Kerosene Heights

Kerosene Heights are a four-piece emo/punk band from Asheville, North Carolina that formed in 2021. Their debut full-length dropped last year, which I didn't get around to checking out until now, which is unfortunate because this is right up my alley. They take influence from the punchier bands that came out of the emo revival thing such as Glocca Morra, Snowing, CSTVT, Joyce Manor, Title Fight, etc. They craft these raw, vulnerable songs that are meant to be shouted along to, brimming with energy and catchy melodies. A solid four-track EP was dropped last month, but if you're looking to check out one project, I recommend it be Southeast Of Somewhere, because that is a straight-up collection of bangers. Enjoy.

No More Bad Dreams (2022)

1. In Ur Blud

2. Something Abt U

3. Tired Of Me

4. Built To Chill

5. Pillcrusher

Flint Spark Fire & Ashes (2022)

1. Drunk Uncle - Achilles

2. Drunk Uncle - Stave

3. Kerosene Heights - Van Of Leaves

4. Kerosene Heights - Manatee Shirt

5. Rose Ceremony - Final Rose

6. Rose Ceremony - Take A Moment

7. Thorn Tire - Expel

8. Thorn Tire - Poser

Southeast Of Somewhere (2023)

1. Salty Eyes

2. Same Shade Of Red

3. Last Time

4. Otis

5. Growing Up

6. Kathryn

7. Mission Valley Shopping Center

8. Perfect Timing

9. Going Away

10. In Suspension

11. Next To Nothing

Leaving (2024)

1. Michigan Again

2. Dennis #3

3. Such Great

4. Night Walk Ultra

Sisters, Not Twins (2024)

1. Swiss Army Wife - Idaho

2. Swiss Army Wife - Mosquito

3. Kerosene Heights - All Your Friends

4 Kerosene Heights - Salvador Dolly Parton

Blame It On The Weather (2025)

1. Sunsetting

2. Forget It

3. Inside Baseball

4. Diego All In

5. Waste My Time

6. New Tattoo

7. Things Like Forever

8. Sink

9. Die Trying

10. Ghosts

11. Love Spelled Backwards Is Love

12. Blame It On The Weather

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Barrow

Barrow were a four-piece post-hardcore/screamo/post-rock band from Greensboro, North Carolina that formed in 2009 and ended in 2015, with a final reunion show taking place in 2017. They released two full-lengths, a split, and demo in that time. This band's sound is pretty hard to pin down, as it was incredibly dynamic, layered, and above all, cathartic. As a rudimentary description, they blended the heavy, rhythmtic lurching of post-hardcore acts with the chaosa and impassioned vocals of screamo, all between intermittent breaks of lush, reverb and delay-heavy guitars and melodic singing borrowed from post-rock. It's a sound that could appeal to a wide spectrum of fans of bands as varied as Apart, Caravels, or Moving Mountains. Barrow also made incredible use of their two vocalists, who played off and with each other so naturally, making everything sung or screamed absolutely magnified. This band was incredible, and worth finally getting around to share on here. If you're new to this band, my suggested starting point would be Being Without. Members now play in Rotting In Dirt, who are absolutely worth checking out too. Enjoy.

Demo (2010)

1. Monochromatic

2. Sundown

Being Without (2011)

1. Where I Was

2. Monochromatic

3. Stretching Arms, Shaking Hands

4. In Blight And Boast

5. The Undertow

6. An Absent Crown, My Diadem

7. Sundown

8. Ashen, Pallid

Though I'm Alone (2013)

1. Fox Ears And Silence

2. A Dead Hum, Echoed

3. Wither

4. Old Time

5. Fed (Choking, Retching)

6. Clawhold

7. Dogwood

8. You Can Probably Find It In Norfolk

9. God's In His Heaven - All Is Well

The Office Sessions (2014)

1. Barrow - Resembool

2. Oddczar - Purple Hearts

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Iselia

Iselia are a six-piece post-hardcore/screamo band from North Carolina that began in 2010. I think their line-up has been whittled down to a four-piece since then, but can't be 100% sure. What I can be sure of is this band should have been peak "Sophie" circa 2012-2014, and one of many, many bands I look back on and can't believe I missed out on a post then. Admittedly, what is perhaps their magnum opus Life From Dead Limbs I have not revisited in years, but going back it's still hard-hitting and bittersweet to reminiscence in the burgeoning of bands such as Iselia, State Faults, I Create, Maths, and Calculator that blurred the lines between post-hardcore, emo, and post-rock to bring "screamo" into the 2010s. I highly recommend all their material, as I think they've become a little underrated as the years have dragged on, but the aforementioned Life From Dead Limbs is an absolute must.

