Origami Angel – Feeling Not Found | Album Review

Counter Intuitive Records

In case you haven't heard, it's pretty much impossible to remove the looming shadow of the Internet from the current state of music... Well, the current state of everything really, but this is an album review, so, music. In fact, the tangibility of the Internet has never felt more salient: public streaming numbers are turning music listening into a prizeless competition, artists with one viral song are getting Grammy nominations, and meme culture dyed the Internet lime green for a summer. It’s all making the way people interact with life and art weird. 

Sure, the web is a tool to connect music to listeners and audiences to artists, but the relationship between music and the ‘Net is complex. It’s a place for buzzing discussion just as much as it is endless discourse. It’s a way to DM secret show addresses and document music scenes, but also a place where artists have to scrape by in an uneasy relationship with companies who have monopolized the technical side of things without considering the music side of things. Much like existing, The Online can be emotional and overwhelming and loud and cruel and intoxicating and real. Over the last few decades, we've watched it build and build until one day, it feels like everything will finally just be blue screens. Shrouded in this blue glow is where we find Origami Angel’s latest album, Feeling Not Found.

On their third album, buried between the 0s and 1s, Ryland Heagy and Pat Doherty dive deeper into familiar (certifiably Gami) territory while simultaneously breaking into exciting new realms. Through their discography, the band has always been driven by a handful of specific themes and tricks, and Feeling Not Found is no exception – but this is their brashest and boldest project yet. After years of experiments within the emo sound, their third full-length catapults Origami Angel into another echelon of expertise as they experiment with even more genres, deliveries, and emotion. They're combatting information overload with information overload. 

In Feeling Not Found, there’s always another layer, another lyrical twist, another reference, or another unpredictable change around the corner as Origami Angel contends with the tensions of tangible reality through digital metaphor. With earlier song titles like “ROM Hack,” the story of how Origami Angel broke Minecraft and their rise to Emo Fame via online DIY circles, it’s impossible to separate Origami Angel from their existence within the Internet—and no one is more aware of this than the band themselves. 

This concept-album-type-thing is not new to Origami Angel. Their first album, Somewhere City, imagined an escapist town filled with backyard roller coasters and endless refills of Dr. Pepper. To give you an idea of how much this band commits to the bit, physical copies of their debut came with a map of the city, and the album rolled out through a now-defunct augmented reality game. They continued the conceptual thread when they recorded their sophomore double album, GAMI GANG, in Heagy’s bedroom during lockdown. While that feels like a lifetime ago, Origami Angel hasn't stopped releasing music since. On a random Friday in 2022, the duo suddenly dropped re: turn, a gentle acoustic EP, and on the following Monday, they uploaded DEPART, a twin, body-slamming hardcore EP. On the back half of their latest, The Brightest Days, they dealt with the excruciating inner turmoil they feel towards the treatment of their hometown through the sunny confines of a breezy, Weezer-influenced mixtape. All of this makes the new album’s digital framing a natural and even necessary perspective for this particular project. It also gave the band an excuse to send Nintendo DS cartridges of the album to fans, which I bet they have wanted to do for a very long time.

Feeling Not Found is a pointed conglomeration of all the sounds and themes they experimented with over the past few years as they ascended to emo stardom. Release after release, album after EP after mixtape, Origami Angel have always stuck to a pronged emotional core with general ideas like longing, grappling with betrayal, pinpointing the authentic self amongst the weird, and breaking the fourth wall to talk directly to their audience. This consistency is one of the band’s most underhanded strengths, a common center that the duo can always ascend from, revisit, adjust, and reaffirm. Feeling Not Found comfortably continues these established concepts while newly remembering that the opposite of 'want' is 'take.'

The album begins with its thesis, “Lost Signal,” a soft synth track laced with grief. Heagy’s vocals digitize slowly as if suddenly engulfed by the computer screen he imagines. He ends the song solemnly with the suggestion that “maybe there’s a way out that nobody sees, In the static displays of our old CRTs, The sounds of the universe being created, And most people hate it.” This song sets the tone of Feeling Not Found and opens the window into the digital landscape: the hope for hope amongst numbness.

The album starts to quite literally rip from there, zipping through the circuits and directly into the electrifying introduction of “Dirty Mirror Selfie.” If “Lost Signal” sets the tone, “Dirty Mirror Selfie” sets the pace. In three minutes and thirty-seven seconds, the song touches on hair metal, power pop, emo, pop-punk, nu-metal, and something that reminds me of the build in a 00s singer-songwriter’s ballad before it's all blended into a hardcore breakdown that reminds you that their home, Washington D.C., invented this stuff. While this album fairly solidly pushes Origami Angel out of any stagnant “emo” descriptor and beyond the 5th wave ingénuity they contributed to, it’s not not-emo. For example, as the tracklist plays on, “Viral” trades in the melancholy realizations of “Where Blue Light Blooms” for dejected vulnerability, with lyrics pivoting briefly back to the more somber days of Quiet Hours amongst the squeal of a guitar and click of drumsticks. 

After “Underneath My Skin” softly shuts the door on its way out, “Wretched Trajectory” kicks it back open. Between descriptions of a building sense of panic and a private need to see someone again, this song slides closest back to the Somewhere City and Gami Gang of it all. Specifically, it could even be a callback to similar emotions expressed in “The Title Track” or later in “Self Destruct.” But that’s not all, because it's also just as loud as those predecessors. 

Pat Doherty’s drumming style is one of incomparable precision and intensity that glows throughout the entire album (and the band’s entire discography, for that matter). “Wretched Trajectory” is primarily driven through Doherty’s heartbeat of a kickdrum, a moment showcased best in the bridge as the rest of the music drops out and he powers all momentum. It’s impossible not to think of how these songs will translate into Origami Angel’s riotous live shows, where the circle pit never stops circling, and the crowd surfers never stop surfing. 

The final gang vocals of “Wretched Trajectory” arc down into the anguished ballad “AP Revisionist History” before leading into “Living Proof,” which begins with a beachy pop-punk beat that bounces along, grating against the simmering ferocity of the lyrics. As Heagy singsongs a reminder that “I don’t think that that’s how you’re supposed to talk to people you say you love,” the song slowly grows more sinister. Formerly boppy guitar riffs start to slice between Heagy’s words, matching their acerbic strikes. Suddenly, without warning, the floor falls out from underneath the song, revealing a pulsing beatdown. After years of releases, it’s become abundantly clear that Heagy is not afraid to get mad as fuck — in fact, he screamed across an EP about it in 2022. For the DEPART-heads out there, “Living Proof” picks up where “JUDGE” left off, and it’s even meaner. 

So, how have these past few years of emo celebrity and indie darling-dom treated Origami Angel? Thanks for asking. Past lead single “Fruit Wine” sits “Sixth Cents (Get It?),” one of the record's final singles. This song digs very openly at the uglier parts of being a working musician: the pay, the falsified enthusiasm, and the empty promises. A restless rhythm complements the song’s sardonic condemnation of The Music Industry, as the band seems to mimic the demands they’re receiving – specifically, the notion that artists have to constantly change themselves to be noticed by any kind of algorithm-based popularity machine. It’s funny, it’s rude, it races at a 2:15 pm-Warped-tour-mainstage-metalcore speed, and it resonates.

This song is immediately followed by the breathless “secondgradefoofight” and the two share an incredibly fun music video. Origami Angel has always worn their references on their sleeves, from proudly championing sidelined bands like Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! to instantly name-dropping DC’s The Obsessives when asked about their duo structure. As a band that does the most (haha) at every juncture possible, their references are endless – they're very clearly geeks with a deep appreciation for lots of music, and that makes it pretty easy to be a fan of theirs. However, the joint music video is the most they’ve ever referenced other artists as they step into their shoes and recreate the videos that made these stars famous, from Taking Back Sunday’s VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown-ready “Cute Without the 'E' (Cut From the Team)” to Phoebe Bridgers’ highly-parodied “Kyoto” to that one frame of Modern Baseball’s “Your Graduation” that probably has a fan base of its own. But despite the perhaps therapeutic airing of grievances in “Sixth Cents (Get It?)” and the threats of the anxiety-riddled “secondgradefoofight,” there is still an emotional toll to it all. The stretch of anti-industry, semi-self-motivating tracks ends on “HM07 Waterfall,” a Pokémon-referencing song that cracks the screen Gami carefully placed between the digital and the real as it starts to apologize for the personal impact of these conflicts.

In Ian Cohen’s Pitchfork review of the comparatively hopeful Somewhere City, he concludes with the suggestion that “Origami Angel would be wise to explore the darkness on the edge of town.” It seems that in the tumultuous five years since that release, the band has found themselves in that exact fading light. On that album, Origami Angel ended with a repeated refrain, “The city never lets me down,” a sweet conclusion to a very sweet project. A couple of years later, the band ended their second album with the repeated confirmation, “This is goodbye.” Now, on the title track for Feeling Not Found, the band marries the two sentiments into the bittersweet affirmation, “No matter how much the world wants me to change.” It’s a conclusion that they could have only gotten to now. Suddenly, the anxiety of the blue light fades away.

After all of this, can you even look at the world around you without seeing the junk and firewalls? The digitalscape is woven into the reality of Origami Angel, not only in the music listening but in their lyrics, musical references, song titles, and conceptual outlook. In their own words, “When the cycle is over, and all the circuits are broken, you won’t be fighting resistance in spite of existence.” So log off, close this review, listen to the album, and remove yourself from the Internet. Just know that when you look away, there will be a split second where the brightness of this exact screen will still be burned over your vision, momentarily blending your digital life into your physical reality.

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Caro Alt’s (she/her) favorite thing in the world is probably collecting CDs. Caro is from New Orleans, Louisiana and spends her time not sorting her CD collection even though she really, really needs to.

Origami Angel – Fruit Wine | Single Review

Counter Intuitive Records

Origami Angel, the Washington, D.C. second-wave easycore duo, is back to dunk on the haters with their newest single, “Fruit Wine.” 

This is the first we’ve heard from Gami since their sunny summer mixtape, 2023’s The Brightest Days. This time teaming up with Grammy-nominated producer Will Yip, the track features vocalist/guitarist Ryland Heagy slamming an anonymous antagonist, akin to the Drake vs. Kendrick discourse currently unfolding in the rap community. Heagy drops barbs such as “You’re only as strong as your greatest weakness, so you better get used to your obsoleteness.” While the aforementioned rappers have their fair share of gripes with each other, it’s hard to imagine anyone having beef with Gami when all they do is release banger after banger. 

