Caracara

Caracara are a four-piece indie/alternative band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that have been around since at least 2017. Their debut LP came out that same year, and was produced by Jake Ewald of Modern Baseball and Slaughter Beach, Dog. It was recently followed up with a new single, Better, which is one of the most powerful songs I think I've heard all year (with two other incredible tracks to boot). The latter was produced by Will Yip. Not only do they have a penchant for good producers, but a particular soft spot for sad songs. That's really the best descriptor for them, as their sound is quite hard to pin down, with an array of influences and each song offering up new ideas and textures. What remains consistent though is the incredibly strong songwriting, gorgeous instrumental arrays, and gripping lyrical content. To provide you with a very vague and not super-accurate comparison, fans of bands like Pianos Become The Teeth, mewithoutYou, Foxing, and Slaughter Beach, Dog will probably dig them. Also, if a mix of indie rock, post-hardcore, shoegaze, and emo influences sound appealing, absolutely check this out. Enjoy.

Summer Megalith (2017)

1. Evil

2. Glacier

3. Pontchartrain

4. Burn Me I'm Made of Matches

5. Revelatory

6. Prenzlauerberg

7. Interlude

8. Oh Brother

9. Apotheosis

10. Another Night

11. Crystalline

12. Vulpecula

Better (2019)

1. Better

2. New Chemical Hades

3. Learn Your Love

Bandcamp

Facebook

Twitter

Frail

Frail were a five-piece straight edge hardcore/emo band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that were around from 1993 to 1996. They released three EP's and a split in their time, all of which were compiled in 2000 on Make Your Own Noise. Severely underrated but incredibly influential (on Saetia, to name one), Frail made a name for themselves as an "emocore" band in the truest sense. They took the metallic hardcore aggression of bands like Unbroken and infused it with the passionate screams and dissonant/melodic blend of bands like Portraits Of Past. Their limited output resulted in a virtually-perfect discography, which is an absolute must-listen for fans of screamo in its early stages. Members of Frail also later played in Ink & Dagger. Enjoy.

Make Your Own Noise (2000)

1. American As Apple Pie

2. Simply By The Book

3. Firecracker

4. Industry

5. Spoken

6. Brothers And Sisters

7. Obscene Jigsaw Puzzle

8. Static

9. Inquisition

10. Love

11. Ideal

12. Fautless

13. Blister

14. Decade

15. Paradise Lost

16. Revolution

Ethel Meserve

Ethel Meserve were a four-piece post-hardcore/emo band from State College, Pennsylvania that were around from either 1994 to 1998 or 1995 to 1997 (sources differ). They only released one full-length LP, 1997's The Milton Abandonment, along with two 7"'s and a split with the equally-underrated Giants Chair.  They also made a handful of compilation appearances, including the legendary (Don't Forget To) Breathe comp. All their non-LP tracks were compiled in 2000 on Spelling The Names.

Sonically, they took the aggressive, angular dissonance founded in the San Diego scene and blended it with the emerging lighter, more melodic midwestern emo sound (think Boys Life and Knapsack), along with sprawling song structures a la June of 44. Their output is small but sweet, and highly recommended. Enjoy.

The Milton Abandonment (1997)

1. West Decatur

2. Tacoma Narrows

3. Lessons From Pella

4. Windom Earle

5. Ina

6. East Coker

Spelling The Names (2000)

1. Reelies

2. H.A.L.

3. Yadin's Hair

4. Calba's Last

5. Pierman

6. Paladin Taim

7. Waltz Of Gibraltar

8. Belated Blues

9. Tamsen

10. Onward Foster

11. Untitled

reveries - Casting Shade TRACK PREMIERE

Boston's reveries are finally back with the follow-up to their incredible debut full-length released last year. Tomorrow they are one of three amazing bands featured on a three-way split, along with Chalk Hands (from the UK) and Okänt (from Sweden). reveries' contributing track, "Casting Shade" is available here for exclusive streaming until release day tomorrow. They bring furious energy and dynamic versatility to an engaging track of Shizune-inspired emo-tinged screamo, with standout vocals to boot.

The full split is available April 26th via:

Missed Out Records (USA)

Callous Records (UK)

Future Void Records (UK)

Dingleberry Records (GER)

Time As A Color (GER)

Smart & Confused (FRA)
Dischi Decenti (IT)

reveries have a few tour dates coming up with Floral Patterns, leading up to Zegema Beach Records Fest:

May 30 - Portland, OR

May 31 - Eugene, OR

June 1 - Seattle, OR

June 2 - ZBR Fest, Vancouver, BC - more info here

reveries

Bandcamp

Facebook

Shin Guard

Shin Guard are a four-piece hardcore/screamo/emo band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that began in 2017. Their sound has progressed a lot since their inception. Beginning with the Five Songs EP, they play with a heavy influence from other PA natives, including Tigers Jaw and Balance & Composure, with hints of La Dispute in the heavier moments. Their following release, Cerebral, is a honeypot of sounds, melting screamo, emo, spoken word, post-rock, and pop punk sounds into a cohesive tracklist and emotional gut-punch. It takes a lot of sounds and influences you might have heard elsewhere, and blends it all into this one project, with the band's tightness coming through in how seamless and unique they pull it off.

