Fire Party

Fire Party were a four-piece punk/post-hardcore band from Washington, DC that were around from 1986 to 1990. As you could probably guess, they were a Dischord band, releasing two EP's with the label in 1988 and 1989 respectively. This was later compiled along with a compilation track and a Peel session to create 1996's 19 Songs, which rounded out the band's complete discography. Fire Party are often associated with the "Revolution Summer" era of DC hardcore, where members of its previously established bands in the hardcore scene began to branch off and experiment with new sounds, bringing in melody and rhymtic complexity to their punk formula roots. This is often regarded as the beginning of "emo" as a genre. That's a very loose fit with some bands in this era, but I think it's safe to say that Fire Party were precursors of the genre, while being an important albeit underrated band in their own right. 

While maintaing a distinct sociopolitical stance, they evolved the DC sound into something much bigger, more melodic, and indisputably influential. The guitars are washed in reverb, making them sound gigantic as they echo across each song, introducing angular chords/arpeggios and off-kilter rhythms to the mix, something that would become a staple of the genre in the decade to come. They played with a sense of urgency, conveying what they needed to say in a fresh and unique way, with an abundance of raw energy still intact. Enjoy.

19 Songs (1996)

1. 1. Jerk

2. Basis

3. Cake

4. Drowning Intentions

5. Walls Of Mind

6. Engine

7. Pilate

8. Make It Quick

9. Bite

10. First Course

11. Gethsemane

12. Prisoner

13. Fire

14. Only Nine Mottos

15. New Orleans Opera

16. Basis (John Peel version)

17. Are You On?

18. How To

19. Stray Bullet

Dischord

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple Music

Three

Three were a four-piece post-hardcore band from Washington, DC that were around from 1986 to 1988. They were a Dischord band that consisted of some very notable members of other legendary bands from that era. Following the Egg Hunt project created by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson (formerly of Minor Threat), they were joined by Gray Matter's Jeff Turner and Steve Niles. This was the first incarnation of Three, which only lasted a short while, with MacKaye going on to form Embrace and later Fugazi. Gray Matter's Mark Haggerty took his place as the band's guitarist. In typical Dischord tradition at the time, they only put out one album and it was posthumous. 1989's Dark Days Coming is a very underrated offering amidst a scene of incredibly revered projects. The band's melodic energy and penchant for catchy songwriting feels ahead of its time, coming just before the alternative rock boom of the 90's. The album originally consisted of 10 tracks, but has since been reissued by Dischord to include demo recordings, which is the version below. Enjoy.

Dark Days Coming (1989)

1. Empathy

2. Swann Street

3. Buy Me A River

4. Domino Days

5. Dodger

6. International

7. Pious And Blood

8. Rejection

9. Dark Days Coming

10. Don't Walk Away

11. Shitberries Demo

12. Cheatin' Heart

13. Love Is Like A Rose

14. Food For Thog

15. Pretty/Heavy

16. Back And Forth

17. Hundred Aker Wood

18. Midnight Meat Train

19. Western Trashy One

20. Long Marching Song

21. Untitled

 Dischord

Spotify

Apple Music

Autoclave

Autoclave were a four-piece indie rock/math rock band from Washington, DC that were briefly around from 1990 to 1991. In that time, they released a 7" as a joint venture between Dischord and K Records. This was followed by a posthumous 10". Their discography was compiled and released by Dischord in 1997, which included a compilation track previously released. Despite their brief tenure, their legacy has been long-lasting. Sonically, they're considered an early example of math rock. Expanding on their punk roots, the utilized off-kilter rhythms, odd time signatures, angular chords and unconventional song structures. In addition, they are notable for their members later involvement in other projects. Guitarist Mary Timony began Helium after Autoclave, and more recently has been active in Wild Flag and Ex Hex. Christina Billotte started Slant 6 after, which were another Dischord band. She also later played in Quix*o*tic. Enjoy.