The lyrics find Heagy comparing himself to Jesus in the humblest way possible when he lays out, “As simple as it seems, it’s still so hard for me to make it look easy… turning water into fruit wine.” Admittedly, I don’t know shit about wine, but here are my findings: fruit wines are generally harder to vint than plain grape wine, so Heagy seems to be speaking to the extra hard work himself and drummer Pat Doherty have been investing in the band. Formed in 2016, Origami Angel have released something (an album, EP, mixtape) each year for eight years straight now, keeping fans fed and letting their work speak for itself. The “gami gang” is real, and the duo didn’t build it by merely reaching for the low-hanging fruit. 

Clocking in at a brief two minutes and fifty-one seconds, “Fruit Wine” leans into the patented Gami Gang easycore-emo blend more than ever, maintaining those catchy vocals while still finding room for gritty chugs. After the feel-good breezy bops of The Brightest Days, it’s a welcome return to form to hear Gami spout off again. And, of course, none of this would be complete without Pat Doherty’s impeccable drumwork driving the track forward, bringing the perfect blend of power and detail that we’ve come to adore. The band has never shied away from disclosing their love for French easycore band Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, and that affinity is on full display in this track, which builds to a fist-balling breakdown in the last minute, narrated by Heagy’s guttural screams. 

It’s easy to see where Heagy is coming from when, even after the band released arguably one of the best emo albums of all time in Somewhere City, they were still paying their dues and working at grocery stores to make ends meet. So, while the band has smashed through various ceilings (and is even about to embark on a nationwide tour with Microwave), they’re still perpetually grinding away for something better. 

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Brandon Cortez is a writer/musician residing in El Paso, Texas, with his girlfriend and two cats. When not playing in shitty local emo bands, you can find him grinding Elden Ring on his second cup of cold brew. Find him on Twitter @numetalrev.

Origami Angel – The Brightest Days | Mixtape Review

Counter Intuitive Records

There is something borderline poetic about listening to “The Brightest Days,” the title track of Origami Angel’s new mixtape, while you’re looking at a sky full of haze due to sweeping wildfires and simultaneously doom scrolling on the hellscape that is Twitter dot com. I, too, am asking where my sunny feeling is now that the sense of the world ending is so strong that it feels like I’m wearing concrete shoes and was just thrown into the bay. The soft ukulele and group vocals singing this lovely little melody quickly turn into a rug pulled out from beneath your feet as Pat Doherty’s drums come in like a punch to the face and the crunchy guitars take the forefront of the song. The backing vocals throughout this entire mixtape, especially this first song, are reminiscent of The Beach Boys. These swooning, summery vocals paired with the gritty guitar, the halftime breakdown at the end of this 2:27 track (a perfect amount of time, I am always saying that songs should be 30 seconds shorter), and the melodic guitar riff make for an absolute banger introduction to this mixtape that’s full of twists and turns. Throughout this release, you never know what you’ll get with the next track, and I think that was exactly what Origami Angel were betting on. The outro slips into the familiar ukulele, and the ghost of the guitar feedback leads you into the next song, creating a wonderful little bookend of sound that leaves the listener still reeling just a bit and excited to figure out what’s coming next.

Did I mention Beach Boys backing vocals? Yeah, welcome to “Thank You, New Jersey,” the first single from The Brightest Days and a song I take very personally as a New Jersey native. I’ll take a note from the Immortal Bard and say that brevity is the soul of wit, considering most of the community has already listened. It's here where the band really establishes the theme of surfy vocals, this time paired with crunchy, layered guitars... and that little waltzy bridge doesn’t hurt either. As a lead single, this was a fun and clever introduction to this mixtape that had me stoked to see what was coming next – Pat Doherty absolutely crushing the first 45 seconds of this song was truly what sucked me in here, not that the lyrical content wasn’t just absolutely up my alley. If there’s one thing New Jerseyans love more than people leaving them the hell alone, it’s also being at the center of attention. We are truly an onion of a people: full of layers. These D.C. natives genuinely seem to understand us. Another track clocking in under 2:40, Origami Angel is receiving a large ‘Your welcome’ from me on behalf of the Garden State.

Do I imagine “Picture Frame” as a song playing during the opening scene of some coming-of-age movie or TV show? Yeah, and I promise that’s a compliment. That guitar riff that starts off the song is head-bobbing, catchy, and a LITTLE Blink-182 if you squint. It leads directly into a high-energy chorus that I know will have people moving and grooving at the next Gami show, hopefully becoming a new staple of their setlist. The quick vocal lines in the next verse are a great addition to the song as the band continues to switch things up, never letting a moment go stale. Not only do no two songs sound the same, no two parts of a song sound too similar. The band never uses one idea enough times for it to get monotonous or boring. Once they have your attention, they don’t let it go.

As a Trekkie, “Kobayashi Maru (My Very Own)” was on my radar the moment I read the title. To give some context for those unaware, the Kobayashi Maru is a training exercise in the Starfleet Academy – a test to show recruits and trainees that sometimes you simply cannot win despite your best efforts, greatest strengths, and high intellects. I love the symbolism used here, not just on a nerd level, but it is an excellent metaphor for that consistent feeling of failure and the resignation that sometimes you just won’t be able to win. I’m absolutely digging the ska-adjacent guitar strokes in the second verse; this song is probably giving the most Motion City Soundtrack energy out of all of them for me. The instrumental chunk that takes up the last 40 seconds of the song is stank-face-worthy (affectionate) and has the song ending with more energy than it even began with, which makes it a perfect transition into the next track.

“Second Best Friend” is the second-longest song on the mixtape, but it sure doesn’t feel that way. Origami Angel has a way of bringing out some of the most ear-pleasing guitar riffs right at the start of a song and still managing to build and grow throughout. The hard-hitting drums and guitar lick quickly give way to dreamy vocals, soft, reverberating backup vocals, and acoustic guitars for just a moment–long enough that when the drums come back, it almost takes you off guard. They’re doing a great job at switching up dynamics all throughout this mixtape while still sounding definitively Origami Angel. I adore the synth in this song and how Ryland managed to create a great balance between guitar riffs and keys here, giving both the chance to round out the track without being overwhelming. This might be my favorite song of the mixtape given the dynamics – the lyrics, the stops and starts, and the varying instruments being brought to the forefront throughout the song. It sounds like Drew Portalatin really spread his engineering and production wings on this one, and it paid off. The entire mixtape is excellently produced, but this song in particular solidified that it was something special for me.

I love a transitional song, precisely what the less than a minute-and-a-half, ukulele-driven “Looking Out” provides. It allows the audience to catch their breath after listening to five high-energy back-to-back bangers before moving along. It’s a sweet little song too, with kind lyrics and ocean waves in the background. It throws you a little off your guard so that when the guitar feedback starts in the next song and that drum-heavy, gritty guitar intro to “My PG County Summer” comes in, you are wide awake, alert, and ready.

The second single, “My PG County Summer,” has received its love and praise from the public already, but I would be remiss not to mention it here given its relevance and the fact that it’s. The synth in this song, combined with the backing vocals that hit at that 1:43 mark, is what really drives it, in my opinion. I’ve been singing the praises of the backing vocals, and I shall sing them louder now. Origami Angel knows how to build a song, bring it to its height, and end it so that no drop of energy is wasted.

This all ends with the 4:22 “Few and Far Between,” which ties right back into the title track, giving the mixtape a rounded, cyclical feeling so that you barely know where it all ends and where it begins. Every downstroke of the guitar is purposeful, and the lyrics get brought to the forefront of this one which is perfect given this outro essentially sums up the mixtape as a whole.

And I still say that I love it here, behind clenched teeth and constant fear
Cause one day it will all disappear

This lyric struck me as something so true and universal – I feel it every single day, as I’m sure most, if not everyone, also feels. It’s an absolute shame to live in a world that is so imperfect and also so temporary. You want to stop and appreciate and love, and sometimes it is SO easy to do. Other days, it feels near impossible, but you make yourself love it anyway because, let’s be real, who would truly be surprised if tomorrow we found out it was going to be the last day we all had here? Not me, that’s for sure.

Origami Angel is calling The Brightest Days a mixtape rather than an EP or an album. There’s an incredibly neat balance between experimental and familiar, which is all wrapped up with a high energy, banging-guitar-riffing, climate crisis, and anxiety-having bow. Every song is different; I love the varied guitar tones and how quickly they switch from gritty and crunchy to bright and round. Even more impressively, Origami Angel have managed to create eight stellar songs that feel as though there’s no emptiness, no SPACE where attention or momentum could be lost. The soft parts of the songs have no weakness; the large walls of sound don’t seem overwhelming, but full and warm. It feels like everything is very purposely placed, nothing haphazard or rushed. And as the mixtape fades out with that same ukulele, the same lyrics, and that comforting sound of ocean waves – It just feels natural to let the whole thing repeat

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August Greenberg (they/them) is a music lover from Philadelphia, PA, who has written for Spinning Thoughts and had a journey within the music scene by fronting the indie band Riverby. They love good music and never wanna shut up about it.

Every Origami Angel Song, Ranked

Photo by Bethunni Schreiner

Origami Angel is an emo duo from College Park, Maryland, currently signed to Counter Intuitive Records. Despite only having existed for four years, the band already has one of the best discographies in the scene. Their music is a unique blend of tap-happy emo, hook-heavy pop-punk, and sing-along indie rock, all topped off with a dollop of upbeat easycore for good measure. Gami’s lyrics range from the grounded nerdiness of Pokemon and Rocket League to more existential fears of crushing self-doubt and the complexities of modern relationships. The result is equal parts moshable, danceable, relatable, and quotable, where each song overflows with positivity and hyper-technical displays of instrumental mastery. 

Gami’s first official release, Quiet Hours, is a 2017 EP that the band members have since dubbed their “soft emo album before [they] discovered blastbeats.” The duo started to make a name for themselves in 2018 with their second EP Doing The Most. Featuring poignant sentiments, hyper-online tendencies, and a now-iconic Herman Cain sample, this EP put the band on the map of the wider emo scene and helped them find a community outside of their east coast home. 

In 2019 Gami’s hustle was undeniable. The band kicked the year off with a Split between themselves and fellow Marylanders Commander Salamander in January. They released a Pokemon-themed EP in the spring and embarked on their first nationwide tour that summer. By the time November had rolled around, the group released their debut record by way of an augmented reality tourism site. Since racking up glowing reviews and numerous album of the year placements (including our own), singer/guitarist Ryland Heagy and drummer Pat Doherty have become the face of emo’s up-and-coming fifth wave. 