These were on constant repeat back then, so I figured there was no better band to introduce what I have arbitrarily dubbed "screamo month" on Sophie's Floorboard, where I catch up on a bunch of bands that should have already been here. Read into that with a grain of salt, as it's just what I conjured up realizing I've got about 4-5 bands coming this month that should have been day one additions, as well as our ceremonial Feb 14th dour session. Enjoy.

Adaptations (2010)

1. Restless

2. At Day's Close

3. These Roots, These Branches

Life From Dead Limbs (2011)

1. First Seed

2. Last Leaf

3. These Roots, These Branches

4. Dead Limbs

5. Assurance, Uphold

6. Homeland

7. Restless

8. At Day's Close

9. Great Kharlan

10. Roadside

11. Restless Acoustic

Foxes/Iselia (2012)
1. Foxes - Crawl

2. Foxes - Hollow Nest

3. Foxes - Withered Eyes Through A Fractured Pane

4. Iselia - Revenant

5. Iselia - Collective

6. Standstill

II: Dawn (2014)

1. World In Discord

2. Troubled Hearts

3. Footfalls

4. Light and Darkness

5. Truth Behind The Mask

6. Dark Premonition

7. Reawakened Memories

8. Eternal Bond

Lost Star (2015)

1. First Strike

2. Brave Vesperia

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It Looks Sad.

It Looks Sad. are a two-piece (formerly a 3 and 4 piece) indie rock band from Charlotte, North Carolina that formed in 2012. Originally called It Looks Sad, That's Why I Said It's You, they shortened their name in 2013. Thus far they've put out two EPs, both with Tiny Engines, and a recent track from their upcoming debut full-length. It Looks Sad. take influence from bands like Modern Baseball and Beach Fossils, featuring melancholic, shouted vocals, spindly arpeggios, and reverb-washed chords that fill a room. Their second EP, Kaiju is a two-track masterpiece, which has garnered them quite a bit of attention. Following that they put out a compilation aptly titled Lost Songs, which showed the band moving in a washed out, lo-fi electronic, whisper-thin vocal direction. The recently released track from their debut, "Light" suggests that this is officially the band's new sound. It's still definitely sad, and an LP I'm curiously looking forward to. Enjoy.

Seasons (2014)

1. Seasons

It Looks Sad. (2014)

1. Radical

2. Fingers

3. Raccoon

4. Ocean

Kaiju (2015)

1. Creature

2. Nagoya

Lost Songs (2017)

1. Crush

2. Meteor

3. Jack Freeman

4. leaf/crazy2

Light (2018)

1. Light

Sky Lake (2018)

1. Shave

2. Bike

3. Sisters

4. Light

5. Faded

6. Seaweed

7. Drool

8. Graves

9. Everyday

10. Palme

11. Fantasy

12. Pig

13. Moria

14. Visor

15. Stranger

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Tiny Engines

Elvis Depressedly

Elvis Depressedly are a two-piece lo-fi/indie rock band from Asheville, North Carolina that formed in 2011. Initially formed by vocalist/guitarist Mathew Lee Cothran (also of Coma Cinema), the project now includes drummer/keyboardist Delaney Mills. As their name suggests, they aren't the sunniest of soundtracks. With a decidedly lo-fi recording aesthetic, their drone-y, atmospheric sound ultimately clouds what are, at their core, indie pop songs. They're rounded off by some lonely chords, light percussion and despondent vocals, which all contribute to creating their distinct landscape.

