Northstar

 

Northstar were a four-piece emo/pop punk band from Huntsville, Alabama that formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2005. In that time, they evolved quite a bit. While starting off as a melodic hardcore band with chunky, metallic riffs, throughout their run of early demos you can gradually hear the Jawbreaker, Sunny Day Real Estate, Knapsack, and The Get Up Kids influence seep in, right up to the release of their debut LP. Is This Thing Loaded? is a rambunctious effort with driving, distorted guitars, while their sophomore album Pollyanna is a little cleaner, more reserved, and effortlessly catchy in its overlayed vocals, dual guitars, and melodic embrace. Both albums were put via Triple Crown Records before they broke up, with only a compilation release coming posthumously of various demos and acoustic stuff (including a damn good cover of Jawbreaker's "Chesterfield King"). Though contemporaneous with a little of similitude to the likes of Taking Back Sunday, Further Seems Forever, The Early November, and Hot Rod Circuit, Northstar never quite got the recognition they deserved, and if you're into the aforementioned bands, you are going to undoubtedly love this. Enjoy.

Hardcore Demo (1997)

1. Torn Between

2. What Happened?

3. Falling Stars From Your Eyes

4. Still With You

5. Realizing Tonight

6. Hope That Hurts

6 Song Demo (1999)

1. Blindcrush

2. Dying Slowly

3. Rocket City

4. Unraveled (80's Rocker)

5. For Anyone But You

6. Arrows

There's More Where This Came From Demo (2000)

1. There's No Train Hopping In Dixieland

2. Black Heart Valentine

3. My Wishing Well Disease

4. Cinderella

5. Daybreak

Is This Thing Loaded? (2002)

1. Rigged & Ready

2. Is This Thing Loaded?

3. Broken Parachute

4. My Ricochet

5. My Wishing Well Disease

6. Taker Not A Giver

7. Daybreak

8. Train Hopping in Dixieland

9. Cinderella

10. Black Heart Valentine

Pollyanna (2004)

1. For Members Only

2. Pollyanna

3. American Living

4. The Pornographer's Daughter

5. Like A.M. Radio

6. The Accident Underwater

7. Two Zero Two

8. To My Better Angel

9. Between Horns and Halos

10. Digital Me

11. Rocket City

Broken Parachute (2008)

1. Broken Parachute (Alternate Version)

2. My Ricochet (Acoustic)

3. For Members Only (Acoustic)

4. Chesterfield King (Jawbreaker cover)

5. Piano Jam

6. Taker Not a Giver (Demo)

7. Is This Thing Loaded? (Demo)

8. Broken Parachute (Demo)

9. Black Heart Valentine (Piano Version)

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Apple Music

Pennines

 Pennines are a four-piece emo/math rock band from Norwich, England that were initially active from 2006 to 2009, with a reunion occurring in 2023 that's still on-going. They recorded a handful of songs during their initial tenure, though didn't reach a wider audience until years later thanks to the virality of tracks such as "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Lima Oscar Lima!?" and their overall sound only starting to gain traction after their initial tenure. If you're interested in their history, there's a fantastic, in-depth retrospective interview conducted by the band here. Notably, one of their members is Henry Tremain, TTNG's vocalist/guitarist post-Animals. That's actually a good point of reference for what they sound like, as they employ similarly clean, mathy melodic guitars with reposeful vocals. You guys will undoubtedly love this if you've never heard it, so enjoy.

Demo (2008)

1. whiskey tango foxtrot? lima oscar lima!