I figured what better time than the release of the duo’s sophomore album to sit down and formalize my thoughts on the band’s discography before it nearly doubles in size. I want to preface this ranking with the disclaimer that I don’t think Origami Angel has ever made a bad song. This may be a “ranking” in the sense that the tracks are ordered by increasing quality, but this list is less “worst to best” and more “amazing to flawless.” These songs are all different shades of incredible, my hyper-subjective taste is the only criteria here. Truth be told, this entire article is just an excuse for me to write about all of the band’s songs in one place. That said, this order is definitive and inarguable… Just kidding, please tell me what you think of my ranking and share your thoughts at the bottom.

Also, if you’ve made it this far, here’s the ranking in playlist form, in case you want to listen along, skip to the end, or just hear all of the band’s songs in the most arbitrary way possible. 

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#30 - Osmosis

First up, we have “Osmosis,” the third track from Quiet Hours. I’ll admit I placed this song dead last out of respect for the band since they’ve once voiced it as their least favorite. I figured this list may be divisive, but we might as well start on common ground, right? Despite the band's self-criticism, I think this song is pleasant enough; the guitar line is modest, the drumming is loose, and the line “get out my head and in my heart” is cute. Not a bad place to start.

#29 - Mark My Words

“Mark My Words” opens with a sentiment that I think we all shared at one point in high school: “I don’t give a damn about conformity or who you think I am.” A little on-the-nose, but this sappy salvo makes way for a gorgeous bit of mellowed-out emo tapping that’s as reflective and meditative as the genre ever allows itself to get. Midway through the song, the band works this singular guitar twinkle into a fully-fledged riff before throwing back to the chorus one last time for maximum impact. 

#28 - Say Less

I’ll be honest, I love Somewhere City, but “Say Less” has always been a bit of a lull in the tracklist for me. Maybe it’s the slow open or the Star Trek clip that precedes it, but “Say Less” has always felt slightly different from the rest of the album. At its core, this is a song about a mean person who talks endless shit. Moreover, it’s about the person on the receiving end of this shit talking finding the power to fight back and stand up for themselves. A positive message, but possibly the most negative Origami Angel has ever allowed themselves to get, and that bums me out, maaan.

#27 - Step

Throughout this list, you’ll notice a trend of lots of Quiet Hours at the “bottom.” That's no fault of the band; they've just developed so much in terms of songwriting and production since their inception. “Step” is a lovely little romantic cut about needing someone by your side through all the ups and downs of life. Again, the band indulges in some nice guitar tapping and emo riffing throughout, even a little hand drumming at the end. The result is a slow-building love song that carries on despite the melancholy knowledge that love rarely lasts forever. 

#26 - Hey There

“Hey There” opens with a series of name drops that take me right back to high school. The lyrics “I told Jacob I was in love with you since last April” instantly evoke hushed conversations between would-be lovers exchanging feelings in a crowded lunchroom. As most crushes go, this one doesn’t pan out but still resulted in some heartfelt lyricism, impressive drumming, and long-forgotten inside jokes. 

#25 - Juultide Carol

For those of you that don’t know, I’m a big Christmas guy. I run a seasonal Christmas blog, for god’s sake. I delve into the Christmas tunes as soon as the clock strikes midnight on October 31st, but that seasonal window means that songs like “Juultide Carol” don’t get many plays from me. Instrumentally, this track is a step up from most found on Quiet Hours, but the lyrics hinge on a (somewhat played) atheistic refrain capped off by an abrupt ending that feels like a slight lack of payoff. “Juultide Carol” is still a fun little emo Christmas tune, but demoted solely because of my principles which only allow me to listen to it for two months out of the year.

#24 - w / u

Here we have possibly the most romantic Gami song. Despite the loving lyrics and adorable merch, I think that “w / u” fits better as a centerpiece within the context of Doing The Most than it does on its own. It’s a moment to catch your breath between the breakneck pace of “ROM Hack” and the emotional outpouring of “Thanks! I Hate It.” On its own, this track is an excitable romantic song that finds a couple in newfound love looking forward in time, eager to spend the rest of their lives together. It’s a beautiful sentiment, complete with a picturesque fireplace and a series of cherubic “woo ooh’s” that sound as if we’ve been struck with Cupid’s arrow itself. 

#23 - Greenbelt Station

I avoided putting any tracks off Origami Angel Broke Minecraft on this list because (good as it is), it feels wrong to include remixes on a song ranking. That said, the band introduced “Greenbelt Station” as a ‘new song’ during their digital set at Minechella in early 2020 where they first played this EP in full. The song is a stark departure from the then-just-months-old Somewhere City, finding Ryland playing an acoustic guitar alone by himself and crooning. It’s a solo acoustic song that feels very “full circle” and honestly could have fit in anywhere on Quiet Hours. Only time will tell how it fits into the band’s upcoming sophomore album.

#20 - XD Gale of Darkness

On the complete opposite tonal spectrum of “Greenbelt Station,” we have “XD Gale of Darkness.” This high-bpm closer features spitfire hip-hop vocals, crowd-churning blast beats, and a piercing screamo howl. It’s the perfect way to end Gen 3 and includes a shoutout to fellow fifth-wave emo rockers Stars Hollow; what’s not to like?

#21 - Escape Rope

False narratives, fake friends, and daylight savings time. As you grapple with these things throughout various times in your life, sometimes they can overlap in a way that feels like the world is out to kick your ass specifically. “Escape Rope” is a reminder to persevere. Its title comes from an item in the Pokemon games that can get you out of a tight spot if your squad of pocket monsters are in rough shape. This song serves a similar purpose, reminding the listener that they can always try to remove themselves from a bad situation at any given time. 

#20 - Welcome To…

The intro track to Somewhere City feels like boarding a roller coaster. It’s pure hype that gets your mind racing and your stomach full of butterflies. As you board the ride and the over-the-shoulder restraint lowers, you can only imagine what lies ahead. This feeling is reinforced as the opening notes give way to group chants around the two-minute mark, and the entire track picks up speed, shooting the listener off into the wondrous realm of Somewhere City.  There are rapid rises, sudden drops, and hairpin turns, all of which are exhilarating and everlasting. The best part? It’s only the first track paving the way for 30 minutes of equally thrilling emo.

#19 - The Air Up Here

Perhaps a coincidence, maybe a subconscious choice, it only felt right to link “Welcome To…” and “The Air Up Here” in this ranking given that they bookend Somewhere City. For a song clocking in at only 5 minutes, this track has a surprising amount of tricks up its sleeve. Not only does “The Air Up Here” loop back to the opening track a-lah Cosmic Thrill Seekers, but it also weaves together a medley that calls back to previous songs on the album in the vein of pop-punk greats like The Wonder Years. The song is one last push, one final reminder of all the sights, sounds, and experiences you’ve taken in during your stay at Somewhere City. It’s a perfect closing track, and the best part is that it opens the door for the listener to start it all over again. 

#18 - Origami Bagel

Perhaps one of the most bouncy Gami songs, “Origami Bagel” begins with a jubilant guitar that sets both the tone and tempo for the rest of the track. The song sounds like summer romance as images of random happenings flash before the listener: German television dubs, sunlit glances, and hour-long bus rides, all in the name of love. A guitar slide and mini scream signal the emotional climax as Ryland sings that he’ll “never be alone” as long as he has this feeling of the other person in his life. Just beautiful.

#17 - Ride Our Bikes to School

The opening song to Gami’s first-ever release, “Ride Our Bikes to School,” is blissful. The guitars are gentle, the drums are subtle, and the lyrics are heartfelt. The sentiments are as delicate as a bed of cherry blossoms. It’s beautiful, youthful springtime love. Maybe it will work out, maybe it won’t. Sometimes all you can do is sit back and enjoy the ride. 

#16 - fin (the long and untold story of how i know it’s meant to be)

“fin” begins with velvety smooth acoustic guitar and possibly the single sweetest line the band has ever penned, “I always knew you / Even before I knew who you would be / Maybe we were made from the same star.” A gentle cello enters the mix, softly guiding the listener like Homer in slumberland. As the narrator wonders if this relationship is fate or intentional, they look to the stars for answers, only to get a cosmic “no” in return. Are they going to let the celestial bodies dictate their love? Tune in next time to find out. 

#15 - Notice

One of the single most dynamic Gami songs, “Notice” begins with a barely audible acoustic guitar and softly-hummed vocals. “You may not notice, but I fucking love you,” Ryland explains earnestly. As they repeat this phrase, presumably in an attempt to get the person to notice, the instrumental suddenly swells to a fully-fledged shoegaze riff complete with distorted guitar, crashing cymbals, and a high-pitched wail. The same phrase is now delivered in a passionate scream, and it’s hard to imagine that the message went unnoticed after that. 

#14 - The Title Track

So what is Somewhere City? Well, the album’s title track contains every answer. Somewhere City is a place where you can let your hair down. It’s a place where you can be yourself, make friends, and bond over the same interests with ease. It’s also an escape from the real world where you feel like you have to shield parts of yourself. It’s a place where you don’t have to bottle everything up, and you are accepted for who you are. It’s a place with blastbeats and limitless love. The best part? Somewhere City isn’t something you can find on a map; it’s a state of being. It’s a mindset, and that makes it the ultimate escape.

#13 - Doctor Whomst

The second single off of Somewhere City is perhaps the single best manifesto of Origami Angel’s approach to both music and life. The track begins with two chuggy palm mutes before a whirlwind of emo riffage whisks the listener back in time. We soon find the band recalling how they used to feel watching Danny Phantom and eating Happy Meals as a kid. It’s a musical time machine back to a period in your life when the only worry you had was the next commercial break. It’s an anthem about reclaiming this youthful positivity and adopting it into adulthood. It’s about appreciating where you are now and still striving to achieve the best version of yourself. Thank you, Danny Phantom.

#12 - Emerald

Tonally similar to “Doctor Whomst,” “Emerald” begins with a hard-charging punky riff that paves the way for a friendly Mr. Rogers-type greeting. The sunny disposition in the “Hi!” at the beginning of the song quickly crumbles as Ryland addresses some faceless other who we find out has written him off. Even though they may still think he’s a selfish mess of a person, the peace in this song comes from knowing that you have grown. This detractor hasn’t witnessed that development, and frankly, they don’t care. It’s an important life lesson to learn that you can’t win everyone over, despite how nice you are. The important thing is that you keep getting better and know that the negative people will filter themselves out of your life on their own. 

