Thirdface

Thirdface are a four-piece hardcore band from Nashville, Tennessee that formed in 2018. They come through with raw, relentless blistering energy, with noisy, wiry guitars and rhythms that refuse to be pinned down. The vocals are absolutely scorching as well, with lyrical themes worth paying attention to. Their sound is this fantastic abrasion that feels like a culmination of disparate influences, which makes for something strangely unique but also distinct. Their debut LP Do It With a Smile was one of the strongest offerings of its year, and its recent follow-up Ministerial Cafeteria might even be a step up from it. If you're remotely interested in hardcore, this band absolutely has to be on your radar if they're not already. If you're still not sold, listen to "Villians!". Enjoy.

A Demonstration Of Righteous Aggression (2018)

1. Impetus

2. Gossip

3. Take It Back

4. No Relief

5. Fantasy

6. Local

Do It With A Smile (2021)

1. Customary

2. Local

3. Chosen

4. Grasping At The Root

5. Buck

6. Ally

7. Villains!

8. Legendary Suffering

9. No Requiem For The Wicked

10. Interlude

11. No Hope

12. No Relief

Ministerial Cafeteria (2024)

1. Mantras

2. Meander

3. Midian

4. Sour

5. Pure Touch

6. DOV

7. Bankroll

8. Stalkwalk

9. Beneviolent

10. Artifact Of Darkness

11. Trap Revealed

12. Purify

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The Red Scare

The Red Scare were a four-piece post-hardcore/screamo band from Knoxville, Tennessee that formed in 1997 and broke up in 2001. They released two albums and a handful of splits, including one with Orchid. They played a chaotic yet technical blend of screamo/emo/hardcore, inspired by bands such as Portraits Of Past, Shotmaker, and Heroin. They incorporated these duelling guitars, driving bass riffs, and frenzied rhythms with some fantastic drumming, all the while the vocals are screaming to the brink of collapse. Capillary Lockdown is probably my favourite from them, and encapsulates the aforementioned sound. Their swan song, Strangers Die Everyday is a noticeably more experimental effort, with a wider array of dynamics and a metallic sheen to the instrumentals and production. It's still definitely worth a listen for the sake of uniqueness and intrigue, and really leaves you wondering where this band have gone had this not been in it. Highly recommended, enjoy.

Jet Set / Epiphany #2 (1998)

1. Jet Set

2. Epiphany #2

Hail Mary/The Red Scare (1999)

1. Hail Mary - Crcuifixate

2. The Red Scare - Earache

Pankration/The Red Scare (1999)

1. Pankration - Your Ugliness Becomes You

2. The Red Scare - Full Steam Ahead

Capillary Lockdown (1999)

1. Automate Insection

2. Device For Annihilation

3. Jetset

4. 12 Years Past

5. Post Meridian

6. Crushing Blows

7. Inertia/Distance To Empty

The Red Scare/Orchid (2000)

1. Orchid - Lucky 13

2. Orchid - Intelligable Audio

3. Orchid - She Has A Cold, Cold Heart

4. The Red Scare - Sequenced For Explosion

The Red Scare/True North (2001)

1. The Red Scare - Send Me An Angel

2. True North - It's 3 A.M., Do You Know Where The Ballot Box Is?

3. True North - Single Fin Mentality

Strangers Die Everyday (2001)

1. Risking Your Life With A Capital R

2. Smoky Mountain High

3. Strangers Die Everyday

4. Cranial Masses

5. Kodaliths

6. Asphyxial Eclipse

7. Iron Curtain

8. Five Months In Poland

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Cease Upon The Capitol

Cease Upon The Capitol were a three-piece screamo band from Nashville, Tennessee that were around from 2004 to 2007. They were insanely prolific in that time, releasing two fantastic full-lengths and a number of splits, EPs, and compilation tracks. Conveniently, this was all compiled in 2014 along with demos and live tracks, which is what's available below. Sonically, they encapsulated a variety of sounds, making them really hard to pin down in an overarching description. They utilize the dark, heavy aggression of bands like June Paik or Danse Macabre with just enough melody to keep it on the brink of dissonant collapse, which also evokes comparisons to Raein or La Quiete. On top of that, they occasionally utilize the atmospheric post-rock sound, providing some strong dynamics and fluctuating emotions. I don't know if that description does them any justice, but they are a must for fans of screamo from this era. 

On a side note, this band has been on my "to-do" list for months, and I almost got around to doing it in December. Since there were already a bunch of other posts to get through, I figured I'd wait until the following month. Then of course January 2021 became the absolute worst time to include a post with this name in the title, so finally here it is. Enjoy.

