Sunami

Sunami are a five-piece hardcore band from San Jose, California that formed in 2019. In a very short span of time, they've become one of the forerunners of modern hardcore (specifically beatdown with elements of d-beat), establishing a name for themselves through some wild, mosh-frenzied shows. Sonically, they do genuinely hit hard as fuck with their call-to-arms breakdowns, but deliver them with a sly wink, acknowledging the insanity of their over-the-top exuberance. Not much else to say, check out live sets by these guys, they're putting on some of the most insane shows in hardcore right now. Thus far, they've released a demo, EP, and a split with the incredible Gulch (RIP). They've got an LP coming at some point via Triple B, so get ready for that too. Enjoy.

Demonstration (2019)

1. Sunami Style

2. Weak Die First

3. Contempt Of Cop

Sunami (2020)

1. Gate Crasher

2. Mind Your Business

3. Y.A.B.

4. Feds Within

Sunami/Gulch (2021)

1. Sunami - Step Up

2. Sunami - Die Slow

3. Gulch - Bolt Swallower

4. Gulch - Accelerator

Promo (2022)

1. Six

2. I Don't Care

3. Fake Blood

Sunami (2023)

1. Y.S.A.B.

2. Dirty Work

3. 10 Toes Down

4. No Heart

5. Six

6. Think About It

7. Contempt Of Cop

8. Defraud

Coast To Coast (2025)

1. Pain of Truth - Shattered Past

2. Pain of Truth - The Enemy

3. Sunami - Doubt

4. Sunami - Fence Walker

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple Music

Twitter

Instagram

Korea Girl

Korea Girl were a four-piece indie pop/emo band from San Jose, California that formed in 1996 and broke up in 1999. In that time, they released one 7" and one album, both of which were put out by Asian Man Records. Though they didn't last long, they did leave this fantastic and incredibly underrated LP behind. These songs are distinct and varied, ranging from melancholic slow burns to catchy choruses to dissonant alt. rock. They play with mostly clean, chord-driven guitars, though do dabble in light bouts of distortion. The band also featured two vocalists, who could both hold their own independently, but also come together for some incredibly elevated harmonies. Not to make direct comparisons here, but it wouldn't be surprising to find out this band was influenced by the likes of Mazzy Star, Velocity Girl, Pavement, and Superchunk, so if that's up your alley, do not miss this often overlooked album. Enjoy.

Reunion (1997)

1. Reunion

2. Launched

Korea Girl (1997)

1. B-Side

2. Under The Sun

3. Reunion

4. Upside Down

5. Peon

6. Pariah

7. Li'l Bunch

8. Serpentine

9. Conversations

10. Atomic Skies

11. Wile E.

12. Prozac

13. Democracy & Kings

14. Hey Akane!

15. Prozac (Drummed) (Bonus Track)

16. Li'l Bullhorn (Bonus Track)

17. Upside Down (Bonus Track)

18. Peon (Bonus Track)

19. Wile E. (Bonus Track)

Note: Bonus demos included on the 1999 reissue

Bandcamp

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Apple Music

Calm

Calm were a three-piece emo/post-hardcore band from San Jose, California that were around from 1994 to 1996. Members of the band were previously in landmark bands Mohinder and Indian Summer, while later going on to be in Jenny Piccolo, Duster, and Her Space Holiday. Sonically, they really stand on their own from those aforementioned projects. Calm go big, with crushing, distorted and heavy chords that sound absolutely massive, with plenty of feedback and long periods of instrumental-only breaks. When the vocals do come in, they're a lot more subdued, with an often double-tracked drawl. Not to make any direct comparisons, but fans of bands like Dinosaur Jr. and Built To Spill would probably dig this a lot. The always-fantastic Numero Group made their three releases widely available in 2020, with much better quality than the vinyl rips found here. You can check that out at their Bandcamp or any streaming service below. Enjoy.