The band's earliest material was self-released. Following the EP Holo Pleasures released on Birdtapes, they signed to Run For Cover Records and released New Alhambra. This was followed by a RFC re-release of Holo Pleasures, which also included a previously recorded/unreleased EP California Dreamin'. Elvis Depressedly has, without a doubt, been one of the most highly requested bands I have yet to post. Thus, they were an easy pick for one of the last bands to cover before 2018 hits. Enjoy.

save the planet kill yourself (2011)

1. bummer dreams

2. boy satan

3. save the planet kill yourself

4. turn blue

5. life sentence

goner (2011)

1. jesus rots inside his grave

2. mickey yr a fuck up

3. kill me, mickey

4. die in the summertime (r.j.e)

disgraceland (2011)

1. cry babies

2. crazier with you

3. i'm never going to understand

mickey's dead (2012)

1. daughter of a cop

2. prison line (so lovely)

3. my lai (amy's version)

4. waves of bad intention

5. exhaustion prevails

6. a bible in a bath of bleach

7. mickey's dead

8. warm wolves (milking mary)

9. u angel u

10. road side memorial (repeat)

hotter sadness (2012)

1. mcdade

2. hotter sadness

3. bodil

4. madison acid

5. visiting angels

6. i bought a gun

7. hurt everything

8. i can't wait for you to die

holo pleasures (2013)

1. okay

2. pepsi/coke suicide

3. inside you

4. teeth

5. weird honey

6. thinning out

new alhambra (2015)

1. thou shall not murder

2. n.m.s.s.

3. new alhambra

4. bruises (amethyst)

5. rock n' roll

6. big break

7. ease

8. new heaven, new earth

9. wastes of time

california dreamin' (2016)

1. angel cum clean

2. slip

3. cop poet

4. holo pleasures (california dreamin')

5. nakamura

6. up in the air

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Sinai Vessel

Sinai Vessel are an indie/emo band from North Carolina that got started in 2009 as a solo project, but soon expanded into the three-piece they are today. Despite being their many years together, their activity has been pretty sporadic. In fact, their second full-length just came out earlier this year on Tiny Engines. Without a doubt this is one of the highlight "emo" albums of the year (if you could call it that). The band takes a very mature approach to songwriting, with some hard-hitting, vulnerable lyrics, a heavy use of dynamics, and strong melodies. It's tough to draw comparisons to other bands, although I'd be willing to be Pedro The Lion is a big influence on these guys. I can't recommend Brokenlegged enough. Enjoy.

Labor Pains (2011)

1. Venture

2. Wisteria

3. Heels Of Lions

4. Untitled

5. Vows

6. Yet Lovely

7. The Submariner

8. Parturition

Portion Of The Whole [Demo] (2011)

1. Portion Of The Whole [Demo]

Profanity (2013)

1. Cats

2. Greatham

3. Cuckold

4. Drown Around

5. Flannery

6. Index On The Oval

CYLS Split Series #4 - Dowsing/The Cardboard Swords/Long Knives/Sinai Vessel (2015)

1. Dowsing - Cutoff (Blades, Blades, Blades, & Even More Blades)

2. The Cardboard Swords - How I Met Your Dragon Mother

3. Long Knives - Thaw

4. Sinai Vessels - I Quit The Choir

Brokenlegged (2017)

1. Looseleaf

2. Ramekin

3. Laughlin

4. Down With The Hull

5. Dogs

6. Birthblood

7. Died On My Birthday

8. Cork Of Worry

Ground Aswim (2020)

1. Where Did You Go?

2. Shameplant

3. A Must While So Near

4. Fragile

5. George

6. Birdseye

7. Guest In Your Life

8. Ringing

9. All Days Just End

10. Tunneling

11. Antechamber

I Sing (2024)

1. Doesn't Matter

2. I Sing

3. How

4. Challenger

5. Birthday

6. Laughing

7. Country Mile

8. $2 Million

9. Dollar

10. Window Blue

11. Best Witness

12. Attack

13. Younger Brother

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Torch Runner

Torch Runner are a three-piece hardcore band from Greensboro, North Carolina that formed in 2007. Like many of their peers on Southern Lord Records, Torch Runner leave little room to breathe or recover in their brutal sonic assault. They take slight influence from grindcore in creating some intense and relentless hardcore that takes off and ends in an instant. These songs are sludgy, dark, and only pierced through by the throat-shredding vocals. Torch Runner are definitely for fans of heavy, aggressive hardcore like Pig Destroyer, Dead In The Dirt, Nails, etc. Enjoy.