#11 - effective. Power

Here, we start at the beginning. “effective. Power” may not be the first-ever Gami song, but it’s wild to think about how this track served as my entry point into the band. This is where it all started for me. The opening notes evoke a very specific time in my life while also perfectly setting the tone for the release. As the guitars tap and the melodies sway, this song really just feels like one big instrumental flex. It’s Gami operating at high capacity. At this point, they are already a well-oiled machine and perfectly in sync with each other. 

#10 - 666 Flags

“666 Flags” is a song indulging in the scenario that every kid who played Roller Coaster Tycoon dreamed about; what if I got a roller coaster… in my backyard!? This song sits perfectly between the fast-food pit stop of “24 Hr Drive-Thru” and the nostalgia field trip of “Doctor Whomst.” This song is the perfect connective tissue of childhood dreams come to life; the only difference is, in Somewhere City, those dreams are only a thought away. 

I still remember my first listen of this album, driving from Detroit to DC for the record release show. I must have been in the far left lane going 80 or 90 miles an hour, flying down the highway. As soon as the chaotic hardcore blast began in the final minute of the track, I remember looking in the rearview mirror and seeing tears welling up in my eyes as goosebumps popped up across my body—the perfect first listening experience. 

#9 - SpaceX T-Shirt

Here we have the final Quiet Hours song on the countdown and also Gami’s first biggest “hit.” The twinkle is strong with this one. On “SpaceX T-Shirt,” the band balances a heavenly effervescent melody with romantic lyrics like “I can only get to sleep if I know you'll be in my dreams.” The group continues this train of logic with, “And I can only dream if I know you'll be sleeping next to me” before throwing to the riffage one more time. It's still fuck Elon Musk.

#8 - Denny’s Devito

One of the reasons I put “Say Les” so low on this ranking is because I feel like “Denny’s Devito” captures the same sentiment so much better. The track begins with self-isolation stemming from a deep well of insecurity. After all, nobody can judge you when you're by yourself. We’ve all over-analyzed in the mirror. We’ve all wanted to change for entirely superficial reasons. We’ve all wanted an easy out. While the first half of the song is mired in these concerns, a realization takes place halfway through as Ryland sings, “If I’m gonna die all alone, gonna have a little fun before I go.” This line throws to a breakdown and high-tempo burst of energy that is beautifully moshpit-inspiring. “Denny’s Devito” is a feel-good song in the face of not feeling good. 

#7 - Skeleton Key

“Skeleton Key” is a love song. The big difference between other love songs and this one is that “Skeleton Key” can apply to anyone in your life. This song can apply to your partner, your friend, your parents, your pets, anything. The track opens with anxiety about being away from your favorite person and how bad it would feel if you lost them forever. It’s the kind of perspective that being on tour brings out of nearly everyone. “I hope you know everything you do is special to me; you’re my skeleton key,” the band croons midway through the track. As the narrator assures this important person that they want to be there with them, the instrumental makes way for a phenomenal build of reassurances and a torrential outpouring of love.

#6 - Find Your Throne

Aside from Chunk! No Captain Chunk!’s “In Friends We Trust,” Origami Angel’s “Find Your Throne” is arguably the definitive song about the power of friendship. The track begins with a pounding hard rock rally that gradually builds into standard Gami fanfare. The song sees Ryland talking to the listener directly, tossing off vague affirmations, praise, and encouragement. 

What sets this song apart from the others on Somewhere City comes about halfway through, where everything quiets down to a hush. The midway point on this song is probably the most subdued the record ever gets, and it exists to shine a spotlight on the lyrics, intentionally making them impossible to ignore. Ryland sings, “I know it's hard to feel like yourself / When they see you and say you're somebody else / But I know you… I know you / I know it's tough, and that you've had enough / But if you feel like nobody does / I love you… I love you” It’s a beautiful, forthright, and wholesome message aimed directly at the audience. 

Suddenly the instrumental begins to build again. Ryland states, "And I won't give up that easily / Let me show you what I know…" the song drops out for a beat. A pinch harmonic comes in as he finishes his thought with a boisterous shout, "You're the goddamn king of the universe / Even when it feels like it can't get worse / All you need to do is find your throne / And you'll never be alone, you'll never be alone" a triumphant group chant then carries the song out for maximum positive friendship-fueled energy. 

#5 - Sapphire

In the lead-up to the release of Gen 3, Origami Angel released three of the EP’s four songs as singles. As hungry as I was for new Gami at the time, I tried my best to hold off on listening to “Sapphire” (the third single) until the official release. It just felt weird to have heard a majority of the EP before it came out. As I showed up to work the day of the single’s drop, a friend of mine convinced me to give it a spin and assured me, ‘dude, trust me you're gonna love it.’ Two lines in, and I knew exactly what he meant. 

With an opening salvo that name-drops Pokemon, Twin Peaks, and Rocket League all in sequence, “Sapphire” felt like a song tailor-made for me. The decision to filter a relationship through this densely-layered pop-culture lens is nothing short of genius. It is a love song unlike any other where the feelings of adoration are just strong whether they’re actively pouring out or you’re just chilling in bed together looking at Twitter. 

#4 - Thanks! I Hate It.

Perhaps my first favorite Gami song, “Thanks! I Hate It.” is an emotional powerhouse. The track begins bitterly as Ryland lays out the bummer qualities of someone’s personality. The band riffs, falls back into a dancehall gallop, then starts over again with a subtle emo guitar line. Suddenly, the emotions are bursting at the seams as every instrument turns up to eleven in a towering riff. Ryland screams the all-too-relatable lines at the high end of his register, belting, “I’m too broken to be with you / but I’m too scared to be alone.” Man. That shit hurted. 

#3 - 24 Hr Drive-Thru

If “Welcome To” (fittingly) served as the welcome to Somewhere City, then “24 Hr Drive-Thru” is the initiation. It’s a ride-along on a midnight McDonald's run. It’s the type of spur-of-the-moment decision that says time of day, weather, and number of calories be damned; I’m coming over, and we're going to hang out because that's what you need, and I care about you. 

Unforgettably, my first live experience with this song was at Gami’s hometown release show, where the power went out mid-song, but somehow the amps stayed on. Simply put, it was a powerful moment of Rock ‘n Roll Magic. As the band kept playing in the dark, the crowd kept singing along, eventually raising their phones one-by-one, illuminating the basement with the light of, fine, I’ll just say it; friendship. It was a beautiful moment and a live music experience I’ll never forget for as long as I live. 

#2 - Ruby

“Ruby” is a perfectly crafted song. It has storytelling, it has a catchy hook, it has impressive instrumentals, and it’s barely over a minute long. This is an earworm of a track that perfectly captures the spark of meeting someone new who completely enthralls you. It’s a borderline pop song. It feels like this could be covered by anyone from Charli XCX to Toby Keith, and it would still work. Of course, a track like “Ruby” could only come from the minds of Gami, who turn it into a sparkly, uptempo shredder with a melody that you can never forget. 

#1 - ROM Hack

There could only be one way that this list ended, and it’s “ROM Hack.” This is the Origami Angel song; it simply has everything. A classic (and hilarious) opening sample, jaw-dropping instrumentation, and beautiful, heartfelt lyrics. Hearing Herman Cain, of all people, say “I believe these words came from the Pokemon Movie” now gets me hyped beyond belief. Trying to keep up with the whirlwind of emo instrumentation that follows it is just as fun. The solemn first verse over acoustic guitar is pitch-perfect. The song’s slow build under the sentimental lyrics is masterful. The second verse is a flawless bit of emo penmanship so good that I’m just going to transpose it here in full:

And not that you'd care
But I started getting the help that I so badly need
And not that you'd care
But I found some people who really like me
But I hope that you do
'Cause I started bettering me 'cause I wanted to be like you

This verse is followed by one more instrumental drop out before the band returns full-force for a repetition of “I started bettering me 'cause I wanted to be like you.” The song eventually winds down gracefully, but not before one last crowd-churning riff designed to pull out every last bit of serotonin you had left. The definitive Gami song. 

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Well folks, there you have it, my ranking of every Origami Angel song. As the band revs up to drop their sophomore album later this week, I look forward to many more years of positive affirmations, exuberant guitar tapping, and immaculate drumming. Until next time, I’ll see you all in Somewhere City.

The 2020 Diamond Platters: Swim Into The Sound’s Ancillary End of the Year Awards

Welp, it’s that time of the year again. Not the holidays, not Christmas, not Hanukkah, but List Season. Yes folks, it’s that wonderful time of the year where every other mainstream music publication stumbles over themselves to write compelling one-paragraph write-ups on the same 50 albums as every other blog.

Vindictive as I sound, I do have a strange affinity for List Season. I’m always curious to see what the critical consensus is and where my favorites rank among the lists (if at all), yet there’s something so off about the whole thing. A 3-page listicle of 50 different one-paragraph album write-ups has never felt indicative of the year. Sure, you can revisit the big hits, the 10 out of 10s, and the cultural touchstones, but the format itself is limited. A simple countdown doesn’t do the year justice. Where are the EPs and splits? Where are the weird headlines? Where are the cover songs? Where are the other formative musical events of the year that don’t fit into the album format? That’s why I created The Diamond Platters. 

Intentionally named to be as gaudy and opulent as possible, these awards are the highest honor that I, a music blog with impeccable taste, can possibly bestow upon an artist. Music sales, popularity, playing to swaths of adoring fans, those should all come second, because if you made it on this list, then you made it baby. 

Tongue-in-cheek sarcasm aside, this tradition began four years ago and was so well-received that I just had to do it again in 2018. That second iteration was less-well-received, but I thought ‘analytics be damned!’ and did it again in 2019 to relative success. These awards began as a way for me to circumvent publishing “just another” end of the year list. This is a look at the past 365 days in music through a unique (and sometimes hyper-specific) lens. These awards allow me to draw attention to the creations that may not get discussed on a typical publication’s end of the year list. Most importantly, it’s a way to celebrate the year in music without pitting artists against each other. Unique categories for the unique music listener, because not everything fits into a list of 50.