Discography 2004-2007 (2014)

1. Yelling "Fire" In A Crowded Theatre

2. Citizenship

3. Breaking A Coma

4. Mothers & Widows

5. The End Of History

6. Body By Design

7. Protocol For The Left

8. King Of The World

9. Turn-Offs Include...

10. Scaleback The Dosage

11. Lullabies And Bad Dreams

12. Bombs Away

13. More Red Lines

14. Untitled (Emo Armageddon Spoken Word)

15. Paralysis

16. Untitled (2006 Album Track 1)

17. Untitled (2006 Album Track 2)

18. Untitled (2006 Album Track 3)

19. Untitled (2006 Album Track 4)

20. Untitled (2006 Album Track 5)

21. Untitled (2006 Album Track 6)

22. Untitled (2006 Album Track 7)

23. Untitled (2006 Album Track 8)

24. Untitled (2006 Album Track 9)

25. Untitled (2006 Album Track 10)

26. Cell

27. Untitled (2007 Album Track 1)

28. Untitled (2007 Album Track 2)

29. Untitled (2007 Album Track 3)

30. Untitled (2007 Album Track 4)

31. Untitled (2007 Album Track 5)

32. Untitled (2007 Album Track 6)

33. Untitled (2007 Album Track 7)

34. Untitled (2007 Album Track 8)

35. Untitled (2007 Album Track 9)

36. Untitled (2007 Album Track 10)

37. A Good Death

38. Protocol For The Left

39. Pleased

40. Fucking Wrong

41. Untitled (Third Memory Split)

42. Il A Fallu Ne Rien Dire (Third Memory Cover)

43. People Before Profit (Breaking A Coma Demo)

44. Citizenship (Demo)

45. Yelling "Fire" In A Crowded Theatre (Demo)

46. Mothers & Widows (Demo)

47. The End Of History (Demo)

48. Lullabies And Bad Dreams (Live)

49. More Red Lines (Live)

50. Mothers And Widows (Live)

51. Paralysis (Live)

52. Protocol For The Left (Live)

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Tragedy

Tragedy are a four-piece hardcore/crust punk band that formed in 1995. Originally, they were based out of Memphis, Tennessee, but have since re-located to Portland, Oregon. Members of Tragedy were also in His Hero Is Gone and Deathreat, in addition to a ton of other bands. Since the turn of the century though, they've been killing it as Tragedy. With over a decade of experience, they've never failed to deliver some incredible hardcore with their crust punk roots showing. Their vocals are harshly guttural, while their instrumentals can only be described as intensely melodic, which makes sense if you give them a listen. The've also released almost all their albums through their own label, so they definitely get points for the full DIY. Enjoy.

Tragedy (2000)

1. Intro

2. The Point Of No Return

3. Not Fucking Fodder

4. Never Knowing Peace

5. Confessions Of A Suicide Advocate

6. Instrumental

7. Instrumental II

8. The Intolerable Weight

9. You Are an Experiment

10. Products Of A Cold War Depression

11. With Empty Hands Extended

12. Instrumental III

13. Tension Awaiting Imminent Collapse

14. Chemical Imbalance

Can We Call This Life? (2001)

1. The Ending Fight

2. Life

3. The Waiting

Vengeance (2002)

1. Conflicting Ideas

2. Call To Arms

3. Vengeance

4. Recurring Nightmare

5. Beginning Of The End

6. The Lure

7. Night Falls

8. The Day After

9. War Within Us

10. Revengeance

11. To The Dogs

12. No Words

Tragedy/Totalitär (2003)

1. Tragedy - No End In Sight

2. Tragedy - None Of Your Business

3. Totalitär - Krossa Elitsystemet 2

4. Totalitär - Förena Er 2

To The Dogs b/w The Lure (2004)

1. To The Dogs

2. The Lure

Nerve Damage (2006)

1. Eyes Of Madness

2. Force Of Law

3. Rabid Panic

4. Deaf And Disbelieving

5. The Hunger

6. Total Vision

7. In Formation

8. Incendiary

9. Crucifer

10. Under The Radar

11. Plan Of Execution

Darker Days Ahead (2012)

1. No Cemeteries Here

2. Close At Hand

3. The Grim Infinite

4. The Feeding Hour

5. Wail Of Sirens

6. Darker Days Ahead

7. Black Against Night

8. Power Fades

9. To Earth Like Dust

His Hero Is Gone

His Hero Is Gone were a five-piece crust punk/sludge metal band from Memphis, Tennessee that were around from 1995 to 1999. These guys are usually heralded as being one of the best and most influential crust bands ever, and for good reason. They consistently pumped out track after track of dark, aggressive hardcore, which featured low-end heavy, sludgy guitars, and some manic, guttural vocals. For their short few years together, they managed to record a ton of material. Almost their entire discography is below here, so if there is anything I'm missing (such as comp tracks, etc.), please send them to me! Oh yeah, and a few of these guys were also in Tragedy. Enjoy.

