, No Sleep Records, Royal Mountain Records

Ever since I heard the first chaotic yelps of Dog Bless, I knew there was something special about Gulfer. They were an emo band that knew how to mix humor and levity with the usual overwrought sentiments of the genre. Their instrumentation was tight, their vocals stuck, and they were on a legendary emo label to boot. Oppositely, Charmer’s self-titled record was a slow-burn that worked its way up from standard emo fare to an album I’d consider “perfect,” even if only within the bounds of the genre. Charmer had choruses for days, and the band’s songs never overstayed their welcome. Sprinkle both of these releases with well-placed instrumentals, short run times, and excellent production, and you have two modern emo classics. 

Last year, both bands released excellent follow-ups to their respective landmark albums that flew (relatively) under the radar in emo circles. Now, they’re back, and they’ve teamed up for a split of two songs that see each band indulging in the best aspects of their respective styles. Gulfer jolts the listener with a jagged instrumental barrage on “Look,” while Charmer croons over guitar tapping on “Diamond (Sprinkler).” This split may only be two tracks, but it’s a team-up that feels tailor-made to me and every other emo out there in need of six minutes and 35 seconds of deep human connection.

Jimmy Montague - Casual Use

Chillwavve Records

While the music world was focused on the middling new 70s-inspired St. Vincent album, Jimmy Montague surprise-released a 70s-indebted record of his own. While it’s easy to listen to Casual Use and hear the classic rock inspiration, it’s something that can sound great on paper but easily fail in execution. So how do I know that Casual Use is the real deal? Well, I sent it to my father, who came of age when this type of music was in its heyday. My dad’s review? “Very good tunes” that will “probably be a regular” on his playlists. That endorsement says more than I ever can. 

Palette Knife - Ponderosa Snake House and the Chamber Of Bullshit

Take This To Heart Records

Ponderosa Snake House and the Chamber Of Bullshit is an album whose DNA is composed of equal parts Studio Ghibli sentimentality and Vine-era internet humor. It’s a collection of 11 caring, cathartic, and catchy songs, all fueled by the satisfying effervescence of LaCroix. Ponderosa Snake is an exceptionally crafted emo release that ticks all the possible boxes that the genre offers. Tappy guitar parts? Check. Immaculate production? Check. Fun choruses punctuated by brutally honest verses? Double fucking check. 

Superbloom - Pollen

Self-released

A grunge album released in 2021? It’s more likely than you think! The first song on Superbloom’s Pollen is titled “1994,” which is either incredibly apt or incredibly on-the-nose, depending on who you ask. Regardless, “1994” serves an important purpose of setting the listener’s expectations before they even click play. Upon entering the album, you’re met with a wall of sludgy guitar tone, and raspy mumbled vocals that sound about as close to Kurt Cobain as that AI-created Nirvana song from earlier this year. Taking all the best lessons from the Stone Temple Pilots and the Soundgarden’s of the world, Superbloom effortlessly blends together a wide swath of 90s sounds into one throwback release that speaks directly to my inner 90s kid. There are hooks worthy of a Nirvana song, guitar tones akin to a Smashing Pumpkins track, and self-loathing only bested by the aforementioned Stone Temple Pilots. Lead singer Dave Hoon has a voice that sits somewhere between Cobain and the nu-metal bands who took up the mantle of grunge in the early 2000s. 

With Totally 90s™ song titles like “Whatever” and others that nod to influential acts of the time like Built to Spill, it can sometimes feel like the band is merely cosplaying this era of music à la Greta Van Fleet. Even if that’s true, the songs end up coming off as more admiration than emulation. Pollen feels like a release from a bunch of 20-somethings who grew up spending hours with their Smashing Pumpkins CDs, and I respect that because, hey, me too. Pollen sounds like an album lost to time and only recently uncovered. It sounds like time traveling back to Portland in the 90s. It sounds like grunge. 

Quick Hits

BUG MOMENT - BUG - The 100 gecs-ification of bedroom rock is here, and I adore it. 

Pearl Jam - Deep - A gargantuan, too-big-for-any-normal human 5504 song collection of bootleg live recordings taken from 186 shows across Pearl Jam’s decade-spanning career. 

Angel Olsen - Song of the Lark and Other Far Memories - Angel Olsen closes out her current era with a collection of her last two records capped off with new songs and remixes.

St. Vincent - Daddy’s Home - After an exhausting album cycle, Annie Clark finally drops her woozy 70s-indebted record that attempts to recapture the grit of New York at its most mystical and drugged-out.

Pet Fox - More Than Anything  - A three-pack of poppy and impeccably put-together shoegaze tracks via Exploding In Sound records.

Fiver - Fiver With the Atlantic School of Spontaneous Composition - Spacious indie rock with a country tinge and Fiona Apple-like vocals.

Marble Teeth x Riddle - Split 7” - One of my favorite lyricists in the midwest teams up with a friend from his hometown in this lovely little four-track split. 

Weezer - Van Weezer - Initially intended to be released around the same time as last year’s ill-fated Hella Mega Tour, the newest LP from Weezer sees the band going full over-the-top 80s guitar-shredding in this album-length genre pastiche. 

SeeYouSpaceCowboy x If I Die First - A Sure Disaster - A short split (and fun video) from two of the bands bearing the torch of Rise Records-style Mallcore in 2021.

Skatune Network - Greetings from Ska Shores - The ever-prolific god of upstrokes drops a collection of Animal Crossing songs, all rendered in a sunny ska style.

Olivia Rodrigo - SOUR - If the plodding ballads from Phoebe Bridgers’ Punisher traded LA-Brain for the suburbs and then went to go karaoke Lorde songs. 

Good Sleepy - everysinglelittlebit - 30 minutes of cleanly produced, emotionally messy tap-heavy emo. An impressive debut.

Babe Rainbow - Changing Colours  - Sunny vibe-filled music primed for beachside hangouts, midday beers, and watching summer sunsets from the comfort of a lakeborne boat.

Missing Life - DEMO - A shoegazy four-song demo from one of the minds behind Mover Shaker that sits somewhere at the intersection of Slowdive and Snow Patrol.

Boyish - We’re all gonna die, but here’s my contribution - Beautifully emotive and inward bedroom indie that cuts straight to the heart of relationships.

A.G. Cook - Apple vs. 7G - An album from the hyperpop head of PC Music collecting remixed tracks from last year’s fantastic Apple and the seven-disc-long 7G.

Pomegranate Tea - Life Is Getting So _____. - Six emo songs with the potential to come to life in small basements and sweaty bars. 

Beatricks - Razzle Frazzle - A series of compelling bleeps, bloops, screams, and strums that make you feel like you’re about to set the world on fire. 

Hot Mulligan - i won’t reach out to you - Emo stalwarts Hot Mulligan release a short addendum to last year’s fantastic sophomore album you’ll be fine. 

.michael. - Secret Handshake - 100 cute and surprisingly well-crafted songs all written in five minutes or less. 

Green-House - Music for Living Spaces - Relaxing synthy songs designed to “hit that part of the brain that’s affected by the emotional state that you’re in when you perceive something as cute.”