This year's 2020 is their biggest departure to date, bringing in a much heavier sound with predominantly screamed vocals, and these dueling/shredding guitars and metal-esque riffs. There are still remnants of their past work, particularly in the more atmospheric instrumentals and spoken word parts, but they have more or less made the undeniable transition into hardcore territory.It's a cacophony of insanity, but they pull off this full-on direction flawlessly, creating a brutal yet engaging project along the way. I cannot recommend this band enough, since their whole catalog is so eclectic, and falls under virtually every banner this blog has ever featured on here. Enjoy.

Five Songs (2017)

1. Bemis Point

2. Corsages

3. You Turned Everything To Paper

4. Flubline

Cerebral (2018)

1. Forlorn

2. Definitely

3. Cross Country

4. Arizona

5. Recant

6. Carabosse

7. Intact

8. Sequins

2020 (2019)

1. Motorcade

2. Epiphany

3. Soliloquy Of  The Hourglass

4. Kennedy

5. 2007

6. Sure

7. Spears

8. You Will Be Held Accountable For Your Actions

Death of Spring (2019)

1. For Your Health - charlie brown’s gotta be damn near public domain by now

2. For Your Health - keres

3. For Your Health - come in, i've hanged myself!

4. For Your Health - hey did you know that the drummer from saetia was in interpol?

5. For Your Health - enter flesh

6. Shin Guard - Grief Instilled

7. Shin Guard - Both Stricken

8. Shin Guard - Perfect Boy

9. Shin Guard - Apropos Mortality

Bandcamp

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Tumblr

YouTube

Also check out their upcoming dates with For Your Health and Foxtails:

Mint Green

Mint Green are a three-piece indie/pop punk/emo band from Boston, Massachusetts that began in 2015. Thus far they've released two EP's of catchy, sharp songwriting that's slightly reminiscent of Tigers Jaw, with some twinkle-esque lead guitar work. They've got a fantastic energy to them, and really do hammer it home with earworm after earworm. These are the kind of songs you want stuck in your head all summer. Definitely do yourself a favour and check them out. Enjoy.

Growth (2016)

1. Pinky Swear

2. Wildflower

3. Timestamped

4. Curtains

5. Callie

6. u

Take Care (2017)

1. Take Care

Headspace (2018)

1. Holy

2. Foggy

3. Pool Party

4. June 2nd

5. The Siren

6. Take Care

Bandcamp

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Flashlight

Flashlight were a five-piece indie/emo band from Chicago, Illinois that briefly existed between 1996-1997. They put out one LP in that time, Poetry Class '96. What's notable about this band is the inclusion of Victor Villarreal, who is best known as the guitarist of Cap'n Jazz. When they first broke up in 1995, Flashlight was the next band he formed, before moving on to the better-known Ghosts and Vodka and Owls. Amongst the many bands in the Cap'n Jazz family canon, Flashlight tend to be pretty overlooked, though their sole LP is a fairly unique effort. The jangly, bright and energetic guitars of Cap'n Jazz are still hinted at here, but with a strong Slowdive influence with their ethereal vocals and chorus-laden mix. Give 'er a listen. Enjoy.

Poetry Class '96 (1996)

1. The Song Formally Known As Princess

2. Spider

3 Moon Boots

4. (untitled)

5. Syrup

6. Devine Electrifying Induction

7. Pinball

8. Mathias Wick

Downhaul

Downhaul are a four-piece indie/emo band from Richmond, Virginia that began in 2016. After a handful of EP's, they released their debut full-length album today, titled Before You Fall Asleep. Even after a single listen, I am already incredibly impressed. There's a definite influence from bands like The Hotelier or Into It. Over It., with a focus on incredible songwriting,  backed by some impressive musicianship and incredibly clean production. These songs are super catchy, with solid lyrics and an energy still rooted in pop sensibilities. I don't know what to say really, I'm out of practice for this at the moment, haha. It's an awesome record, and one that's going to be getting the multiple listen treatment for the coming future. Definitely recommended. Enjoy.

