Spirit Desire

Spirit Desire are a four-piece indie/emo/punk band from Toronto, Ontario that formed in 2015. They released a demo that same year, which was followed by two full-lengths, the latest of which came out in 2022. I don't really know what else to say, besides No One Makes Me Laugh As Hard As You is one of the most brilliantly ecclectic and versatile albums in recent memory, with strong performances and incredibly memorable songs across its entire track list. Virtually every song shifts gears, but in a way that still somehow flows together, as they approach each song in a unique yet effortless fashion. Whether it be the the blown-out self-deprecating "Lovelines (Bug Song)", the acoustic noodling and sing-along of "Pelmo Crescent", the screamy climax of "Adventures" or the jittery energy of "The Sweater Song, Part 2: Even Sweatier". this album is chalk full of highlights. There's nothing concrete to even compare it to, its that varied. My suggestion is to just check it out for yourself, it scratches so many of the itches that this blog usually covers. Highly recommended, enjoy!

Demo (2015)

1. Going To Taco Bell

2. I H8 My Job

3. Hollow

4. Donut Run

5. Tom Cruise

6. Guy Fieri

7. Don't Live Like Me

8. Life Blows

Adrian (2017)

1. (Theme To "Adrian")

2. Going To Denny's

3. My Fieri

4. Surfy Turfy

5. Side By Side

6. IDC

7. Donut Run 2: Still Runnin'

8. Terry Crews

9. Drop It Like It's Hot

10. Game of Pricks

11. Life Blows (And Then You Die)

Promo 2020 (2020)

1. Bro! We Did It! (Demo)

2. Bat Song (Demo)

3. May 30th, 2018

Live 2020 (2021)

1. Tape Dub Intro + Bro! We Did It! (Live)

2. Bug Song (Live)

3. Adventures (Live)

4. Tombstoned (Live)

5. Drop It Like It's Hot (Live)

6. Tape Dub Outro + Extra Jam

7. IDC + My Fieri (Live At Houndstooth)

Houndstooth Promo (2021)

1. It Is What It Is (Demo)

2. Tiny Jam

3. Bobby

No One Makes Me Laugh As Hard As You (2022)

1. The Sweater Song, Part 2: Even Sweatier

2. A Streetcar Named Spirit Desire

3. Pelmo Crescent

4. Lovelines (Bug Song)

5. Shy Guy

6. Grange Park Lawn Darts

7. Bro! We Did It!

8. Good Riddance!!!

9. Adventures

10. Tombstoned

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Growing Fins

Growing Fins are a four-piece emo band from Toronto, Ontario that formed in 2015. Thus far, they've released two fantastic EP's, with their most recent being a self-titled release that came out in the summer of 2021. This band plays an energetic, heavily math rock-inspired style of midwest emo, with some frenzied fretwork and some gruff yet melodic vocals that often push into screamo territory. If you're a fan of bands including Gulfer, Macseal, You Blew It!, Tiny Moving Parts, or 1994! you should absolutely check out Growing Fins. Their self-titled EP in particular is incredible, and the rambunctious opener "Ogilvie" and epic finale of "...and then I hotboxed my washroom." are worth the price of admission alone. Enjoy.

Oakcrest (2016)

1. Pizza Elbow

2. The Party Planning Comittee

3. Scotland

Growing Fins (2021)

1. Ogilvie

2. Highway To Heck

3. Caelin's House

4. Yikes (Pt. 1)

5. Pronounced Liked Nikes (Pt. 2)

6. ...and then I hotboxed my washroom

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Boxcutter

Boxcutter are a three-piece screamo band from Toronto, Ontario that formed in 2022. They put out their debut EP that same year. It's a raw recording in the best sense, capturing the band's cutting guitar and pounding rhythm section in its most organic essence. They often tread the light between melody and abrasion, with an insanely heartfelt vocal delivery and incredible lyrics to boot. It's an incredible document that I think captures the appeal of screamo, which is found in its vulnerability and kinetic energy. I don't know if that makes any sense, but this band is not to be missed and I highly recommend giving them a listen. Enjoy.

it's more like embracing (2022)

1. the surface of lake ontario lies below the bottom of lake erie

2. navier stokes would have a field day with this one

3. at 6:45am i saw your ghost by my bedroom window

4. quetiapine is a beautiful name for a girl

5. a girl is a knife

What Good Does Getting Angry Do? (2023)