Calm (1995)

1. We've Made a Contact but Worship Silent I Make a Whisper I Am a Sinner

2. Slide the Needle in Under Blue Skin I Took a Picture So I Still Can Burn You

3. The Spirits Fall upon the Wheel to Turn the Spokes with Angel Grace When I Am Gone with Broken Wings the Spirits Fall to Take My Place

4. Demons Reloading Such a Beautiful Disease Trigger Pull this Trigger

5. Silk Wrapped Hands in a Masquerade Even When Things Are Picture Blue I Keep It under My Pillow Now Just in Case Theres Nothing Left to Do Outrun Myself

6. Be Still / We Will Live Like Thunder

Calm 7" (1996)

1. Arlington Sunset

2. Wild And Free

3. Sign Crushes Motorist

4. The Vacancy

Moonraker (1996)

1. Moonraker

2. Scientists & Saboteurs

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple Music

Numero Group

awakebutstillinbed

What a hell of a way to kick the year off. awakebutstillinbed are a four-piece emo/indie/punk band from San Jose, California. Their debut album, the TWIABP-esque titled what people call low self-esteem is really just seeing yourself the way that other people see you came out on January 3rd of this year. I'm not even sure where to begin with this. This is an undoubtedly fantastic album, with top notch songwriting and great instrumentation. They play a punk'd-up version of midwest emo, with the bright guitars and sweet melodies of Rainer Maria being a definite influence, and in their most punched-up moments they recall Cap'n Jazz and even teeter on I Hate Myself. But where this band really excels is in the personality they exude in every song. For one, the vocals are very charismatic, conveying personal reflections in every dynamic range imaginable. For such depressing subject matter, they sure do make some fun as hell music. They've got their own voice, and aren't afraid to scream, shout, or whisper to get what they have to say across. If this is the bar set for emo this year, then we are in for the greatest year the genre's seen in a long time. Enjoy.

what people call low self-esteem is really just seeing yourself the way that other people see you (2018)

1. opener

2. life

3. safe

4. stumble

5. fathers

6. interlude

7. saved

8. floor

9. closer

stay who you are (2020)

1. beauty

2. live

3. mirror

Hymns For The Condemned (2022)

1. awakebutstillinbed - fear

2. awakebutstillinbed - ride

3. For Your Health - Disarmament

4. For Your Health - A Word Of Warning For The Pyrrh Of Heart

Chaos Takes The Wheel And I Am A Passenger (2023)

1. Bloodline

2. Road

3. Far

4. Streamline

5. Airport

6. Savior

7. Clearview

8. Enough

9. Redlight

10. Adapt

11. Scramble Suit

12. Passenger

Bandcamp

Facebook

leer.

Thanks to Vincent for the awesome suggestion.

leer. are a five-piece screamo/post-hardcore band from San Jose, California. They play a great style of screamo, which can be compared to some of the bands below, but I think they can still hold their own. The guitars are only lightly overdriven and tinted with reverb, but played passionately, giving them that blend of clean melody and urgent chaos, which is also reflected in the bass and drums. They seem to be very tight as a band, with everyone playing off of each other, if that makes sense. They incorporate many noodle-y/math-y aspects into their sound as well. The vocals are also sprawling. They're fairly clean for a screamo band, but still possess the intense emotional edge that one would expect from a band within this genre. The vocals are sometimes spoken, sometimes almost sung, and sometimes crack and break out into a yelp, which adds a whole other dynamic to their music. I really dig this band, and perhaps the best part is that their songs don't sound repetitive or tiring. Each song is distinguishable from the next, which makes both releases definitely worth listening to. Enjoy.

FFO: Suis La Lune, Calculator, Age Sixteen, Old Gray, Merchant Ships, You'll Live, The Exploration

Ep (2011)

1. Safe Words

2. Please Don't Step On Butterflies

3. Pluto

4. Fruit Snackerz

5. Tug

Cerce//leer. (2012)

1. Cerce - D.I.D.

2. Cerce - Direct Tribute I

3. Cerce - Direct Tribute II

4. leer. - Statler

5. leer. - And

6. leer. - Waldorf

SPRINGBREAKNOPARENTS (2013)
1. As Cool As An Attempted Suicide
2. Spring Break
3. Commemoration
4. House Music
5. No Parents
6. Tender Compliments
7. Perpetuity

Bandcamp

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