Little Whim (2016)

1. Fifteen/Eighteen

2. Old Wood

3. Driveway

4. Expire

About Leaving (2017)

1. How Things Worked Out

2. Every Few Weeks

3. (Interlude)

4. Always Talk

Where We Started (2018)

1. Double Time

2. SMAK

3. Park

4. Coming Home

Before You Fall Asleep (2019)

1. Grace Days

2. Lately

3. Wires / Enough

4. Architect

5. Level Set

6. Notched

7. Bedridden

8. Shelf Life

9. Balcony

10. Ring Out

Bandcamp

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Knope

Knope are a four-piece emo/indie band from Fairfax, Virginia that began in 2018. They put out a fantastic EP last year titled No Life., that hits a really cool niche. My first listen through of it gave off some seriously nostalgic vibes and reminded me of classic revival bands like Dikembe mixed with a slightly newer act such as Free Throw. The vocals are in Knope little gruffer than most bands in the genre, which really set them apart from a lot of bands attempting this sound. Not to mention there is some heavy pop punk influence, which give the songs a real driving force. Not to mention the top-notch songwriting, which is really what makes this band so good. The lyrics are detailed and memorable, and tracks like "Ralph Gets His Heart Broken" are guaranteed to get stuck in your head, while "Demo Lovato" takes you on one hell of a ride. Rambling aside, this is a solid EP that I cannot recommend enough. Enjoy.

Ralph Gets His Heart Broken (2018)

1. Ralph Gets His Heart Broken

No Life. (2018)

1. Ralph Gets His Heart Broken

2. Firestarters Club

3. Demo Lovato

4. Dreamcatcher

5. No Life.

Collegetown (2018)

1. Collegetown

A Doggone Split (2019)

1. closure. - Olympic Cryathalon

2. Good Sleepy - Be Alike

3. Knope - I'm Not A Punk

4. Knope - Piledriver!

5. Good Sleepy - Covers

6. closure. - Chill Lofi Beats To Study To

Bandcamp

Facebook

Twitter

Origami Angel

Origami Angel are a two-piece indie/emo/punk band from Washington, D.C. that began in 2017. Since then, they've dropped two bangin' EP's and a recent split with the also-fantastic Commander Salamander. Sonically, they blend the more modern indie leanings of bands like Modern Baseball and The Hotelier with the classic twinkle of American Football. However, their more recent material has started to slightly shift away from the mid-tempo sad jams and into a more energetic, pop punk-esque style of sad jams. Awesome band, check 'em out. Enjoy.

Quiet Hours (2017)

1. Ride Our Bikes To School

2. SpaceX T-Shirt

3. Osmosis

4. Hey There

5. Mark My Words

6. Step

7. Notice

Doing The Most (2018)

1. effective. Power

2. ROM Hack

3. w / u

4. Thanks! I hate it.

5. fin (the long and untold story of how i know it's meant to be)

Holy Split (2019)

1. Origami Angel - Denny's Devito

2. Origami Angel - Origami Bagel

3. Commander Salamander - Kenny

4. Commander Salamander - Wassup My Good Man

Gen 3 (2019)

1. Ruby

2. Sapphire

3. Emerald

4. XD Gale of Darkness

Somewhere City (2019)

1. Welcome to...

2. 24 Hr Drive-Thru

3. 666 Flags

4. Doctor Whomst

5. Say Less

6. Escape Rope

7. The Title Track

8. Skeleton Key

9. Find Your Throne

10. The Air Up Here

Bandcamp

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Harriet The Spy

Harriet The Spy were a four-piece post-hardcore/emo band from Kent, Ohio that began in 1993 and broke up in 1998. Sonically, they played with very loud, sharp, and angular guitars that jut out in every direction, while an energetic rhythm section keeps these songs pummeling along. The vocals range from screamed to spoken, and always tend to be lower in the mix, which hits a very minor lo-fi appeal.  There's a definite influence from early Gravity bands such as Antioch Arrow and Heroin, in addition to the progressive hardcore rhythms of Universal Order of Armageddon, plus a touch of Sonic Youth and Big Black. They released a good chunk of material in their few years together, the most essential of which being their sole LP, Unfuckwithable, as well as Anthology of Selected Recordings, which includes most of their recorded material. Enjoy.

God Gave Us Music And The Courage To Sing (1994)

1. Retardo Y Retardo

2. I Hate America (But I Think I'll Stay)

3. Fucking Me Fucking You

4. Bloody Nose Please

5. Sneaking Peeks At The Will

6. The Jealous Wrath of Baby Jesus

7. Fluffed Up On Puff Balls

8. The Invasion Of The Rats

Harriet The Spy/Grain (1994)

1. Harriet The Spy - Credit Slips

2. Harriet The Spy - Sleeping Through The Money Shot

3. Grain - Nibble

4. Grain - Breathe

Thumbnail/Harriet The Spy (1996)