1. Treehouse Of Horror - Jeff The Killer

2. Please Don't Crash - Quiet 

3. boxcutter - stray

4. Treehouse Of Horror - Ben Drowned

5. Please Don't Crash - Cut Off My Hands

6. boxcutter - she/her/hearse

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Treehouse Of Horror

Treehouse Of Horror are a three-piece emo/screamo band from Toronto, Ontario that formed in 2021. Following a single demo, their debut EP came out in October of last year. This band plays an energetic style of twinkly emo, with tons of tight instrumental interplay amidst the expected clean noodley bits.  The dual vocals are also a major highlight as an additional dynamic layer, and as they often veer into screamo territory with some impassioned execution. It's a solid EP I'd definitely recommend checking out if you're a fan of bands like Grown Ups, Hightide Hotel, CSTVT, or Merchant Ships, and look forward to what this band does next. Enjoy.

See you next Tuesday - Demo (2021)

1. See you next Tuesday - Demo

Songs We Wrote (2022)

1. See You Next Tuesday

2. Catnip

3. Joan Of Arc

4. Sadgasm

What Good Does Getting Angry Do? (2023)

1. Treehouse Of Horror - Jeff The Killer

2. Please Don't Crash - Quiet 

3. boxcutter - stray

4. Treehouse Of Horror - Ben Drowned

5. Please Don't Crash - Cut Off My Hands

6. boxcutter - she/her/hearse

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I Spoke

I Spoke were a four-piece screamo band from Toronto, Ontario that were active from 2002 to 2005, with reunion shows occurring in 2012. Their output was fairly limited, though thankfully documented via their Bandcamp. They put out two EP's in 2003, though recorded more material that went unreleased for years (Destroying A Masterpiece, The Forgotten EP). The band underwent a change in vocalist at the end of that year, with no new material surfacing until 2005. They put out splits with Panserbjorne and Beaumont Hotel. All their material on those splits and more culminated in the release of Autobiography. Sonically, the band made frequent use of subdued, melancholic arpeggios with sporadic breaks of all-out tremolo-heavy emoviolence assault. This was paired with a screamed, forlorn vocals, often delivering lyrics that touched upon some overt politial subject matter. They can be loosely compared to bands such as City Of Caterpillar, I Would Set Myself On Fire For You, and Cease Upon The Capitol, though with significantly shorter song runtimes. Enjoy.

Faith In Chaos (2003)

1. You Broke My Heart... So I Cut Your Breaklines

2. Why Make Sense, When Art Is Dead?

3. Lies My Parents Told Me That I Still Believe To This Day

4. The Demons That Live Inside My Statue Of The Virgin Mary

5. Returning The Bullets Once Lodged In My Body To Wal-Mart

6. Random Beatings By Lee Majors

Destroying A Masterpiece (2003)

1. Destroying A Masterpiece

A Collective Journey (2003)

1. The Firefly Tree

2. Instrumental One

Autobiography (2005)

1. That Which Divides Us

2. Friends Not Fans

3. Untitled

4. Selling The Myth Of Nationalism

5. Ideology Of The Cancer Cell

6. Forgotten Histories, Stolen Lives

7. Exclusion By Language

8. Whose Voice?

The Emo Apocalypse (2006)

29. Is Dead

The Forgotten EP (2012)

1. 13 Ways To View A Cardboard City

2. An Obvious Statement

3. Rapid Eye Movement

4. Stepping Through Consciousness

Note: Recorded in 2003 but unreleased until 2012

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Dead Broke

Dead Broke are a four-piece punk/garage rock band from Oakville, Ontario that began in 2013. They play a high stakes style of garage rock that absolutely epitomizes the definition of "energy". Their self-titled debut record is an absolutely no holds-barred, vicious release, which each track bringing something new to the table while maintaining their distinctive attitude. Their sparse releases since then have also held up while too. Loose comparisons can be made bands such as PUP, The Dirty Nil or Single Mothers, so chances are if you dig them, you'll love this. But really, Dead Broke's appeal lies in every fan of rock n roll caked in fuzz and turned up to 11. Enjoy.