2. open closed open

Fair D'os (2009)

1. billie jeans

2. collapsing new buildings

3. does not want

TTNG/Pennines (2009)

1. Pennines - Pilot Holes

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple Music

Instagram

Website

State Route 522

State Route 522 were a five-piece post-hardcore/emo band from Seattle, Washington that were active from 1995 to 1997. They released two EP's, a split, and appeared on a handful of compilations during that time, and are notable for being Jake Snider's first band, who later went on to form Sharks Keep Moving and Minus The Bear. Sonically, this scratches a few itches, as they bridge the gap between the tremolo-picked octaves and dynamic angularity of post-hardcore a la Lync or Fugazi with the melodic, noodley arpeggios that would come to define midwest emo, making them also reminiscent of early pioneers like Gauge, Dahlia Seed, and Braid. They've kind of flown under the radar, but this is some really solid stuff that is absolutely worth your time to check out.

This is one of those instances where your best bet is to just get the anthology release (Retrospective), as that contains all their recorded material with better audio quality than the individual releases (which are only useful if you want smaller doses or completionism). Everything below is included on it with the exception of the four tracks on the Forecast compilation. I'm also missing another compilation-exclusive song "Worse For The Wear" and a demo they apparently recorded in 1995, so if anyone has those let me know! Enjoy.

State Route 552 (1995)

1. Find

2. Ten Years

3. Waste Of Skin

4. Hit

State Route 552/Lying On Loot (1996)

1. State Route 552 - Toy Cow

2. Lying On Loot - Skies Of Stars

3. Lying On Loot - Defeatist

Forecast (1996)

9. Standards

10. Sorry

11. Sunday

12. Away Game

Note: Compilation release, State Route 522 tracks only

Samson Is Apollo (1997)

1. I.V.

2. 1910

3. Solid State

4. Avenue Of Giants

All About Friends (1997)

10. Jumpin' Someone Else's Train

Note: Compilation release, State Route 522 track only

Retrospective (2001)

1. I.V.

2. 1910

3. Solid State

4. Avenue Of The Giants

5. Jumping Someone Else's Train (The Cure cover)

6. Toy Cow

7. Find

8. 10 Years

9. Waste Of Skin

10. Unlisted

Beefeater

Beefeater were a four-piece post-hardcore band from Washington, DC that were active between 1984 and 1986. As such, they were a vital part of the "Revolution Summer" movement that saw DC punk bands move into more innovative and melodic territory, with an emphasis on pointedly political and introspective lyricism. As such, it (unintentionally) became the birthplace of "emo" with bands like Rites Of Spring and Embrace. I don't think Beefeater are quite in the same sonic category as them, but this boundary-pushing ideology is certainly shared, as they injected a variety of genre influences from funk, dub, and jazz into the raw attack of a hardcore band heavily inspired by Bad Brains and Minutemen. Their riffs are windingly discordant, their rhythms frenetically off-kilter, and Squip's vocal delivery is as manically dynamic as they come. They released one EP and two albums, with the two LP's both put out by Dischord and later compiled onto one release (along with bonus compilation songs). I say this a lot but it is astounding that I missed putting here until now; they're one of the most under-appreciated and radical bands to come out of the 80's DC scene, and returning to them now after so many years has been joyous to say the least. Enjoy.

Plays For Lovers (1985)

1. Trash Funk

2. Reagonomix

3. Song For Lucky

4. 4 3 2 1

5. Mr. Silverbird

6. Manic D.

7. Mourning

8. Satyagraha

9. A Dog Day

10. Red Carpet

11. Assholes Among Us

12. Beefeater

13. Fred's Song (Slam Dancing)

14. I Miss You

15. Out Of The Woods

Need A Job (1986)

1. In America

2. Need A Job

3. Laurel Grove

4. Apartheid

5. Gov't Worker

6. Better'n Me

House Burning Down (1987)

1. Introlude

2. Just Things

3. Bedlam Rainforest

4. Interlude

5. Move Me Strong

6. Interlude

7. One Soul Down

8. Ain't Got No Time (Kenny's Piece)

9. Interlude

10. Sinking Me

11. Dover Beach (Tomas' Piece)

12. Insurrection Chant

13. 40 Sonnets On Plants (Dug's Piece)

14. With You Always

15. Fredittude (Fred's Piece)

16. Live The Life

Plays For Lovers & House Burning Down (1992)