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Best Acoustic Reimagining

Winner: The Wonder Years “Hoodie Weather”
Over the course of the last decade, The Wonder Years have become a stalwart of the pop-punk scene. The band has aged gracefully into each iteration of their career, gradually shifting from energetic teenage goofiness to post-college listlessness and, more recently, morbid pathos. This year, the band released the second iteration in their Burst & Decay series, allowing them to revisit their old songs and update them in a way that feels more true to where the band members are today. The group’s acoustic reimagining of 2011’s “Hoodie Weather” merges these worlds together, taking a song about the restless touring of their early 20’s and rendering it in a pensive, more idyllic light. This rendition of the track retains the sentiment at the core of the original and feels like an update that looks back on the events with reverence provided by the distance of time. It’s a revisitation, but also an update. In a way, this feels like the way the song was always meant to be heard. It’s proof that the band still has more to say, even if it’s just saying it differently.

Runner-up: Future Teens “Swiped Out”
Future teens have always straddled the line between “emo band” and something more profound. They have achieved success by using many of the same struggles and stylistic choices as your average emo group but have managed to present them in a more mature way. With their Sensitive Sessions EP, the group revisited four songs from last year’s Breakup Season and somehow managed to make them even sadder. Hell, the band even managed to make Smash Mouth sound sad, so at this point, I’m pretty sure there’s nothing they can’t do. 

Best Album Art

Winner: Vile Creature - Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm!
For an album that I’ve only listened to one time, the cover to Vile Creature’s Glory, Glory! Has stuck with me more than any other release this year. Capturing the heaviness and beauty at the heart of this sludgy release, this album art is simultaneously gorgeous and disturbing to look at. The cover both sticks with you and accurately indicates the exact kind of songs you’re about to take in. When flipping through vinyl at a record store, this cover is enough to stop any music fan in their tracks, and that means it’s a success on every level. 

Runner-up: Niiice. - Internet Friends
Looking at the cover for Internet Friends, you might wonder who some of these people are, but if you’re a part of the emo DIY circuit on Twitter, then you’d quickly recognize a majority of these faces. From Origami Angel to Stars Hollow and Short Fictions, this cover is a veritable Avengers Endgame of 5th wave emo. This means you can spend a majority of the album’s runtime combing over the front and back of the vinyl scanning for easter eggs while taking in songs about weed and depression, essentially the ideal way to spend an evening in 2020. 

I Miss Shows: Award For Best Live Album

Winner: Aaron West & The Roaring Twenties - Live From Asbury Park
It probably goes without saying, but concerts were fucked this year, and that meant we had to rely on livestreams and live albums to fill that void. I was fortunate enough to catch a grand total of 6 shows in the two and a half months of 2020 that things were still open. Halfway through the year, Dan Campbell (aka Aaron West) released Live From Asbury Park, a one-hour album capturing two sold-out nights of energetic, folksy, Springsteen-inspired performances from the tail end of 2019. This record is everything a live album should be. There’s crowd interaction, jaw-dropping high notes, and gorgeous brass instrumentation. On top of all this, the live rendition of “Divorce and the American South” is one of the only songs to make me cry outright this year, so this record is worth checking out for that fact alone. 

Runner-up: Bon Iver - Blood Bank (10th Anniversary Edition)
I’m a longtime Bon Iver guy and seeing Justin Vernon treat the tenth anniversary of Blood Bank with such reverence warmed my heart. It’s not exactly a sizable release in the band’s discography, but still a memorable stopgap after the breakthrough success of For Emma, Forever Ago. Even though the EP’s tenth-anniversary release is essentially just the original EP plus a collection of four live tracks, the selection of songs taken from different locations across their 2018 tour makes it feel like a lot of time and thought was put into its presentation. Having (finally) seen the group in concert back in 2019, I can say that the selections on this release do an excellent job of bottling up the raw emotional power of these songs when rendered live on-stage. 

Best Sequenced Album

Winner: Ratboys - Printer’s Devil
Longtime readers know that I’m a diehard supporter of short albums. I’m already a big believer in ‘less is more,’ but the longer an album is, the more opportunities there are for lulls and rough patches. While it may or may not end up on my album of the year list in a few weeks, there’s no denying that Ratboy’s third album is an immaculately-crafted work. It’s perfectly paced with peppy, upbeat tracks opening each side, long wistful passages right when they’re needed, and a wonderfully pensive closing track. In other words, this is a masterfully-structured release that hits all the right beats at all the right times. 

Runner-up: 100 Gecs - 100 Gecs and the Tree of Clues
Nine times out of ten, you could hand me a remix album and I’d throw it straight in the trash. Even for bands that I love, all a remix typically makes me want to do is stop listening to it and go turn on the original. There are some rare examples where a remix can elevate the original or cast it in a new light, but on 100 Gecs and the Tree of Clues, pretty much everything and the kitchen sink is included, yet somehow everything works. Essentially an album-length victory lap for the breakthrough hyperpop act, Tree of Clues sees the duo turning their eclectic 2019 album over to a host of collaborators and conspirators. These guests create ecstasy-fueled EDM bangers, hash noise rock assaults, and everything in between. Every song is different from the ones that came before it, which means there’s never a dull moment.

Remix of the Year

Winner: 100 gecs “ringtone remix featuring Charli XCX, Kero Kero Bonito, and Rico Nasty”
When 100 gecs dropped their ringtone remix at the beginning of the year, I’d never experienced anything quite like it. The mix of Charli XCX’s PC Music pop, the brash bars provided by Rico Nasty, and the kawaii interlude courtesy of Kero Kero Bonito proved to be an intoxicating mixture that felt like falling in love. This remix takes an already great track and re-infuses it with that feeling of meeting someone you’ve fallen head over heels for. A powerful emotion to have bottled up in a three-and-a-half-minute song.

Runner-up: Origami Angel - Origami Angel Broke Minecraft
Once we all collectively realized that gigs weren’t happening this year, Origami Angel did the only logical thing and released a Minecraft-themed remix of their greatest hits for a livestreamed concert taking place in the same game. Despite the complicated and meme-like origins surrounding its release, I’ll never say no to new Gami, much less Gami with Lil John drops.

Best Hiking Album

Winner: Cory Wong - Trail Songs Dusk/Dawn 
On top of releasing one album with Vulfpeck and an album with the Fearless Flyers, Cory Wong also somehow found time to release a solo album in January, a live album, a jazzy piano record, a second two-part live album, and another solo album. On top of all this, he also managed to release a conceptual double EP at the peak of summer that (literally) walks the listener through two different halves of a hiking trip. The first release focuses on the sunny hike up the trail, while the second release captures the starry night spent around the campfire. As someone who got into hiking this year, I can’t articulate how beautifully Wong manages to capture the feeling of boundless exploration and wonder that one experiences on their way up a trail, as well as the sense of satisfied triumph you feel on your way back down. It’s a beautiful breath of fresh air that I can’t wait to revisit all winter long.

Runner-up: Empty Country - Empty Country
Empty Country’s self-titled release is an arid, jangly album that walks the line between emo, indie rock, and even a touch of heartland Americana. Much like Wild Pink, this is a band that fuses all of these sounds together into something fresh and accessible. Listening to Empty Country feels comparable to a lackadaisical stroll through a field, or the view from the top of a hill. 

Best Interpolation

Winner: Dance Gavin Dance “Born To Fail” (Interpolating Tides of Man)
When I first heard “Born To Fail,” I was digging it. Then, when I heard Tilian quoting my favorite Tides of Man song a full decade after he first sang it, the song officially blew my mind. It never even occurred to me that a band was even ALLOWED to do this, but like everything else that Dance Gavin Dance does, they made it sound great.

Runner-up: Gleemer “TTX” (Interpolating Lesley Gore)
While the interpolation on “Born To Fail” is fantastic because of the reference track's mind-bending context, Gleemer's “TTX” is noteworthy for an entirely different reason. Here, the band interpolates Lesley Gore's “It’s My Party” and integrates it so seamlessly that the lyrics sound completely organic.

Best Music Video

Winner: Rico Nasty “Own It”
Every frame of this video is art. From the bikini-clad Hellraiser look to the babushka-adorned champagne tea party, “Own It” truly feels like Rico Nasty in her element. There are bright colors, triple-take costume designs, and animated in-your-face movements that come across as equal parts boisterous and calculated—a perfect, disorienting crash course into the world of Rico Nasty. 

Runner-up: Dogleg “Wartortle”
This seems like a safe place to admit that Clerks blew my mind when I first saw it in college. Not even a casual “blew my mind and liked it,” but an “I need to go sit by myself and think about that movie because it spoke to something that deep within me.” I’m a little embarrassed by that fact six-ish years down the line, but seeing Dogleg’s faithful recreation of the Kevin Smith classic in the music video for “Wartortle” made me feel a little bit better about my regrettably deep-rooted connection.

Best Music-Related Game of the Year

Winner: Dikembe: The Video Game
I’ll admit this category was not entirely my idea but came from Dikembe themselves jokingly suggesting it on Twitter. Despite the artificial creation of this award, this is precisely what the Diamond Platters were made for. After all, how many other DIY bands have the brains big enough to promote their upcoming record with a platformer? Just one, and it was Dikembe.

Runner-up: Get To The Gig: The Chillwavve Records Video Game
In a similar vein, Get To The Gig from Chillwavve Records is a throwback RPG that finds its hero fulfilling the title’s promise and meeting a roster of DIY emo icons along the way. If that wasn’t enough, the “leaked” song at the end of the game made the entire journey feel worth it. Eat your heart out, Travis Scott Fortnite performance. 

Best Guest Feature

Winner: Uwade Akhere on Shore
I may not have liked Fleet Foxes’ fourth studio album, but Uwade Akhere’s contributions are undeniably the record’s high points. In fact, the band places a lot of weight on her shoulders for an unknown talent. From opening and closing the album to contributing gorgeous melodies to the album’s best cut, it’s painful to imagine what Shore would have been without her.

Runner-up: Morgan Freeman on Savage Mode II
Morgan Freeman’s dulcet tones are pretty much the last thing you’d expect to hear when clicking play on the newest 21 Savage mixtape, yet on the sequel to 2017’s Savage Mode, they somehow manage to fit perfectly. From welcoming the listener to the album, giving a detailed explanation on the difference between ‘snitches’ and ‘rats,’ to closing the tape out with a reminder to “stay in savage mode,” it’s fair to say this release wouldn’t have been the same without him.