Dead Broke (2014)

1. Baby's Leavin'

2. Sweet Talk

3. Miles Away

4. Moonshine Queen

5. Lookin For LA

6. Vapour Lock

7. Bullet

8. Odds

9. Resistor

10. Gen X

Nice Words (2017)

1. Moss Park

2. Unlovable

3. Salem

Druids (2020)

1. Druids

2 Sludgehammer

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The Newfound Interest In Connecticut

The Newfound Interest In Connecticut were a post-rock/post-hardcore/emo band from Toronto, Ontario that were around from at least 2002 to 2005-ish. I can't find too much info on this band, so if anyone knows anything please do feel free to share. Additionally, they apparently put out a split and EP prior to the sole full-length they are best known, but I can't find any of those. Thus, we've got just the LP here. It's a unique collection of songs, to say the least. They fall somewhere in between Godspeed You! Black Emperor, On The Might Of Princes, and The Microphones, with some definite midwest emo background influence. Despite those comparisons, the band really does stand out on their own, without contemporaries. Tell Me About The Long Dark Path Home is meant for cold nights, and will appeal to fans of drawn-out atmospheric build-ups, math-y rhythms, and dynamic sung/spoken/screamed vocals. Enjoy.

Tell Me About The Long Dark Path Home (2005)

1. The Computers Stopped Exchanging Information

2. And Started Sharing Stories

3. And Then They Kissed

4. Okay, You Can Be Tigers, But No Crashing

5. Five Years Of Work And We Built That Song

6. And It Sings For Itself

7. I Can Hear Your Footsteps Just Outside Camp - Sah, Sah, Sah...

8. I Can See Your Breath Rising In The Air

9. On My Back Watching The Northern Lights Recede

10. The Arctic Circle

Tower of Silence

Tower of Silence were a four-piece screamo band from Toronto that started in March and ended in April 2018. This project was conceptualized as a four-piece one-off project that can be best described as a "skramz supergroup", if such a thing ever did exist. It included members of Respire, Foxmoulder, Terry Green, Polina, Seeing Means More, and Fight Fair. They only played one show, and recorded and released one EP. Considering its quick assembly, these three tracks are incredibly solid pieces of dark, screamy hardcore that brings to mind Portraits Of Past (for some reason). Definitely recommended if you're a fan its members other (amazing) projects. Enjoy.

Tower of Silence (2018)

1. October and Her

2. Parade Me Through The City

3. A Long Passage

Note: You can pick up the limited cassette from Mount Seldom Records here

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Respire

Respire are a six-piece "post-everything" band from Toronto, Ontario that formed in 2013. This is a project I admittedly slept on for a long time, which is a damn shame because "members of Foxmoulder" should be a selling point in and of itself. Regardless, that feels like a millenia ago, since their recent sophomore release has left an unforgettable wake in its path. It's the kind of thing that makes your eyes bulge while your hands grip the steering wheel, and you can't help but mutter loudly "holy shit, this is awesome".

Dénouement is a collapse of catharsis, featuring sprawling instrumentals and searing vocals. The band blends a multitude of sounds and emotions throughout these eight tracks, making it one of the most heavy-hitting releases in recent history. They take influence from genres as diverse as screamo, post-rock, post-hardcore, blackgaze, and even hints of classical, making their "post-everything" descriptor spot on. Respire is a notably collaborative effort, with numerous musicians performing on record in addition to the core members. This brings in a whole other layer of instrumentation, including strings, brass instruments, and keys, among other things that really lift its skinny fists to this grandiose sound. This record has me completely floored, and floods with these intensive build-ups and calming moments throughout. Respire have truly crafted a masterpiece here, and I cannot recommend this album enough.

Also, I don't want to leave their debut unmentioned, Gravity And Grace is also a stellar record, and the crescendo at the end of "Ascent" will leave a single tear in your eye. If your a fan of bands like Suffocate For Fuck Sake, Envy, Deafheaven, or even Godspeed You! Black Emperor, do not let Respire go by in your rearview. Trust me, you will regret it. Additionally, I can't let the chance to shout out Zegema Beach Records go to waste, since they are the geniuses who put Dénouement out. You can grab a copy below, or from one of the other fantastic labels who backed it. Enjoy.