Autoclave (1997)

1. Dr. Seuss

2. Still Here

3. Hot Spurr

4. It's Not Real Life

5. Vision

6. I'll Take You Down

7. Go Far

8. Bulls Eye

9. Summer

10. Paper Boy

11. I'll Take You Down (Version)

Dischord

Bandcamp

The Crownhate Ruin

The Crownhate Ruin were a short-lived post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C., that were active from 1994 to 1996. The band consisted of ex-members of Hoover (immediately after that band's break-up) and 1.6 Band. Members later went on to play in June of 44. If you could place a sound between the two aforementioned bands, The Crownhate Ruin hit that fix. Their sole LP came out on Dischord Records, a discordant, off-beat affair with heavy emphasis on bass/drum riffage. It never quite hits the intensive highs of Hoover, but certainly deserves a repeat listen, as it is an undeniably underrated LP. Enjoy.

Elementary (1995)

1. Lesson In Thread

2. Pioneers

Intermediate (1995)

1. Every Minute's Sucker

2. Better Still If They Don't Know

A Primer (1995)

1. Present To President

2. Last Place In Triage

3. My Country Getaway

Until The Eagle Grins (1996)

1. Ride Your Ride

2. Late Arriving Rock Dudes

3. Stretched Too Thin

4. In The Four Years To Come

5. Every Minute Sucker

6. Tornado Season Finale

7. Better Still If They Don't Know

8. Piss Alley

9. You Will Wish Me Dead

10. Blood Relative

Bandcamp

Dischord

Youth Brigade

Youth Brigade were a four-piece hardcore punk band from Washington, DC that were briefly around in 1981. They are not to be confused with the LA band of the same name (who also happened to be around at the same time). They were one of the earliest hardcore bands to come out of DC, and part of the Dischord roster. They had members of other DC bands including The Teen Idles and The Untouchables. If you're familiar with this era of hardcore, you've got a good idea of what they sound like. In typical Dischord fashion, they released only one LP and had a few tracks included on the legendary Flex Your Head compilation. Their demo was also officially released a few years back, that had existed as a bootleg for decades. The band played one reunion show in 2012 and 2013 each. Enjoy.

Possible EP (1981)

1. It's About Time We Had A Change

2. Full Speed Ahead

3. Point Of View

4. Barbed Wire

5. Pay No Attention

6. Wrong Decision

7. No Song

8. No Song II

Flex Your Head (1982)

1. Moral Majority

2. Waste Of Time

3. Last Work

Complete First Demo (2015)

1. I Object

2. Full Speed Ahead

3. Last Word

4. Moral Majority

5. Bouncer

6. Waste Of Time

7. Snow Job

8. Youth Brigade

Bandcamp

Dischord

Soulside

Soulside were a four-piece punk/post-hardcore band from Washington, DC that began in 1985 and disbanded in 1989. They were originally known as Lunch Meat before changing their name in 1986. They are one of the many classic punk bands to emerge from DC in the late 80's, and were of course affiliated with the legendary Dischord Records. Sonically, they took the energy of hardcore and fused it with melodic vocals and instrumentation, similar to what their contemporaries such as Dag Nasty, Embrace, Gray Matter, and Ignition were doing. They released three LP's and a 7", as well as an early split under their original name. Less Deep Inside Keeps was their debut album, while the Trigger LP, Bass 103 7", and Hot Bodi-Gram LP were all released on a single compilation in 1990, Soon Come Happy. Enjoy.

Getting Shit For Growing Up Different (1986)

1. Mission Impossible - Helpless

2. Mission Impossible - Now I'm Alone

3. Mission Impossible - Into Your Shell

4. Lunch Meat - Looking Around

5. Lunch Meat - No Need

6. Lunch Meat - Under The Glare

Less Deep Inside Keeps (1987)

1. Pearl To Stone

2. One Step Higher

3. Walking

4. Don't Let Me Down

5. You've Heard It Before

6. Over And Out

7. I Find The Other Side

8. In Days To Come

9. Dreams

10. X-Lion Tamer

11. Fresh Air

Soon Come Happy (1990)

1. Baby

2. Trigger

3. Name In Mind

4. Problems Faced When Traveling

5. War

6. K.T.T.K.

7. Pocket Hurts

8. Forgiveness

9. Bass

10. 103

11. Otherside

12. God City

13. What

14. Punch The Geek

15. Clifton Wall

16. New Slow Fucky

17. Pembroke

18. Hate Music

19. New Fast Fucky

20. Kill

21. Bad Show

22. A Love Supreme

A Brief Moment In The Sun (2022)