Best Cover Song

Winner: Phoebe Bridgers & Maggie Rogers “Iris”
2020 was a banner year for Phoebe Bridgers; she released her sophomore album to critical acclaim and (relative) enthusiasm from long-time fans. She earned a slew of Grammy nominations, performed at Red Rocks, released her annual Christmas song, and had a seemingly never-ending barrage of attention-grabbing interviews. The arguable peak of Phoebe-dom happened when, during a particularly bleak moment on Election Day, she tweeted, “if trump loses I will cover iris by the goo goo dolls.” Not only did Trump end up losing, but Phoebe stuck to her word, releasing the song for only 24 hours on Bandcamp with all proceeds going to Fair Fight, an organization dedicated to fighting for free and fair elections. On top of all this, both Bridgers and Rogers earned their first Billboard Hot 100 with this cover based solely off of Bandcamp Purchases alone. The song itself is an absolutely gorgeous and heartfelt rendition of the late-90s radio banger, a genre of music I’ve found myself increasingly unironically drawn to over the course of quarantine. If anything, Phoebe’s version of the song only further solidified my belief in the earnest beauty that lies at the heart of corny songs from my childhood. 

Runner-up: Pelafina “Cardigan”
I’ll be honest. I have no idea how I stumbled across Pelafina, let alone became a follower of theirs on Bandcamp, but when I got an email announcing their Taylor Swift covers, I bought them without hesitation. TS finds the band revisiting two recent Swift hits, “Cardigan” and “Cruel Summer,” both of which the band casts in a new and loving light that’s both faithful to the source material while retaining their style as a band, exactly what a good cover should be. 

Headline of the Year

Winner: “Scooby-Doo Is Going on Tour With Björk's Costume Designer”
The fact that 2020 robbed us of this experience is nothing short of a national tragedy. 

Runner-up: “Sex Pistols star Johnny Rotten bitten by a flea on his penis after rescuing squirrels”
Look, if I had to read this, y’all do too.

Porch Beer Album of the Year

Winner: Routine - And Other Things
Porch Beers, a term coined by me and popularized with my two-follower Spotify playlist, is a subgenre of music characterized by jangly guitars, lackadaisical lyricism, and relaxed rhythm sections. It’s country-tinged indie rock that pairs flawlessly with a porch and a pink sky on a summer evening, and there wasn’t a release this year that captured that feeling better than And Other Things. Surprise announced in the last quarter of the year, this 17-minute EP brings together partners Melina Duterte of Jay Som and Annie Truscott of Chastity Belt for a collection of songs that feels as fulfilling as a full-length. As you’d expect from such a short release, the two waste no time jumping straight into it with “Candy Road” which sparkles like desert sand in the midday sun. The titular “And Other Things” is a masterwork of revelatory reverb. Meanwhile, “Calm and Collected” sends things off perfectly with an extended instrumental stretch that leaves just enough room for reflection while you queue the record up again and grab another beer. 

Runner-up: Kevin Morby - Sundowner
With songs like “Valley,” “Campfire,” and of course the titular “Sundowner,” Kevin Morby’s sixth studio album feels tailor-made for porch beers or long, reflective drives home. It’s laid-back, countrified, fresh air music that practically begs you to crack open a cold one, inhale some fresh air, and appreciate your surroundings.

Best Gothic Country Album

Winner: Holy Motors - Horse
If someone were to ask me what Gothic Country is, I would simply show them the cover art for songs like Holy Motors’ “Country Church” and “Endless Night,” then I’d hit play on the band’s excellent sophomore album. 

Runner-up: BAMBARA - Stray
Swirling together a mesmerizing blend of gothic country and post-punk, Bambara’s Shadow On Everything was a dark horse entry in my 2018 Album of the Year list. Two years later, they’ve continued to develop that sound into a new release that’s haunting, unsettling, groovy, and even singable at times. 

Favorite Longform Piece I Wrote This Year

Winner: The Stark Maximalism of Sufjan Stevens
Spoiler alert: sometimes I use these awards to re-promote some of my old articles. While it may seem like insular self-promotion, what better time than the end of the year to look back on some of my favorite pieces of writing? Literally the first article I published this calendar year, my retrospective on Sufjan’s Carrie & Lowell was a long time coming. Bringing together years of listening history, a live album, and a B-sides collection, I felt like I finally said everything I’d spent five years ruminating on. Not only that, I feel like I was able to articulate myself completely and beautifully, which is one of the most satisfying experiences as a writer. 

Runner-up: An Introduction To Post-Rock
Post-rock is a genre that’s gotten me through a lot of tough times. It’s scored countless hours of reading, writing, and creating for me. It’s a pretty specific but deep genre, which means it’s infinitely rewarding to get into. In this piece, I did my best to put the wordless power of the genre into several paragraphs, a task that proved to be both rewarding and herculean. Intended to serve as an entry point for someone new to post-rock, this post takes nine of genre’s best records and explains the differences between each so someone can jump in with an album that’s up their alley stylistically then (ideally) journey in deeper from there. 

Y’all Sleep: Most Overlooked and Underappreciated Release of the Year 

Winner: Marble Teeth - Park
Do you like Slaughter Beach, Dog? What about Oso Oso? How Do you feel about Field Medic? If you responded positively to any of the above questions, then what are you waiting for? Press play on Marble Teeth’s Park immediately. While Cars weaved minute-long stories of high school football players, paranoid Pop-Tart connoisseurs, and lifelong love, Park ventures into more polished and personable territory. While Cars centered around acoustic guitar licks and simplistic electronic beats, Park favors a full(er) band approach that strikes at the heart of midwest mediocrity. Still centered around Caleb Jefson’s astute observations of the human condition, these songs sway forward in the most approachable and unexpected ways. There’s nothing quite like reveling in the world of awkward relationships, midnight dances, and Connecticut rest stops depicted in Park. This is a superb and lived-in release that is more creative, wondrous, and well-observed than almost anything I’ve listened to this year.

Runner-up: Fixer - Married
Portland, Oregon doesn't have much of a music scene because if there was any justice in this world, then Fixer’s sophomore album would have roughly one million streams by now. A lowkey indie rock release from the beginning of quarantine, this record is catchy, groovy, and immaculately produced. A literal shame that more people haven’t dug into these songs because this 25-minute release is worth its weight in gold. 

Best “Making Of” Documentary

Winner: Glass Beach - the making of the first glass beach album
Have 90 minutes to kill and don’t feel like watching a movie? Well, it’s hard to beat the making of the first glass beach album. The perfect introduction to the emo-ish prog-ish indie-ish band, this feature-length documentary is up for free on Youtube and details (as you would expect) the creation of the band’s titular first album. It’s fun, it’s funky, it’s a journey. 

Runner-up: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Ratty
Have another 30 minutes to kill? Well, Ratty is a documentary from genre-agnostic Aussie rockers King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. This mini-movie details the creation of their thrash metal masterpiece Infest The Rats Nest, which wound up on our 2019 Album of the Year List. For a band as entertaining and musically diverse as King Gizz, this doc is a great peek behind the curtain into the psych rocker’s creative process. 

Best Cover Song Part II: Electric Boogaloo

Winner: The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die “In Circles”
The World Is A Beautiful Place are emo legends. Sunny Day Real Estate are emo legends. It would only make sense that the two should meet at some point, and this cover bridges the gap between emo generations like nothing before. It shouldn’t be surprising that TWIABP does “In Circles” such justice, but they also manage to put their own spin on it that feels distinctly modern. It’s gorgeous and honestly just makes me want a full album of Sunny Day Real Estate covers. 

Runner-up: Dogleg & Worst Party Ever - go ep
It started, as many things do, with a tweet. Late November, Michigan punk band Dogleg pitted a fight against Florida emo rockers Worst Party Ever. Accusations were made, shots were fired, the gauntlet was thrown. This jokingly playful beef culminated in the two bands exchanging covers, all of which were collected in a split that warms my emo heart.

Most Triggering High School Metalcore Phase Flashbacks

Winner: Mikau - Phantoma
This year I stumbled across a vinyl copy of The Word Alive’s debut EP Empire at a local record shop. I’m pretty sure I audibly gasped and quickly threw down however much money allowed me to leave the store with the record in-hand. If that reaction makes sense to you, then Mikau’s Phantoma is likely to spark that same corner of your latent 2010’s Hot Topic brain as it did me. There are chuggy riffs, crabcore breakdowns, and synthy interludes. In short, this is the type of band who would have signed to Rise Records in 2011 and raked in money by the thousands every summer at Warped Tour. Instead, we’re lucky enough to have them in 2020, where they can be appreciated for the nostalgic, lost art form that they really are. 

Runner-up: If I Die First - My Poison Arms
When I first stumbled across If I Die First on Spotify, I didn’t even know what genre they were. When I clicked play on My Poison Arms and was greeted electronicore in the vein of This Romantic Tragedy, I was immediately smitten. This EP would have fit in perfectly on my iPod Classic circa 2009, so I am legally obligated to love it with every molecule in my latent metalcore-loving heart.

Song of the Summer

Winner: Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion “WAP”
Let’s just get it out of the way; “WAP” is a great song. The track is catchy, dirty, and sexually-liberating, which is all well and good, but what strikes me most about this cartoonishly horny hip-hop cut is the fact that it managed to be so pervasive despite a nationwide shutdown. I know there were (unfortunately) still people out partying this summer, but this song’s ability to spread through TikTok, Twitter, and various other social media is what really cemented it as an artistic achievement in the face of a distinctly non-WAP summer. 

Runner-up: Dababy & Roddy Ricch “Rockstar”
I know it was a quarantined summer, and having a hit song during this time feels like it comes with a giant asterisk. However, if your song managed to make its way to me (an uncool white guy in his late-20s), I can only assume it’s reached a level of cultural pervasiveness that is worthy of praise. 

Favorite Review I Wrote This Year

Winner: Young Jesus - Welcome To Conceptual Beach
More shameless self-promo, this time in review form! While those earlier articles were longer-form pieces, my review for Young Jesus’ phenomenal fifth album is short, pointed, and poured out of me in one writing session. Sometimes the most challenging part of writing a review is just figuring out your way in. Young Jesus provided so many different ways in on their latest record, the problem became figuring out which one to pursue. Luckily, I feel like I did the album justice and spoke articulately to the statement that it’s making. 

Runner-up: Sinai Vessel - Ground Aswim
Much like my Young Jesus review, my review for Ground Aswim poured out of me over the course of one impassioned afternoon that I spent with the record. Also, much like the Young Jesus album, Sinai Vessel’s sophomore effort is a measured, precious, and relaxing album with a statement to make coming at a prescient time. 