1. Trash Funk

2. Reagonomix

3. Song For Lucky

4. 4 3 2 1

5. Mr. Silverbird

6. Manic D.

7. Mourning

8. Satyagraha

9. A Dog Day

10. Red Carpet

11. Assholes Among Us

12. Beefeater

13. Fred's Song (Slam Dancing)

14. I Miss You

15. Out Of The Woods

16. Wars In Space

17. Just Things

18. Bedlam Rainforest

19. Move Me Strong

20. One Soul Down

21. Ain't Got No Time

22. Sinking Me

23. Dover Beach

24. Insurrection Chant

25. 40 Sonnets On Plants

26. With You Always

27. Freditude

28. Live The Life

29. Blind Leads Blind

Note: Compilation including both LPs and compilation tracks "Wars In Space" and "Blind Leads Blind"

Dischord Records

Bandcamp

Spotify

Honor Role

Honor Role were a four-piece hardcore/post-punk band from Richmond, Virginia that formed in 1982 and disbanded in 1989. During that time they essentially went through an entire reinvention, beginning as a by-the-numbers fast-paced and scrappy hardcore band, before evidently discovering Joy Division and Bauhaus in 1985, which marked their course-correction to a transfixingly winding and melodic sound that proved influential to emo in a similar way that Moss Icon did, with drivingly dark bass lines, tight-knit drum patterns, and ringing, reverberated guitars wrapped around, with an expressive vocal delivery that's reminiscent of T.S.O.L.'s Jack Grisham. Thought never given quite the credit they deserved, they put out a steady stream of solid albums that pushed the envelope of punk rock's possibilities in the late 80's, with all that recorded material eventually ending up on the 1997 compilation Album. 

Album contains everything from 1985 on, which includes 1985's Judgement Day single, 1986's Purgatory single, the 1986 LP The Pretty Song, 1988's Craig Olive single, and the 1989 LP Rictus (both albums are included on their own as well here). Their early stuff is decent, but it's nothing ground-breaking, so I suggest starting with Album and then try It Bled Like A Stuck Pig or 1982 (which contains the same songs as the Your Skull Is My Bowl split with better quality) if you're interested in hearing their actual origins. Enjoy.

Your Skull Is My Bowl (1983)

1. Graven Image - Child Abuse

2. Graven Image - Fascist State

3. Graven Image - Uncomfortable Environment

4. Graven Image - My World

5. Graven Image - Double Life

6. Graven Image - Trigger Happy

7. Honor Role - Living In The 60's

8. Honor Role - Bowling For Bibles

9. Honor Role - War

10. Honor Role - Southern Lifestyle

11. Honor Role - I'm A Nerd

12. Honor Role - Uptown

13. Honor Role - Infanticide

14. Honor Role - Profit Prophets

15. Honor Role - Cap And Gown

It Bled Like A Stuck Pig (1984)

1. An Hour Behind

2. New Hope

3. Bowling For Bibles

4. Chocolate Milk

5. I'm A Nerd

6. Vance Picked Up Dot Over A Bush By The Tail

7. Early Grave

8. B.D.K.O.

9. Dot Is In Your Car & Boy Does She Smell Bad

The Pretty Song (1986)

1. Throwing Rocks

2. Early Grave

3. My Place

4. Go Places

5. Shuffle

6. Six
7. Anonymous Cave

8. Purgatory

9. Clockwork

10. Observation

11. Present Conditions

12. Care Taker

Rictus (1989)

1. Listening To Sally

2. Absolve

3. Following Footprints

4. Swing It / Interlude

5. Skippy

6. Salty Tears

7. So Anyway

8. Thankless Job

9. Familiar And Plain

10. Break The Ice

Album (1997)