1. Times Like These

2. Day 2

3. Every Clover

4. Reconstruction

5. Winner

6. Walker

7. Tambourine

8. 70's Heroes

9. Resolved

10. Rediscovery

11. Survival

12. It's All About Love

Bandcamp

Dischord Records

State Of Alert

State Of Alert (often abbreviated as S.O.A.) were a four-piece hardcore punk band from Washington, DC that were around from 1980 to 1981. They were one of many early hardcore bands to take over the DC scene, which yielded some incredible, ferocious, and raw punk that laid the foundation for the sound we all know and love today. Though the band's existence was brief, they don't tend to be overlooked in the pages of history because of how notable the band's members were. The obvious one is their lead singer, who at the time was Henry Garfield. Post-S.O.A. you might know him better as Henry Rollins, the longest-running singer of Black Flag, and later of the Rollins Band and a billion other non-music projects. Their other members were active in a litany of other projects, particularly The Faith, Embrace, One Last Wish, Iron Cross, and Manifesto.

S.O.A. put out one 7" during their time, which became the second release ever put out by Dischord Records (with The Teen Idles' Minor Disturbance being the first). It's a solid release by a young band and definitely worth checking out out of pure enjoyment, in addition to its obvious importance in the punk rock timeline. They also recorded a demo, which Dischord finally released years later in 2014, and a few compilation tracks that appeared on the classic Flex Your Head. Enjoy.

No Policy (1981)

1. Lost In Space

2. Draw Blank

3. Girl Problems

4. Blackout

5. Gate Crashers

6. Warzone

7. Riot

8. Gang Fight

9. Public Defender

10. Gonna Hafta Fight

Flex Your Head (1982)

1. I Hate The Kids

2. Disease

3. Stepping Stone Party

Note: State Of Alert tracks only. Full comp here

First Demo 12/29/80 (2014)

1. Public Defender

2. Gonna Have To Fight

3. Gangfight

4. Disease

5. Draw A Blank

6. Warzone

7. Riot

8. Stepping Stone Party

Dischord

Bandcamp

The Teen Idles

The Teen Idles were a four-piece hardcore punk band from Washington, DC that were around from 1979 to 1980. Their importance in the history of punk is undeniable, though it has less to do with them and more to do with what they began. They began under the name The Slinkees, before switching to The Teen Idles. They formed as their members were fresh out of high school, and consisted of Nathan Strejcek (vocals), Geordie Grindle (guitar), Ian MacKaye (bass) and Jeff Nelson (drums). They adopted the punk rock sound that had come to fruition just a few years prior with The Ramones and such, but took it a step further into the fast-paced aggressiveness that bands like Bad Brains and The Germs had started to create. Therefore, The Teen Idles are one of the earliest hardcore bands.

Another notable thing about them is the issues they faced being an underage band, thus had to wear big black X's on their hands when they would go to shows. They took this image and used it as the artwork for their sole EP, 1980's Minor Disturbance. This would become an iconic image in what would later become "straight edge" (but that's a whole other discussion). After that EP was recorded, they couldn't find any label to release it. Instead of taking the money they made through shows for themselves, they started their own label and assembled 1000 copies of it by hand. This label was Dischord Records, which would go on to release countless seminal punk records such as Faith/Void, Rites Of Spring, Can I Say, Repeater, and so many more. Dischord is still run by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson to this day. Speaking of those two, as you may know, the band they would form immediately after this was Minor Threat. They are easily one of the biggest landmark bands in punk/hardcore history, which I'm sure everyone is familiar with and we'll get into some other time.

The Teen Idles are a fantastic example of raw, youthful energy that embodies hardcore, and were one of the first of many incredible bands to come out of the DC scene. Their EP is surprisingly solid, and an important document in punk history. They also recorded some demo sessions prior to it, which came to light in 1996 for Dischord's 100th release, Anniversary. Additionally, they had a few tracks appear on Dischord's Flex Your Head compilation, which includes a bunch of other notable early DC hardcore bands. This band and this era has been discussed to death, so there's not really much I can add to it. If this isn't old news to you though, please do enjoy some raw, early hardcore, and check out a lot of the other bands who were kicking around DC at this time (State Of Alert, Youth Brigade, Government Issue, Faith, Void, Iron Cross, obviously Minor Threat, the list goes on). Enjoy.