Best Cover Song Part III: Return of the King

Winner: Lucy Dacus “Lips of an Angel”
Apologies for three identical categories, but we got lots of great covers this year, and I want to talk about “Lips of an Angel.” Originally by the American rock band Hinder, “Lips of an Angel” arrived upon our earth in 2005 and is arguably the toxic masculinity anthem. There’s cheating, gaslighting, pleading, and everything else you’d expect to hear while listening to a shitty dude talk to his ex on the phone. Lucy Dacus takes the band’s cringy lyricism and re-frames it from a distinctly femme perspective that de-fangs the negativity and replaces it with a layer of deeply-felt beauty. 

Runner-up: SASAMI “Toxicity”
If you were to sit me down and just start connecting random artists to songs they’ve covered, I would never, ever, in a million years, have connected indie rocker SASAMI to System of A Down. I suppose given the band’s semi-ubiquitous prevalence throughout the early to mid-2000s, it’s unsurprising that an artist currently in her late-20s would have an intimate familiarity with the nu-metal group. What’s impressive is not only how incredible her cover sounds, but how drastically different it is from the original. Proof that a good song is a good song no matter what, and a good artist can always take a good song and make it sound even better. 

Greatest Addition to the Christmas Canon

Winner: 100 gecs “sympathy 4 the grinch”
Back at the beginning of December, I mindlessly liked this tweet from 100 gecs and never gave it a second thought. It had never occurred to me that the hyperpop duo even could release a Christmas song. That was simply too awesome a combination of my tastes and interests to exist in 2020. We didn’t deserve it as a society. When the gecs dropped “sympathy 4 the grinch” less than 24 hours later, I was shook to my core. The perfect Christmas song. Finally. 

Runner-up: girl in red “two queens in a king sized bed”
As a man, I feel unilaterally unqualified to speak on the queerness of “two queens in a king sized bed.” What I will speak on however, is how beautiful, soft, and caring this song is. Pairing a piano with faint jingle bells and a pulsating drum build, this song is as loving, caring, and gorgeous as you’d want your lover to be. It’s gay as hell and Christmassy as fuck; what’s not to like? 

Most Impactful Beat Drop

Winner: Beach Bunny “Rearview”
Complete candor: this song was neck-and-neck in the running for my song of the year, but just barely got overtaken in the homestretch. That said, it’s still one of my favorites of the year, and this list would have felt utterly incomplete without its inclusion. “Rearview” is a mid-album cut off Beach Bunny’s fantastic debut album. It begins simply enough; a gentle guitar paired with Lili Trifilio’s confessional vocals. As she pines for her unrequited love over the guitar, her strums gradually pick up energy, morphing into a more-pointed riff. In the last minute of the song, she lands on the track’s namesake and pauses for a moment, then proceeds to sing a simple rhyme over a cool bassline. “You love me, I love you / You don't love me anymore, I still do. I'm sorry, I'm trying / I hate it when you catch me crying” As these words emerge from her lips, a whirl of feedback tears through the track along with two drum hits that make way for the rest of the band. From there, the group introduces a towering riff that makes the listener feel like a speck of dust in their all-encompassing emotional oasis. It’s goosebump-inducing and possibly my single favorite moment in any song this entire year. 

Runner-up: Soccer Mommy “Gray Light”
Sophie Allison knows how to end an album. From the quiet “Switzerland” to the confessional and forlorn “Waiting For Cars,” this fact has been clear from the very outset of her career. But two is a coincidence, three is a pattern. Allison ends Clean with the soul-decimating “Wildflowers” which works its way up from a solitary acoustic guitar to an ascending electronic whir that feels like every emotion you’ve ever had lifting you up into the air like an alien tractor beam. “gray light” accomplishes a similar effect, winding up from a slow soul-crushing spacey electronic bed into a weird reversed electronic “snap” that commands all attention then sends the listener off on a dreamy Mazzy Star guitar slide. It’s bliss. 

Most Hypnotizing Bassline 

Winner: Seahaven “Moon”
Seahaven made us wait seven years for this record, and honestly, the bassline on “Moon” alone makes that wait worth it. Placed in the skillful hands of Mike DeBartolo, this song sounds like it was made with the express purpose of winding around his knotty basswork. It’s dark, witchy, and downright spooky yet utterly captivating. I swear I could listen to just the bass on this song for the album’s full runtime. 

Runner-up: Thank You, I’m Sorry “Follow Unfollow”
Admittedly more energetic than “Moon,” “Follow Unfollow” from midwest emo outfit Thank You, I’m Sorry features a dynamic, bouncy bass that drives the song forward. As the bass, courtesy of Bethunni Schreiner, bounces back and forth, the listener is left to watch in awe, taking the track in like a tennis match, merely trying to keep up.

Find Your Throne: Award For Most Positive Song of the Year

Winner: Cliffdiver “Gas City”
Positivity felt in short supply this year. Maybe that’s why songs like “Gas City” stuck out so much from the crowd. Cosmically affirming and infinitely singable, this single from the Oklahoma-based emo group also introduced the group’s new co-lead singer Briana Wright who brings a soaring quality to the song that makes it all the more uplifting. Also featuring the group’s usual mix of tappy emo, honest lyricism, and soulful saxophone, this song has become my go-to whenever I need a pick-me-up.

Runner-up: Guitar Fight From Fooly Cooly “My Friends Are My Power (Spoiler Alert!)”
Any song that opens with a Kingdom Hearts sample and throws directly into a moshpit volley of drums is a winner in my book. I won’t give away the “spoiler” here, but it’s well worth the 1:39-second listen.

Lose Your Throne: Award For Most Self-Deprecating Song of the Year

Winner: Cheem “Smooth Brain”
I feel that “Smooth Brain” really captures the essence of this year well. Between quarantine, the election, and everything in between, I think I could have scraped my brain into a blender and turned it on high for 360 days straight, and I still would have kept it in better shape than whatever I ended up doing. Blending a Patrick Stump-like chorus with pained bars and a glittery instrumental, “Smooth Brain” is the real song of the summer. 

Runner-up: I Love Your Lifestyle “Stupid”
Sometimes everything just plain sucks. You are stupid, I am stupid, he is stupid, she is stupid, this whole thing is stupid. That’s almost literally the sentiment captured in “Stupid” by I Love Your Lifestyle. Built around a repetitive, building, earworm of a chorus, this is a song that sounds more like the things you mutter under your breath while working your retail job dealing with abject nonsense day-in, day-out. Truly an anthem for these stupid ages.

Best Posthumous Album

Winner: Pop Smoke - Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon
Posthumous albums are inherently an uphill battle. You never know how much was created before the artist’s passing and how much was studio fuckery. While Pop Smoke’s death at the beginning of 2020 was an outright tragedy, Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon is nothing short of a triumph. From star-studded features, teeth-gritting bangers, and career-affirming assists, this record does everything right. There’s a diverse wealth of sounds, and Pop Smoke rarely feels overshadowed on his own release, which is an all-too-common pratfall of the posthumous album. Shoot For The Stars is already one of the best trap albums of the decade, it’s just a shame we never got to see Pop Smoke’s career flourish the way he deserved. 

Runner-up: Mac Miller - Circles
Mac Miller’s death at the end of 2018 came as a shock to pretty much everyone. Having spent a decade developing his sound from frat rap mixtapes as a teen to the jazzy poetry he released just a week before his death, Mac was a poster boy for artistic development on top of being an all-around great dude. Circles continues the sound that Mac was fleshing out on Swimming and ends his story in a satisfying place that offered fans some semblance of closure. 

Record Label of the Year

Winner: Acrobat Unstable Records
At nearly every step of the way this year, I was amazed by the North Carolina upstart indie label Acrobat Unstable. Initially conceived as a way for labelmates Eric Smeal and Martin Hacker-Mullin to make tapes and merch for bands that they liked, this quickly ballooned from local acts to bands like Short Fictions and the Callous Daoboys. This year, the label helped release projects from the likes of Carpool, Charm, Acne, Ultimate Frisbee, and Thirty Cent Fare, none of whom I’d heard of before this year, but all of which blew me away. The label also released hundreds of vinyl records and helped bands like Hospital Bracelet, Jail Socks, Stars Hollow, and Origami Angel release merch and vinyl. If next year bears even a semblance of the label’s success in 2020, then we are in for a wild ride. 

Runner-up: Moon Physics
While Acrobat Unstable wins for turning me on to a constant stream of new music throughout 2020, Moon Physics earns their runner-up spot for positing a new way that a label can operate in this capitalist hellscape. Centered around monthly “drops,” this Tony-Hawk-inspired entity describes themselves as a “zero-profit, anti-capitalist” springboard for artists. In between dropping tapes, vinyl, and fingerboards, the label acts as an educational resource that also splits the profit of sales between the artists and local community organizations. An aspirational model that I hope sets the tone for a new decade of labels. I cannot wait to see what’s in store for the organization in 2021.

Honorable mentions to Good Luck Charm Records, Chillwavve Records, and Take This To Heart Records because each of these labels consistently dropped fire releases all throughout the year.

Came Out Swinging: Best New Band of 2020

Winner: It Doesn’t Bother Me
You can say a lot of bad things about 2020, but at least it gave us It Doesn’t Bother Me. This Midwest emo project may have had the misfortunate timing of dropping their debut EP at the height of a quarantined spring, but the way I see it, that just gives them more time to rack up fans who will soon be screaming along to these songs in a sweaty Michigan basement. Alternating between catchy Mom Jeans choruses and You, Me, And Everyone We Know-esque vocal stylings, the band is more than equipped to create a string of iconic emo songs ready for Spotify playlists, emo mixtapes, and infinitely-bigger stages. Get hip now before they blow up. 

Runner-up: Blue Deputy
Blue Deputy didn’t exist before 2020, and now they do. That alone makes this year worth it. A creative (and romantic) partnership between Andy Bunting and Brody Hamilton, Blue Deputy explores the tender spaces of relationships that can only be observed as you’re living them. Look no further than the gorgeous double New Jersey / I Hate Steven Singer for two catchy emo-flavored bedroom pop songs that sparkle and glisten like the glitter on a freshly-uncapped gel pen. These two will do amazing things, and we’re lucky that 2020 allowed such beautiful songs as these into existence. 