Medicine Of Thieves (1995)

1. Like Hell

2. View From A Holding Cell

3. Ghosts Of Regret

4. Re-Entry Explosion

5. The Oracle

6. Of Thieves

7. Descent

8. Thanking Your Lover In Sincerity

9. Bombs Away

Note: Demo Cassette

Fifteen Counts Of Arson (1997)

1. Professional Mind Fuckers

2. ...And We Burn

3. Unleash

4. Leash

5. Sterile Fortress

6. Good Samaritan

7. Hand That Feeds

8. Raindance

9. Voluntary

10. Anthem Of The Undesirables

11. Scalor

12. Concrete Cage

13. Abandoned

14. Thieves

15. The Result Of 11 Days In The Mental Hospital

16. Epidemic

17. Headcount

18. T-Minus Zero

19. Unvisited

20. Internally

21. Richter

22. Marry and Reproduce

23. The End Result of 11 Months In Prison

24. Skinfeast

Note: Tracks 1-15 are from the original LP, tracks 16-23 are from the EP The Dead Of Night In Eight Movements, and track 24 is from the compilation Complacency

Monument To Thieves (1997)

1. Like Weeds

2. Monument To Thieves

3. Paranoia Secured

4. Carry On

5. Automation

6. Chavites

7. Chain Of Command

8. Headless / Heartless

9. Hinges

10. Sin & Vice

11. The Mess

12. Disease Of Ease

13. Under Watchful Eyes

14. Stacks

15. The Unwanted Child

His Hero Is Gone/Union Of Uranus (1998)

1. His Hero Is Gone - Friendly Fire

2. His Hero Is Gone - Fool's Gold

3. His Hero Is Gone - Scare Tactic

4. His Hero Is Gone - Sound The Alarm

5. His Hero Is Gone - Becoming Soil

6. His Hero Is Gone - Raise The Curtain

7. Union Of Uranus - Backhand

8. Union Of Uranus - One Eye Strengthens

9. Union Of Uranus - Weight Of Tomorrow

10. Union Of Uranus - Equilibrate

11. Union Of Uranus - Pressure (Negative Approach cover)

The Plot Sickens: Enslavement Redefined (2001)

1. Surrender

2. The Garden

3. What Goes Up

4. Remedy Past Remedies

5. Angry Gods

6. In The Red

7. Outside In

8. Who Benefits

9. The Willing Host

10. Enslavements Redefined

11. Birth

12. Scare Tactic

13. Sound The Alarm

14. Fool's Gold

15. Friendly Fire

16. Becoming Soil

17. Raise The Curtain

18. Novelty

19. Disinformation Age

20. Domesticated Breed

21. Ten Dollars A Day

22. Live February 1998

Note: Tracks 1-11 are from the original LP, tracks 12-17 from the Fool's Gold EP, tracks 18-21 were previously unreleased, and track 22 is a live set from 1998

Julien Baker

I couldn't agree more with the past few comments about a certain someone needing to be on here. It's an honesty travesty that I've neglected to include her on this blog for so many months now, so I simply can't excuse waiting any longer. Julien Baker is a singer-songwriter from Memphis, Tennessee who self-released her debut album on Bandcamp back in 2014. A year later it was picked up by 6131 Records and officially released as Sprained Ankle, and its caught a wildfire of attention.

These songs are gorgeously crafted, and the whole thing reads like a poet's diary. They are incredibly personal reflections on some heavyweight subject material. What Julien captures are some very tough and emotional topics and convey them in a simple, modest way. Much like her main influences Ben Gibbard and Elliott Smith, and all great writers for that matter, she can say a complex thing in a simple way. She's both very open and very relatable, making for a very personal listening experience, as I'm sure it is for a very personal playing experience. Her songs are accompanied by a very haunting, disparate guitar sound that borders the line between folk and ambient, which is obviously a very unique mesh. I can't say enough good things about her music, so just give it a listen if you haven't already and give her any kind of support where you can. Enjoy.

Sprained Ankle (2015)

1. Blacktop

2. Sprained Ankle

3. Brittle Boned

4. Everybody Does

5. Good News

6. Something

7. Rejoice

8. Vessels

9. Go Home

Audiotree Live (2016)

1. Sprained Ankle

2. Rejoice

3. Something

4. Go Home

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6131 Records

Daisyhead

Daisyhead are a four-piece emo/alternative rock band from Nashville, Tennessee that began in 2012. They worked with Spartan Records up until releasing their debut LP this year, 2015, which is out on No Sleep Records. Their guitars are laden with reverb and distortion, with melodic vocals topping them off. Daisyhead have a lot in common with bands like Basement, since they create tons of catchy songs with some powerful instrumentals backing them. The Jimmy Eat World influence (who they actually cover) is also very evident. Daisyhead are equally heavy as they are melodic, and any fan of the 90's alt. rock resurgence going on with bands associated with Run For Cover, No Sleep, etc. should definitely keep an eye on them. Thanks to Jacob Shumaker for the help with this post. Enjoy.

