Vs Self

Vs Self are a three-piece screamo/emo band from Apple Valley, California that formed in 2018. I know I'm late to the game with this band, since they've garnered a pretty strong following within the past few years. Their skeletal approach of drums, one guitar, and two vocals really works in their favour, as there's this melancholic, atmospheric spaciousness amidst the instrumental noodling that makes these songs stand out, with lyrics that really cut straight to the point. Their sadly relatably and anthemic, suited for both bedroom and live show scream-alongs. I'm sure most are at least tangentially aware of this band by now, but if not, enjoy.

Demo (2019)

1. Worthless

2. Leave Everything

3. Ti Esrever

4. Wake

Everything Seems Better Now (2020)

1. Homesick

2. Waves

3. Promise

4. Heartache

5. Leave Everything

6. Desert

7. Worthless

8. Yesterday by The Beatles: or Imagine by Yoko Ono as performed by John Lennon

9. Ti Esrever

10. Still

11. Wake

12. Mourn

Despair (2020)

1. Despair

Vs Self/Knumears (2022)

1. Vs Self - Maudlin

2. Vs Self - LJP.HTPaPSTLBM

3. Vs Self - Departures

4. Vs Self - Steep

5. Knumears - Harrison Bergeon Saved My Life

6. Knumears - I Love You Now I Love You Never

7. Knumears - Threehundredsxityfive days in a week

8. Knumears - Stuck At Sea With My Paddles On The Shore

Catalyst/Vs Self/Knumears/Party Hats (2024)

1. Catalyst - Yesterday's Apology

2. Knumears - No Count

3. Vs Self - Tide And Swell

4. Party Hats - Today's For Sale

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Kittyhawk

Kittyhawk are a four-piece emo/indie band from Chicago, Illinois that were initially active from 2011 to 2016 before reuniting in 2019. This is another band that can be filed under "posts I thought I did years ago". Kittyhawk have released one EP, an LP  and a handful of splits. A few years back, they released a compilation which includes all their recorded material (aside from their LP). Speaking of which, it was released by Count Your Lucky Stars, so if you're a fan of those shimmering clean guitar arpeggios, breathy poppy vocals, and dynamic build-ups, this is likely a band you're already familiar with. If not and you like Joie De Vivre, Dowsing, Dikembe, Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate), you're going to love this. I haven't returned to them in a long time and it was a genuine joy to hear this album again. Enjoy.

Kittyhawk EP (2012)

1. The First One

2. Older/Wiser

3. Science Fiction

4. He Travels In A Suit

5. Partial Paradigm

Kittyhawk/Prawn/Droughts/Frameworks (2014)

1. Kittyhawk - Daily Dodger

2. Kittyhawk - Food Fight

3. Prawn - Nerves

4. Prawn - Laki

5. Droughts - Deaf Grin

6. Droughts - Financed Furniture

7. Frameworks - Presomnal

8. Frameworks - Preamble

Hello, Again (2014)

1. Contact

2. The Petravicz Estate

3. Sunny Day Renter's Insurance

4. Vaudeville

5. Jude II

6. Welcome Home

7. Self v. Former Self

8. Hans Christian Andersen

9. Zodiac

10. Seasonal Abjective Disorder

11. Better Homes

12. Better Gardens

13. Tourisme

Sundae Bloody Sundae (2014)

1. The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - Fat Heaven

2. Rozwell Kid - The Weather (Spirit Night)

3. Kittyhawk - Soft Serve

4. Two Knights - Benji's Cool Times Summer Jamz

Mikey's Favorite Songs (2021)

1. The First One

2. Older/Wiser

3. Science Fiction

4. He Travels In A Suit

5. Partial Paradigm

6. Silver Bells

7. The Green

8. The Rot

9. The Red

10. The Daily Dodger

11. Food Fight

12. Soft Serve

13. You Keep Me Hanging On

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Edaline

Edaline were a four-piece emo/post-hardcore band from Santa Rosa, California that were around from 1996 to 1999. They released an EP, an LP, and a live album. Sonically, they incorporate dynamic vocals, cathartic climaxes, octave chords/mathy noodling guitars, prominent bass lines, and surprisingly technical drum work. It is what you'd expect out of a vastly underrated 90's emo band, but the tight musicianship and incorporation of almost jazzy elements and varied instrumentation (acoustic guitars, pianos, saxophones) do make them stand out. I hadn't heard of them until recently and they struck me as noteworthy, so give them a try if you've never heard of 'em. Their debut EP is probably your best bet as a starting point, but it's not like there's a ton of material here to work through. Enjoy.

Old City Scenes (1997)

1. Comastar

2. Elevator

3. This Ride

4. Vintage Postcards

5. Spring

6. Broken Ferris Wheel

I Wrote The Last Chapter For You (1999)

1. Andrea Gail

2. Crisis In Silence

3. Stranded

4. This Fabricated Town

5. Southern Pacific

6. Drain It (The End Result)

7. Crescent Moon Eyes

8. Thinking Of View

Live At The Bottom Of The Hill (1999)

1. Elevator

2. Southern Pacific

3. Andrea Gail

4. Stranded

5. Comastar

6. This Fabricated Town

7. Drain It (The End Result)

8. Broken Ferris Wheel

9. Comastar

10. Elevator

11. Spring

12. Vintage Postcards

13. Broken Ferris Wheel

14. The Fly Song

Note: Tracks 1-8 live songs, 9-14 are the Old City Scenes EP

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Falling Forward

Falling Forward were a five-piece emo/post-hardcore band from Louisville, Kentucky that were active from 1991 to 1995. They put out 3 EPs and one split, all of which were compiled and remastered last year, released as the anthology available below. This band is best known for basically being proto-Elliott, with three of their members going on to form that band when Falling Forward disbanded. There is a bit of a sonic throughline, though this is a lot punchier and scrappier than the more matured, airy sound of their later band. The melodic vocals are choruses are there, but with heavier, more hardcore-leaning guitars and pounding drums. Enjoy.

Let These Days Pass: The Complete Anthology 1991-1995 (2023)

1. Drought

2. Sire

3. Third Cross Salute

4. Character

5. Days On File

6. Lane

7. Intonation

8. Sigh

9. Silhouette

10. Natal

11. Wrap Around Suit

12. The Great Union Divide

13. Christensen Spring

14. Twenty-Nine Sixteen Magazine

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Morning Dew

Morning Dew are a two-piece screamo/emo band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that formed in 2015. They've released two projects of raw, trebly, impassioned, and chaotically melodic skramz with fantastic dual vocals and self-effacing lyrics. If you're a fan of bands such as William Bonney, Innards, and Father Figure, this is for you. Enjoy.

Gulp (2017)

1. Let Me Know You're Alright

2. Tonight

3. Honestly Honesty Hurts

4. Quoting Oceans

5. We Will Meet Again, Lucifier

6. Tangelolo's

7. I Hop On Everything I Splash

8. Subclavian Notch

Pulp (2023)

1. Suture Kit

2. Poinsettia (You Haunt Me)

3. Our Cuts Speak So Loud

4. Like A Frog, I Wish I Could Croak

5. Sin

6. (D.R.E.A.M.) Death Rules Everything Around Me

7. The Geography Of Grief

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