Biggest Come-up

Winner: Roddy Ricch
Roddy Ricch began the year with a chart-topping #1 song that fended off singles from both Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. He contributed to the (*secondary) Song of the Summer with Dababy and tossed out features to the likes of Gunna, Pop Smoke, and Ty Dolla Sign. In short, it was Roddy Ricch’s year, unfortunately, the stars just happened to align for him on a really shitty year. 

Runner-up: Redveil
Within the space of one calendar year, Maryland-based Redveil went from an unknown Twitter rapper to one of the internet’s hottest upcoming artists. A baby-faced 16, Redveil created a mixtape that single-handedly made waves all over Twitter and garnered millions of streams, all before he was legally allowed to drive.

Best Revisitation

Winner: Into It. Over It. - Canada Sessions
I respect Evan Thomas Weiss as the face of Fourth Wave emo. I respect his output, I cherish his voice, and I love his dynamic autumnal album from this year. While I love and appreciate his body of work, nothing sits quite as close to my heart as 52 Weeks. That record was formative in my emo upbringing, and it makes me sad he’s “moved on” with albums that have had bigger hit songs. Nothing speaks to me quite the way “Basto” does. Nothing gets me singing quite like “A Song About Your Party.” Nothing feels quite as bile-filled as “Bullied Becomes the Bully,” and honestly, that’s a bummer. I had these songs all but written off until 2020 when Weiss released Canada Sessions, a short EP that saw him revisiting two different decade-old tracks off his breakthrough year of music. Obviously better produced than the original tracks, both “Embracing Facts” and “22 Syllables” absolutely shine in this new context, slightly updated to reflect Weiss’ more recent artistic leanings but still tapping into the same younger soul that created them. An affirmation and a celebration. 

Runner-up: The Fearless Flyers “Adrienne and Adrianne”
The Venn diagram of members between Vulfpeck and Fearless Flyers is almost a circle, and with four iterations of one song under their belt, Vulfpeck are no stranger to revisiting a tune. While I admittedly have a propensity for the band’s earlier instrumental EPs, I have grown to love the Fearless Flyers for the very same reason as Vulf; an abundance of proficient, funky, fun instrumentals. When I heard the sounds of an eight-year-old Vulfpeck deep cut coming out of my 2020 Fearless Flyers record, I just about lost my shit. It’s like putting on an old winter coat; fits like a charm. 

Best Deployment of a Harmonica

Winner: Slow Pulp “Montana”
Essentially the end credits to Slow Pulp’s fantastic debut album, “Montana” is a laid-back and relaxing track that’s as easy as the rolling hills that the song seeks to depict. The song builds to a hypnotic repetition as lead singer Emily Massey pleads, “come on get out of my head,” and becomes fixated on the word “head,” singing it over and over until the song’s close. The deployment of harmonica midway through the track not only breaks the repetitive wave-like nature of the lyrics but feels like a stand-in for something larger than the piece itself, something spiritual I haven’t quite figured out yet. 

Runner-up: Field Medic “HEADCASE”
Kevin Patrick Sullivan (better known as Field Medic) has made his name as an outspoken and famously-mulleted poet, equal parts emo and horny. While the Bob Dylan comparisons can feel simultaneously on-the-nose and unfair, sometimes it’s a hard thing to avoid when one pairs acoustic guitar with harmonica this much. “HEADCASE” is a fast-moving Field Medic track where the harmonica comes in at just the right spot, punctuating a top-tapping chorus and capping off an array of confessional sentiments found in each verse.

Best Split of the Year 

Winner: Arcadia Grey, Oolong, Guitar Fight From Fooly Cooly, dannythestreet - Fatal 4 Way Split
To some degree, many of the big bands from the 5th Wave Emo Movement have already revealed themselves to the world… However, if you were to ask me who some of the best, most promising upcoming bands in the scene are, I’d point you to this split. All harnessing the same jittery zoomer energy, this lineup features some of the best bands currently releasing music on the regular. From the moshpit-opening body dysmorphia found on Arcadia Grey’s “Braum” to the propulsive combo of tapping and screaming found on Oolong’s “Dippin Daniel,” I really believe there’s something for everything on this meeting of the emo minds. Guitar Fight From Fooly Cooly kicks their contribution off with a fist-balling Mortal Kombat sample that makes me want to start swinging the same way “2nd Sucks” did way back in high school. dannythestreet closes the rumble royale off with a glimmering earworm of a melody that leaves me hopeful for the next generation of emo acts. 

Runner-up: Snarls, The Sonder Bombs - A Really Cool Split
As previously established above with the Dogleg x Worst Party Ever split, I’m a sucker for bands covering each other’s songs. It’s cute and sometimes just makes sense in some cosmic way. A Really Cool Split from Snarls and Sonder Bombs sees the two Cleveland bands swapping songs to great effect on top of an acoustic rendition and a long-awaited pre-album single. It’s a loving little pit stop for both bands, one coming hot off one of the most underrated indie pop records of the year and the other ramping up to drop one of the best of 2021. 

Best Release From 2019 That I Didn’t Give A Fair Shake

Winner: Hovvdy - Heavy Lifter
By the time fall rolled in, it was simultaneously jarring and calming. Precipitated by the changing of the leaves and sharp snaps of fall temperatures, the fall season still managed to take me by surprise, but I’ll admit that quarantine has thrown off all sense of time. As I mentally relegated myself to the frigid wintertime, I found Heavy Lifter to be a perfect reflection of my mental state. Somewhat inward, a little bit scattered, and wholly comforting, I did not give this album the time of day back in 2019. Aside from the warming blanket of comfort, what I find more artistically impressive about this record is the way that it can make banal things like falling asleep to YouTube and free parking practically romantic in melody. Never again will I sleep on Hovvdy.

Runner-up: Orville Peck - Pony
While I had seen Orville Peck back in 2019 (his half-mask, half-tassel cowboy hat is hard to miss after all), I realized I had never actually listened to him until this year. Within seconds of hitting play on “Dead of Night,” I realized I’d made a grave mistake. Pony is a dark, mysterious country record centered around Peck’s smoldering baritone, which lends an air of genre-based familiarity. Aside from the record’s immaculate production, what makes these familiar genre trappings fresh is how Peck updates the topics to feel more reflective of our society as it stands. He talks candidly about queerness, drug use, and his own emotions, three things the country of yesteryear would never touch with a ten-foot pole. In other words, Pony represents a long-needed update to an entire genre that everyone is quick to write off; I’m just glad I got here when I did. 

Song of the Year

Winner: Spanish Love Songs “Losers 2”
Seeing Spanish Love Songs live was one of the last concerts I went to this year, and (apparently) one of the last concerts I’ll go to for a while. I could focus on that lack of live music and dwell in a pit of despair, but instead, I’d rather focus on the freedom I felt that night screaming along to my favorite songs with a wall of sweaty fans. 

“Losers 2” is easily my favorite song of the year. Centered around sharp lyricism and a cathartic build, this track quickly became an outlet for me early in 2020. It represents something bigger, something I may not experience for a while, yet experience every day. 

For roughly two minutes, lead singer Dylan Slocum finds himself displaced, revisiting former homes, dead relatives, and economic inequalities. Destined to die poor and wake up forever tired, Slocum has no choice but to continue. Third jobs enter the picture, but the larger scene of mortality and capitalism never fades. It’s a life that many millennials can understand. A life where nothing bad can ever happen because a single accident, a single diagnosis, a single unplanned event can throw your entire future into disarray. Minimum wages aren’t fought for by our politicians, but by mothers, forced to rideshare to demonstrations because they don’t have vehicles of their own. The entire thing paints this richly-detailed picture of a deeply-failed country. Of a failed generation. Of the world in which we currently exist. 

About midway through, the song transitions to the bridge and here’s the part that gets me every. fucking. time. Just as Slocum self-deprecatingly describes himself as a “walking tragic ending,” something shifts inside him. The instrumental cuts out to a single warbling synth note which makes way for the most poignant sentiment of the entire record. The bridge, which I’ll paste here in-full, is a pitch-perfect depiction of this stalemate between economic and emotional devastation.

So I'm leaving the city / Maybe the country / Maybe the earth
Gonna find a place of my own

Where the fuckups aren't cops / Patrolling neighbourhoods they're afraid of / And the rest of us won't burn out / Displacing locals from neighbourhoods we're afraid of

Now if we weren't bailed out / Every time by our parents we'd be dead / What's gonna happen when they're dead?”

There’s really nothing else I can say.

Runner-up: Mandancing “Johnny Freshman”
Mandancing released one of the most underrated emo albums of 2020. The record is packed with gorgeous slice of life tales of love, loss, and friendship. There are stellar performances, jaw-dropping arrangements, and earnest emo deliveries aplenty. Amongst an album that’s so consistently great, my personal peak comes at the tail end with the closing track “Johnny Freshman.”

This enigmatic and slow-moving song is centered around a dual vocal and instrumental build that both peak in the same cathartic way before whisking the listener off on a shimmering emo outro that’s reminiscent of some of my favorite songs of all time. “Johnny Freshman” borrows the same pleading sentiment as Julien Baker’s “Go Home” as lead singer Stephen G. Kelly belts “would you please come home?” over a near-bear instrumental bed. These pleas repeat and eventually culminate in a goosebump-inducing cry of the same phrase as the instrumental grows in scope, eventually consuming the entire track. For 90 seconds the guitar reverberates, the drums roll, and the bass shakes as the band plays out the same ascending chord strum dozens of times, lending the track this meditative quality that gives the listener time to think and reflect on the entire record they had just taken in. Simple masterful. 

Most Anticipated Release of 2021

Winner: Jail Socks - Debut Album
Jail Socks had already created my 2019 Album of the Year, so it probably goes without saying that I’m feverishly anticipating the next moves from the fresh-faced No Sleep signees. Despite only having released a grand total of eight songs to the public, Jail Socks had become one of my favorite 5th Wave emo-ish bands by the end of last year. I still listen to It’s Not Forever on an (at least) weekly basis, so I cannot wait to see what the band does with their first full-length next year. 

Runner-up: Michelle Zauner - Crying In H Mart
My second most-anticipated release of 2020 isn’t an album, but a book. Crying In H Mart is the soon-to-be-released memoir by Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast. The book is based on, named after, and presumably in the style of her heartbreaking New Yorker article of the same name. Zauner, who was also the winner of our 2017 Album of the Year, has a beautiful way of navigating words and emotions in a manner that cuts directly to my soul. I’m sure Crying In H Mart will be nothing short of a crushing read, but that’s exactly what I want, and exactly what I need.