1. Thumbnail - Ambient Experiment 001

2. Thumbnail - Six Figures

3. Thumbnail - Letter To The Editor - That Gets Opened

4. Thumbnail - Discourse

5. Harriet The Spy - All The Strings

6. Harriet The Spy - Cold Cock A Dick

7. Harriet The Spy - Retarding Dimensionally

8. Harriet The Spy - Ninja Malfunction

9. Harriet The Spy - Enamel Fight

10. Harriet The Spy - We Don't Need The Glamorous Life

Three Studies For A Crucifixion/Harriet The Spy (1997)

1. Three Studies For A Crucifixion - No Refund Policy

2. Three Studies For A Crucifixion - Operation: Dandelion & Certificate Of Marathoid Behavior

3. Harriet The Spy - This Music Festival Sucks

4. Harriet The Spy - Bucky Beaver

Unfuckwithable (1997)

1. The Forgettable Fire

2. Untitled

3. Girls In Bikinis

4. Octohelpme

5. Paint My Atoms

6. Androidgeny

7. When The Shit Hits The Commodore 64

8. Cum Stomache

9. When We Saw Our Names Up In Lights...

Anthology Of Selected Recordings (1998)

1. Retardo Y Retardo

2. I Hate America (But I Think I'll Stay)

3. Fucking Me Fucking You

4. Bloody Nose Please

5. Sneaking Peeks At The Will

6. The Jealous Wrath of Baby Jesus

7. Fluffed Up On Puff Balls

8. Invasion Of The Cats

9. All The Strings

10. Cold Cock A Dick

11. Retarding Dimentionally

12. Untitled

13. Ninja Malfunction

14. Enamel Fight

15. We Don't Need The Glamorous Life

16. This Music Festival Sucks

17. Bucky Beaver

18. Laminant

19. Shitfire

20. Tenadic

21. Circle-A Indication

22. We Have the Codes We Can Tear Off Arms

23. $10,000

24. Exacto Life

25. Retarding Dimentionally

26. Enemal Life

27. Telescope

28. AE

29. Lights, Vomit, Sound, Action

30. Cum Stomache

31. Nopi

32. Excuse Me, Your Legs Are On Fire

33. Credit Slips

34. Sleeping Through The Money Shot

Harriet The Spy/Fat Day (1998)

1. Harriet The Spy - When Will Gentlemen Rule The World

2. Harriet The Spy - How We Got On Kill Rock Stars

3. Fat Day - Hip Hop!

4. Fat Day - Mod Rot!

5. Fat Day - Breakfast With Susan Graver!

6. Fat Day - Luh!

7. Fat Day - Quintland!

Synthetic Synthesis (1998)

1. Synthetic Synthesis

2. So Called Reality

Live 1998 (1998)

1. Harriet The Spy - The Forgettable Fire

2. Harriet The Spy - When Will Gentlemen Rule The World

3. The Party Of Helicopters - Reduced To Rubble

4. The Party Of Helicopters - Death Beckons With A Heavy Hammer

Microwave

Alright, here we go, finally getting around to the highly-requested Microwave. These guys are a four-piece indie/alternative/emo band from Atlanta, Georgia that got started in 2012. Thus far they've released two full-lengths and a handful of EP's. Sonically, they're reminiscent of bands like Manchester Orchestra, Taking Back Sunday, Motion City Soundtrack, Have Mercy, Balance & Composure, and Sainthood Reps, or something like that. Full disclosure I have not listened to them much, but give have to give them kudos for the variety in their songs. Even with casual listening of a few, they don't seem to fall into any formulaic traps, and every track offers something fresh. So yeah, they've been requested to death and I finally managed to pull together their entire discography, so please do enjoy.

Nowhere Feels Like Home (2013)

1. Never Again

2. Kansas

3. Filthy

4. Bright

5. The Devil And I

6. I-70

Swine Driver (2013)

1. Swine Driver

When The Fever Breaks (2013)

1. Labor Day

2. Grass Stains

3. The Fever

Stovall (2014)

1. Stovall

2. Grass Stains

3. Labor Day

4. Something Right

5. Mansion In The Sky

6. Trash Stains

7. Work It Out

8. Tar

9. The Last

10. The Fever

Head North/Microwave (2015)

1. Head North - The Bells

2. Head North - Redwood

3. Head North - Willow Tree

4. Microwave - Thinking of you,

5. Microwave - but not often,

6. Microwave - Something Right (Daytrotter Session)

Much Love (2016)

1. Roaches

2. Lighterless

3. Dull

4. Neighbors

5. Busy

6. Drown

7. Vomit

8. Whimper

9. Homebody

10. Wrong

keeping up (2018)

1. Georgia On My Mind

2. keeping up

Death Is A Warm Blanket (2019)

1. Leather Daddy

2. Float To The Top

3. DIAWB

4. The Brakeman Has Resigned

5. Hate TKO

6. Pull

7. Love's Will Tear Us Apart

8. Mirrors

9. Carry

10. Part Of It

Bandcamp

Facebook

Twitter