I Couldn't Face You (2013)

1. Numbing Truth

2. Sun

3. I Couldn't Face You

4. What's Done Is Done

No Sleep till the Holidays 2 (2013)

2. O Holy Night

Can't Live In It (2014)

1. Can't Live In It

Daisyhead/Have Mercy (2014)

1. Daisyhead - Dishonest

2. Daisyhead - Wonder

3. Have Mercy - Pete Rose and Babe Ruth

4. Have Mercy - Pawn Takes Rook

A Comp For Mom (2014)

2. Work (originally by Jimmy Eat World)

Note: Support the comp here

No Sleep 'Till Christmas 6 (2014)

2. Silent Night

The Smallest Light (2015)

1. Defenselessness

2. Lacking Basis

3. Neck

4. Lead

5. The Halt

6. The Smallest Light

7. Lost Her

8. Take

9. East Bend

10. Inanity

11. I Didn't Deserve This

In Case You Missed It (2017)

1. Hold The Door

2. In Case You Missed It

3. Bodies

4. Ready For The World

5. Never Know

6. TV Song

7. Our Last Exchange

8. Common Ground

9. Don't Feel Bad

10. Dark Circus

11. Opryland Lights

I've Been Better (2018)

1. Cool Kids Table

2. Making Me Feel Safe

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Free Throw

Free Throw are a five-piece emo/indie/punk band from Nashville, Tennessee that formed in 2012. These guys dropped their debut full-length album this year on Count Your Lucky Stars, and it is absolutely phenomenal. They can easily be compared to the plethora of modern twinkly/emo revival bands that seem to multiply by the daily. So when a band like Free Throw comes along, who fit into that niche, but simultaneously stand out so much in it, you know you're in for something good. They make masterful use of their vocals, which are often harmonised. They are also often very harsh, which is more akin to bands like Old Gray and Tiny Moving Parts, which is a nice contrast to their Snowing-esque instrumentation. They write insanely catchy songs, which sound very distinct from each other, and occasionally incorporate elements that lean on the border of sounding pop punk. If you're looking for new emo bands that aren't You Blew It! and friends, Free Throw are the exact band you need to be listening to.

Free Throw (2012)

1. A Wild Pidgey Appeared

2. Lvl. 2 Pidgey In A Masterball

3. My High

4. My Low

5. An Hour Pissed

6. Gersberms!

Lavender Town (2013)

1. Slam With The Best Or Jam With The Rest

2. Now Kith

3. Lavender Town

4. Pennsylvania Dutch

Free Throw/Grandview (2013)

1. Free Throw - Pallet Town

2. Grandview - Concrete

Those Days Are Gone (2014)

1. Such Luck

2. Two Beers In

3. Good Job, Champ

4. Tongue Tied

5. Pallet Town

6. An Hour Pissed

7. Kim Tastie

8. How I Got My Shrunken Head

9. Let's Get Invisible

10. What Day Is It, October?

11. Hey Ken, Someone Methodically Mushed The Donuts

Bear Your Mind (2017)

1. Open Window

2. Rinse. Repeat.

3. Randy, I Am The Liquor

4. Weight On My Chest

5. Hope Spot

6. Weak Tables

7. Andy And I, Uh...

8. Cal Ripken Jr. Johnson

9. Dead Reckoning

10. Better Have Burn Heal

11. Victory Road

What's Past Is Prologue (2019)

1. Smokes, Let's Go

2. Tail Whip, Struggle

3. The Corner's Dilemma

4. You Don't Say That

5. Stay Out Of The Basement

6. Anaconda Vice

7. Today Is Especially Delicious

8. The Fix Is In

9. Perfect Driftwood

10. Monte Luna

11. Cerulean City

12. What's Past Is Prologue

Piecing It Together (2021)

1. Cloud Sick

2. Worry Seed

3. The Grass Isn't Greener

4. Down & Out

5. Ocular Pat Down

6. Second Wind

7. Force Of Will

8. Dormancy

9. Trust Fall

10. Ghost In The Routine

11. Equilibrium

12. Dawn Of A New Day

Lessons That We Swear To Keep (2023)

1. A Part Is Better Than Zero

2. Spacer's Choice

3. Replacing Leene's Bell

4. The Museum Of Orphaned Concepts

5. So Yeah, So

6. Thanks For Asking

7. Into The Wind Stream

8. Joy Ephemeral

9. Cinnabar Island

10. Tips For Safe Travels

11. What Comes Around Is All Around

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