1. Listening To Sally

2. Absolve

3. Following Footprints

4. Skippy

5. Salty Tears

6. So Anyway

7. Thankless Job

8. Familiar And Plain

9. Break The Ice

10. Twist

11. Lives Of The Saints #135 (Naked Wife)

12. Throwing Rocks

13. Early Grave

14. My Place

15. Go Places

16. Shuffle

17. Six

18. Anonymous Cave

19. Purgatory

20. Clockwork

21. Observation

22. Present Conditions

23. Care Taker

24. Jank

25. Judgement Day

26. Anonymous Cave

1982 (2006)

1. Livin' In The 60's

2. Bowling For Bibles

3. War

4. Southern Lifestyle

5. I'm A Nerd

6. Uptown

7. Infanticide

8. Profit Prophets

9. Cap And Gown

Spotify

Apple Music

Bandcamp

2025 in Review...

I didn't think it was going to happen, but I know I'd live to regret not at least attempting the usual wrap-up compilation of all this year's releases. This began as a way to feature every release from the last 12 months to find anything you missed in one convenient place, which was a lot easier for me to keep up with when I was active on here daily and had a fraction of the posts to keep updated. This year I managed to be even less proactive than last year, with a record-low number of new posts, updates, and re-uploads (though I have explained the issue with those). As a result, there's next to nothing to include here as not a single old posts has been updated with new releases until just recently. I'm trying to get to a few of the more popular ones myself, but also don't want to waste time endlessly adding releases that don't have any demand. 

Thus, I figured I'd post this as-is, and if there's any specific releases anyone is looking for, let me know in the comments and I will 100% add those here (assuming they are albums or EP's released by a band with a featured post on here already). Over the next few days I've set time aside to focus on this, so keep checking back for updates.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's always incredible to come back here after being away for so long and still see regular activity. Being away from it just reminds me how much I do continue to enjoy running this, and I'm kicking myself for not doing it more often. But I'm also proud of the archive that's been curated thus far, and (don't hold me to this) would like to do more re-uploads next year to keep the older, more popular posts useful while doing longer-form deep-dive posts on some major bands I love but have yet to feature on here. Or I'll end up doing absolutely nothing on here next year, who knows. Regardless, thank you for continuing to give it your time, and I hope it has continued to be a helpful resource in some way to you. There will be a few new posts before the end of the year and the usual Top 50 list, so keep an eye out for those as well.

ALBUMS

Algernon Cadwallader - Trying Not To Have A Thought
Anxious - Bambi
Arm's Length - There's A Whole World Out There

Boneflower - Reveries

Caroline - Caroline 2

Chat Pile & Hayden Pedigo - In The Earth Again

Charmer - Downpour

Crippling Alcoholism - Camgirl

Deadguy - Near-Death Travel Services

Deafheaven - Lonely People With Power

Drain - ...Is Your Friend

End It - Wrong Side Of Heaven

First Day Back - Forward

For Your Health - This Bitter Garden

Good Luck - Big Dreams, Mister

Greet Death - Die In Love

Have Mercy - The Loneliest Place I've Ever Been

Home Is Where - Hunting Season
Hot Mulligan - The Sound A Body Makes When It's Still

Hundreds Of AU - Life In Parallel

Jivebomb - Ethereal

Kerosene Heights - Blame It On The Weather

key vs locket - i felt like a sketch
La Dispute - No One Was Driving The Car

Lord Snow - Have You Heard Of The High Elves

Michael Cera Palin - We Could Be Brave

Militarie Gun - God Save The Gun
Modern Life Is War - Life On The Moon

Moving Mountains - Pruning Of The Lower Limbs

Nuvolascura - How This All Ends

Pet Symmetry - Big Symmetry

Pool Kids - Easier Said Than Done

PUP - Who Will Look After The Dogs?

Pupil Slicer - Fleshwork

Raein - Forme Sommerse

Saturdays At Your Place - These Things Happen

Scowl - Are We All Angels

Spiritual Cramp - Rude

Stay Inside - Lunger

Still In Love - Recovery Language

Superheaven - Superheaven

The Armed - The Future Is Here And Everything Needs To Be Destroyed

The Dirty Nil - The Lash

The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - Dreams Of Being Dust

Turnstile - Never Enough

EP'S/DEMOS/SPLITS/SINGLES/COMPILATIONS/ETC.