Minor Disturbance (1980)

1. Teen Idles

2. Sneakers

3. Get Up And Go

4. Deadhead

5. Fleeting Fury

6. Fiorucci Nightmare

7. Getting In My Way

8. Too Young To Rock

Flex Your Head (1982)

1. I Drink Milk

2. Commie Song

3. No Fun (The Stooges cover)

Note: Teen Idles tracks only. Full comp here

Anniversary (1996)

1. Adventure

2. Teen Idles

3. Sneakers

4. Trans Am

5. Fiorucci Nightmare/Getting In My Way

Dischord

Bandcamp

Ignition

Ignition were a four-piece hardcore/punk band from Washington, DC that were around from 1986-1989. They were one of many Dischord bands to come out of the "Revolution Summer" era. They featured an incredible line-up of musicians, which includes members of other major notable DC bands such as The Faith, Embrace, Gray Matter, and later Soulside. Fans of those bands, as well as Dag Nasty and other related Dischord artists will undoubtedly love Ignition, if they're not already familiar with them. Alec's lyrics are solid, and the band brings a fantastic energy to each track. They blend the fury of punk and hardcore with melodic sensibilities and sonic experimentation, that would later become known as "post-hardcore" and "emo" in the next decade. This is definitely a classic band from one of music's greatest scenes/eras, so this whole discography is absolutely essential. They released two albums and a few EP's in their time together, all of which were compiled on a single album in 1994, and then remastered in 2012 (which is the version below). Enjoy.

Complete Services (1994)

1. Previous

2. Cancellation

3. Buy And Sell

4. Wrenching

5. Strain

6. Throttle

7. Temporary

8. So Moved

9. Sinker

10. Non Verbum

11. Consequence

12. Lucky Thirteen

13. Anger Means (Version)

14. Revision

15. Standstill

16. Kiwi Chant

17. One Sided

18. Bullets In Mind

19. Eyeballed

20. Sinker (Version)

21. Rebuilding

22. Anxiety Asking

23. Anger Means

24. Proven Hollow

25. Chicago Song

26. Bought And Sold

Dischord

Bandcamp

Q And Not U

Q And Not U were a three-piece (originally a four-piece) post-hardcore band from Washington, DC that formed in 1998 and broke up in 2005. They released all their material through Dischord Records, and are one of many amazing bands on their roster. Their debut LP, No Kill No Beep Beep is an absolute classic, and their only release as a four-piece. The band plays these off-kilter, dissonant rhythms, with strong melodic vocals and oddly dance-able beats. It's a very unique, jagged sound, that kisses distinctly Q And Not U. They released two follow-ups as a three-piece (two guitarists, no bassist) that continued down the dance-post-punk goodness. Essential post-hardcore right here, enjoy.

Hot And Informed (2000)

1. And The Washington Monument Blinks Goodnight (Version)

2. Busy Lights Busy Carpet

3. Kiss Distinctly American (Version)

No Kill No Beep Beep (2000)

1. A Line In The Sand

2. End The Washington Monument (Blinks) Goodnight

3. Fever Sleeves

4. Hooray For Humans

5. Kiss Distinctly American

6. We Heart Our Hive

7. Little Sparkee

8. The More I Get The More I Want

9. Y Plus White Girl

10. Nine Things Everybody Knows

11. Sleeping The Terror Code

On Play Patterns (2002)

1. Ten Thousand Animal Calls

2. Soft Pyramids (Version)

Different Damage (2002)

1. Soft Pyramids

2. So Many Animal Calls

3. Air Conditions

4. Black Plastic Bag

5. Meet Me In The Pocket

6. This Are Flashes

7. Everybody Ruins

8. Snow Patterns

9. When The Lines Go Down

10. O'No

11. No Damage Nocture

12. Recreation Myth

2 Songs (2003)

1. X-Polynation (Version)

2. Book Of Flags (Version)

Power (2004)

