Sophie's Floorboard: August 2026

Friday, 14 August 2026

Rival Schools

Rival Schools are a four-piece emo/post-hardcore band from New York City, New York that formed in 1999, and have been intermittently active ever since (first disbanding in 2003, then reuniting in 2008 only to disband again in 2013, and finally reforming in 2022). With such an on-and-off history, they've released three albums over two decades. The band includes singer/guitarist Walter Schreifels and drummer Sammy Siegler, both of whom were already well-established major figures in New York hardcore having both been in CIV, Youth Of Today, and Project X together prior while Schreifels is of course best known for Gorilla Biscuits and Quicksand while Siegler was also in Judge, Bold, Shelter, Side by Side. Basically New York hardcore wouldn't be what it is without these two guys. But Rival Schools if fairly removed from their hardcore origins, at least in terms of sound. Carrying on the post-hardcore groundwork laid by Quicksand into far more melodic territory, Rival Schools plays a shimmering, intricate brand of emo influenced by Braid and Texas Is The Reason while still maintaining that sense of heavy, creative energy that they brought to their previous bands. If you're new to Rival Schools United By Fate is kind of like "the" album by them, but their later output shouldn't be overlooked either. Enjoy.

United By Fate (2001)

1. Travel By Telephone

2. Everything Has Its Point

3. High Acetate

4. Undercovers On

5. Good Things

6. Used For Glue

7. World Invitational

8. The Switch

9. Holding Sand

10. My Echo

11. Favorite Star

12. So Down On

13. Hooligans For Life

Pedals (2011)

1. Wring It Out

2. 69 Guns

3. Eyes Wide Open

4. Choose Your Adventure

5. Racing To Red Lights

6. Shot After Shot

7. A Parts For B Actors

8. Big Waves

9. Small Doses

10. The Ghost Is Out There

Found (2013)

1. Dreamlife Avenger

2. Reaching Out

3. Indisposable Heroes

4. Paranoid Detectives

5. On The Fray

6. The Soft Skin

7. Tell It All To Me

8. Missing Glider

9. Big Waves

10. Sofia Loren

11. Why Can't I Touch It

Some (2022)

1. Green Is Good

2. Take One For The Team

3. Where I'm From

4. Contraire

5. Holding Sand (Acoustic)

Note: Most songs originally released in 2001

Spotify

Apple Music

Righteous Jams

Righteous Jams were a straight edge hardcore band from Boston, Massachusetts active from approximately 2003 to 2007. They ripped riff-heavy quick-hits in the vein of Black Flag and Cro-Mags, with positive lyricism and an infectious energy. I don't know how or why it's taken me so long to get this band on here; I haven't heard Rage Of Discipline in years and going back to it now and it holds up impeccably as a solid 13 minutes of lively rhythmic bliss. There's also apparently a four-song demo they released in 2004, so if anyone has that please let me know! Enjoy.

Righteous Jams In 2003 (2003)

1. Righteous Jams

2. Invasion / Scream And Shot

4. Where It's Due

5. Bust It

6. Righteous Dub

Rage Of Discipline (2004)

1. Rage Of Discipline

2. Iron Mind

3. Green Eyes

4. Bust It

5. No Glory

6. Small Fish

7. Invasion

8. Scream And Shout

9. Where It's Due

10. Righteous Jams

Business As Usual (2006)

1. Thought Vacation

2. More Is More

3. Instinct And Music

4. 23

5. Nothing Happens

6. Business As Usual

7. Lizards

8. You Have Issues

9. Adams St.

10. The Price Of Redemption

Spotify
Apple Music

Rampage

Rampage were a five-piece hardcore band from Rhode Island, New York that were around between 2004 and 2007 (approximately). They released one EP and one LP in that time of Cro-Mags and Floorpunch-inspired hardcore with a thrash metal edge (especially in the reverb-laden production of Limit Of Destruction, which sounds absolutely ferocious). Members of Rampage also played in Think I Care, Mind Eraser, Cruel Hand, The Rival Mob, and Rained In, which should give you all the indication needed that this is worth your time. Enjoy.

Heads In A Vice! (2004)

1. Cave Bear

2. Make It Right

3. Heads In A Vice!

4. Lean And Mean

5. Buzzkill

6. Get Fuckin' Serious

Limit Of Destruction (2007)

1. Best Enemy

2. Ox Must Plow

3. Goin Ape

4. Unprepared

5. Physical Therapy

6. Geekin Out

7. L.O.D.

8. Homeless

9. Smart Too Slow

10. Lesser Men Would Crumble

11. Bitch Pleaza

Rain

Rain were a three-piece (later four-piece) punk/emo band from Washington, DC that formed in 1986 and dissolved in 1987. They shared members with The Untouchables, Youth Brigade, Gray Matter, Soulside/Lunchmeat - in other words, they were a DC band at the tail end of "Revolution Summer", a time marked by a major shift in the DC hardcore scene towards socially conscious activism and sonically experimental music. It's now best known as the birthplace of "emo" though it is a term vocally rejected by some of its participants) with bands like Rites Of Spring and Embrace infusing personal, poetic lyricism into a more dynamic and melodic version of hardcore's raw, energetic bite. If you're at all familiar with the bands coming out of this era, there's no doubt you're going to love Rain's punchy basslines, angular octave-shredded guitars, and desperate vocal delivery. Between two studio sessions (one as a three-piece, one as a four-piece), Rain's recorded material was all eventually released as La Vache Qui Rit in 1990 as a co-release between Dischord and Peterbilt Records. Enjoy.