Bright Eyes - Kids Table

Febuary - Run Like A Girl

Full of Hell - Broken Sword, Rotten Shield

Missouri Executive Order 44/Usurp Synapse

Moving Mountains - Cover The Roots / 8105

onewaymirror/Kiowa/I Promised The World - The Snowball Effect

Ostraca - Eventualities

Saetia - Tendrils

Spanish Love Songs - A Brief Intermission In The Flattening Of Time

Spy - Seen Enough

Suffocate For Fuck Sake - To Rest In The Trust, That Creates The World

First Day Back

First Day Back are a five-piece emo/indie band from Santa Cruz, California who released their debut LP earlier this year, Forward. This is the good stuff right here; harkening back to an era of midwest emo dominated by the likes of Cap'n Jazz, Braid, Penfold, Rainer Maria, and The Jazz June without sounding like an exact replica of any of them. First Day Back favour bright, crisp guitar tones that wallow in melancholic chords and arpeggios over gloriously strained vocals, with the occasional use of a harmonica or violin that adds a truly unique dynamic layer to their already-tight and sundry sound. This album offers nine unique tracks that ebb and flow as one of the year's stand-out emo releases, so naturally I highly, highly recommend giving it a listen. Enjoy.

Forward (2025)

1. Sure, Ok

2. Upstairs (212)

3. Moving Out

4. Us

5. Gone On

6. Lines

7. Wait, Do You Hear That?

8. Paint

9. Twelve Mile Train Tracks

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple Music

Instagram

Die, Emperor! Die!

Die, Emperor! Die! were a two-piece emo/screamo band from Houston, Texas that were active from approximately 2002 to 2005. In that time, the duo recorded a handful of songs split across a series of releases, most notably incredible splits with Toru Okada and Burned Out Bright, with their swan-song appearing on The Microwave Says To The Pacemaker compilation alongside the likes of Kodan Armada and La Quiete. The band played very melancholic, lo-fi, screamo with the simple pairing of guitar and drums, with visceral, strained vocals and a twangy, almost twinkly-inflected guitar. It's a sound that seems way more popular now than it was than in its blend of screamo and emo with an almost bedroom-sensibility. Their members went on to play in the likes of Punkin Pie and Treetops. Enjoy.

Demo (2002)

1. Mayday

2. December Stars Could Never Match Your Eyes

3. Another City For A Different Life

4. ...And Night's Trees Stood Up

Toru Okada/Die, Emperor! Die! (2003)

1. Toru Okada - Our Great Cities

2. Die, Emperor! Die! - Dear Friend (Never Give Up)

Die, Emperor! Die!/Burned Out Bright (2003)

1. Die, Emperor! Die! - Six Feet Beneath My Heart

2. Burned Out Bright - Gold Metal For Charlie

Acoustic (2003)

1. Another City For A Different Life

2. Julias Wish

3. Telephone Road

4. Long Gone Lonesome Blues

5. For Want Of (Rites of Spring cover)

6. Mayday

7. Filler (Minor Threat cover)

8. Postscript

9. Goodnight Irene (Lead Belly cover)

Live At Burned Out Bright's Last Show [Oct. 25, 2003] (2003)

1. Intro

2. December Stars

3. Interlude 1

4. Rachel, I'm A Wretched Idealist

5. Interlude 2

6. Filler (Minor Threat cover)

7. Postscript

8. Interlude 3

9. Mayday, Misunderstandings and Promises Not Kept

10. Six Feet Beneath My Heart

11. Goodnight Irene, Goodnight (Lead Belly cover)

The Microwave Says To The Pacemaker (2004)

8. Die, Emperor! Die! - The Way She Disappeared into the Vanishing Rows of Street Lights, Headup, Singing to the Night Sky