1. Wonderful People

2. 7 Daughters

3. L.A.X.

4. Throw Back Your Head

5. Wet Work

6. District Night Prayer

7. Collect The Diamonds

8. Beautiful Beats

9. Dine

10. X-Polynation

11. Passwords

12. Book Of Flags

13. Tag-Tag

Bandcamp

Dischord

Lungfish

Lungfish are a four-piece post-hardcore band from Baltimore, Maryland that formed in 1988, and are still active today. Without a doubt, Lungfish are known as being one of the most seminal, prolific, and definitive bands in the history of post-hardcore.Their output spans over two decades, and almost all of it has been released through Dischord Records. Sonically, Lungfish were known for their angular guitar melodies and droning rhythms, in addition to their sing-spoken vocals. If you ever wondered where Self Defense Family came from, this is it. In addition to them, Lungfish are an undeniably massive influence on post-hardcore, and have been one of the most consistent bands in the genre, putting out solid album after solid album. Enjoy.

Necklace Of Heads (1990)

1. Come Clean

2. Put Your Halo On

3. Ain't No Color

4. Not Only Long Ride Too High

5. Parthenogenesis

6. Devilhead

7. Nothing Is Easy

8. Fambly

Talking Songs For Walking (1992)

1. Friend To Friend In Endtime

2. Broadcast

3. Descender

4. Samuel

5. Kissing

6. Reveal Me

7. My Fool Heart

8. One Face

9. Non Dual Bliss

10. Put Your Hand In My Hand

Rainbows From Atoms (1993)

1. Instrument

2. Mother Made Me

3. Abraham Lincoln

4. Animal Man

5. Fresh Air Cure

6. Creation Story

7. Axiomatic

8. Open House

9. 8.14.2116

10. You Might Ask Me What

11. Seek Sound Shelter

Pass And Stow (1994)

1. Cleaner Than Your Surroundings

2. Straightaway

3. Washing Away

4. At Liberty To Say

5. The Trap Gets Set

6. Computer

7. Highway Sweetheart

8. Astronaut's Prayer

9. Idiot Vehicle

10. One Way All The Time

11. In Praise Of Amoral Phenomena

12. Gorilla Monsoon

13. The Evidence

14. Terminal Crash

Sound In Time (1996)

1. Constellations

2. To Whom You Were Born

3. Jonah

4. Solid State

5. X-Ray The Pharaoh

6. Signpost

7. Sphere Of Influence

8. The Cipher

9. Panic And Hysteria

10. Constellations

Indivisible (1997)

1. Indivisible

2. You Did Not Exist

3. E=FU

4. Urania

5. Organ Harvest

6. Yellow Sun

7. William Fuld

8. Tick Tock

9. Cut To Fit The Mouth

10. Fill The Days

11. Sin To Live

Artificial Horizon (1998)

1. Black Helicopters

2. Oppress Yourself

3. Amnesiac

4. Love Will Ruin Your Mind

5. Ann The Word

6. Slip Of Existence

7. Free State

8. Truth Cult

9. Shed The World

10. Pray For The Living

11. Light For All

The Unanimous Hour (1999)

1. Space Orgy

2. Web Of Mirrors

3. Searchlight

4. Vulgar Theories

5. God's Will

6. Mated

7. Metatron

8. Sands Of Time

9. Return To The Caves

11. Hallucinatorium

Necrophones (2000)

1. The Words

2. The Way

3. Necrophones

4. All Day And All Night Long

5. Blue Sky

6. Hanging Bird

7. Shapes In Space

8. Sex War

9. Cross Road

10. Eternal Nightfall

11. Occult Vibrations

12. Infinite Daybreak

Love Is Love (2003)

1. Love Is Love

2. This World

3. Fearfully And Wonderfully

4. Hear The Children Sing

5. Lay Yourself Aside

6. Nation Saving Song

7. Unfold The Leg

8. No False Suns

9. Peace Mountains Of Peace

10. Child Of Chaos

Feral Hymns (2005)

1. All Creations Bows

2. Time Is A Weapon Of Time

3. Wailing Like Dragons

4. Picture Music

5. You Are The War

6. Invert The State

7. Way Out Is The Way Out

8. Sing

9. Sower Of Systems

10. Sweet Nucleus

A.C.R. 1999 (2012)

1. Eternal Nightfall

2. Symbiosis

3. Screams Of Joy

4. Occult Vibrations

5. I Will Walk Between You

6. Aesop

7. Sex War

8. Infinite Daybreak

9. Hanging Bird

10. Shapes In Space

Dischord

Bandcamp