Demonstration (2014)

1. Aeterna

2. Nox

3. Luk

4. Nihil

Anthems For Falling Stars (2015)

1. Anthems For Falling Stars

Goth Girl x Respire (2016)

1. Storm & Stress

Note: Collab between Goth Girl & Respire, all proceeds go to Pieces to Pathways

Gravity and Grace (2016)

1. Pitter Patter

2. Ascent

3. Eternal Light

4. Waltz

5. Gravity and Grace

6. Eternal Nothing

7. Evening. Melancholy I

8. Evening. Melancholy II

9. Evening. Melancholy III

Dénouement (2018)

1. Bound

2. Haunt

3. Shiver

4. Bloom

5. Catacombs

6. Virtue

7. A Heart Still Pines

8. Dénouement

Black Line (2020)

1. Blight

2. Tempest

3. Cicatrice

4. Lost Virtue

5. Kindling

6. Embers To End

7. Flicker and Faint

8. To Our Dead Friends

9. Catacombs II

Hiraeth (2024)

1. Keening

2. The Match, Consumed

3. Distant Light Of Belonging

4. First Snow

5. Home Of Ash

6. Voiceless; Nameless

7. The Sun Sets Without Us

8. We Grow Like Trees In Rooms Of Borrowed Light

9. Do The Birds Still Sing?

10. Farewell (In Standard)

Respire

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Zegema Beach Records (CAN)

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Middle-Man Records (USA)

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Narshardaa (GER)

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Dingleberry Records (GER)

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Terry Green

Terry Green are a four-piece screamo/post-hardcore band from Mississauga (Toronto), Ontario that formed in 2014. After an EP and split under their belt, they put out an incredible LP last year that I cannot recommend enough for fans of screamo goodness. They play a very progressive blend of the genre that displays their technical ability in addition to raw catharsis. This includes lengthy instrumental passages with influence culled from every great faction of screamo. If you like a little melody in your chaos, or are a fan of bands like Daitro, Kidcrash or The Reptilian, this is highly recommended. Enjoy.

Visiting Hours (2014)

1. Hi Hater

2. Bye Hater

3. Rich A$ Fuck

4. Yard Sard

5. Yale Sale // Another Sard

Terry Green/Huge Cosmic (2015)

1. Terry Green - What The...

2. Terry Green -  Instant Relief

3. Huge Cosmic - Danny Bombs The Universe

4. Huge Cosmic - Garmonbonzai

Note: You can pick pick up the cassette here

LP (2017)

1. I

2. II

3. III

4. IV

5. V

6. VI

Note: Pick up the 12" here

Provisional Living (2024)

1. Paling

2. Blur

3. Repeats

4. So What

5. Safety

6. Full Lip

7. Paramount

8. Gnawing

9. Easy

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Zegema Beach Records

Foxmoulder

Foxmoulder are a four-piece screamo band from Toronto, Ontario that have been around since 2012. They're probably one of my personal favourite screamo bands around now; this is some good shit right here. They're noisy and chaotic in the vein of classics like Orchid, but would also appeal to fans of other fantastic modern bands, such as Capacities or Coma Regalia. If you've got a hankering for a skramz fix, here it is. Enjoy.

Hindsight (2012)

1. Intuition/Rhetoric

2. Neutral

3. Awkward

4. Absurd

5. Breath of the City

Foxmoulder/Sartre (2012)

1. Foxmoulder - Rapture

2. Foxmoulder  - Ascend

3. Sartre - Circadian

4. Sartre - More Weight

Lethe (2013)

1. Tesslyn

2. Hum

3. Havelock

4. Endless/Blameless

Swollen Lungs (2013)

15. Far Away Friends

Note: Full comp here

Foxmoulder/Coma Regalia (2014)

1. Foxmoulder - Pine

2. Coma Regalia - Suffering / Anger / Peace

Foxmoulder/Eaglehaslanded (2015)

1. Foxmoulder - Tempered Ill

2. Foxmoulder - Needless/Anxious

3. Foxmoulder - Antrim

4. Foxmoulder - Shame

5. Foxmoulder - Increments

6. Eaglehaslanded - Intro (Nightmares In Suburba Pt. III)

7. Eaglehaslanded - Заклятые Враги

8. Eaglehaslanded - Mora samo da se umre

9. Eaglehaslanded - Got a Flower

10. Eaglehaslanded - Tworatz

11. Eaglehaslanded - Grobljanska

12. Eaglehaslanded - 1000 Palms

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