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