Colony (2009)

1. Jahiliyyah

2. Heretic

3. 616

4. Blind & Listless

5. Colony

6. Breathless

Locust Swarm (2010)

1, Empire Treason

2. Dead Eyed

3. March of Giants

4. Holy River

5. Total War Torn

6. Locust Swarm

7. Roads

8. Looming Ends

9. Discarded

Torch Runner/Young And In The Way (2011)

1. Torch Runner - No Friend Of Mine

2. Torch Runner - Pulpit Plague

3. Young And In The Way - Rehash, Provenance, Death

Committed To The Ground (2012)

1. Current

2. Incendiary

3. Feeding

4. Canon Cast

5. Clocked In

6. Committed To The Ground

7. Rede

8. Harrow

9. The Holy Are The Broken

10. Tolled

11. Pulpit Plague

12. Vestige

Endless Nothing (2014)

1. Attrition

2. Bound By Misery

3. Congregation

4. Circuition

5. Godlust

6. Rebirth

7. Calloused Mind

8. Circle Of Shit

9. Worldless

10. Endless Nothing

11. A.L.E.L.

12. All We Have

13. Unspoken

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Young And In The Way

Do you ever listen to a band and physically feel the music being played? If having your body feel thrashed about is your thing, Young And In The Way are the band to check out. Whether it's a slow, grinding, teeth-clenching pace, or dark, abrasive, gut-punching assaults, these guys know how to knock you the fuck out with a dead, cold blow.  Young And In The Way are a four-piece band heralding from Charlotte, North Carolina, though they sound like they were raised in a freezing, lifeless Scandinavian forest. They are often described as mixing crust punk and black metal, both of which are very evident, though can ultimately be called a hardcore band. They have been active since 2009, and have put out a slew of releases since then. They've worked with A839 among others, and are releasing their second full-length on Deathwish this year. Also, I'm missing their split with Moral Void, so if anyone has that, please send it to me.These guys are a great young band who have a lot going for them, so definitely get into this. Enjoy.

Newborn (2009)

1. Still Not Flush

2. Life Has No Buttons

3. Spare The Albatross

4. Vincent Van Gone

5. Newborn

6. Hearts Dried In The Sand

Amen (2010)

1. Hell Is Other People

2. Dark Seed

3. Earth

4. Worrier

5. Eye Of Providence

6. White Light

7. The Becoming

Cloven Hoof (2010)

1. Eyes Shut

2. Devils Deeds

3. Rotten Soil

4. Bothernation

5. Ignite

6. Heavens Drought

I Am Not What I Am (2011)

1. That is Not Dead Which Can Eternal Lie

2. And We Have Killed Him

3. Leaving Nothing but the Absence of Everything

4. If Only That so Many Dead Lie Round

5. Death is Eager to Hold You

6. They Should Greet Me with Howls of Execration

7. With Strange Aeons Even Death May Die

8. I Am Not What I Am

9. Love and Terror Laid the Stone

10. The Chaotic and Bloody World Around Us

11. Ascending the White Mountain

Torch Runner/Young And In The Way (2011)

1. Torch Runner - No Friend Of Mine

2. Torch Runner - Pulpit Plague

3. Young And In The Way - Rehash, Provenance, Death

V. Eternal Depression (2011)

1. Descending The White Mountain

2. Times Are Cold

3. The Great Blue Norther

4. Oceans of Eternal Depression

5. The Gathering

Young And In The Way/Withdrawal (2013)

1. Young And In The Way - Psychopathy

2. Young And In The Way - Vaticide

3. Withdrawal - Of Soul And Sacrifice

4. Withdrawal - Guardian Angel

5. Withdrawal - Human Garbage Existence Disease

When Life Comes To Death (2014)

1. Betrayed By Light

2. Fuck This Life

3. Be My Blood

4. Self Inflicted

5. Loved And Unwanted

6. We Are Nothing

7. Final Dose

8. Weep In My Dust

9. Take My Hand

10. Shadow Of Murder

11. Embrace Extinction

Gatecreeper/Young And In The Way (2016)

1. Gatecreeper - All Your Sins

2. Young And In The Way - Solitude

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