La Bella

La Bella are a four-piece screamo/hardcore band from Los Angeles, California that formed in 2011. They've only two albums in that time, but both come pretty damn close to perfection. They play a style of screamo that incorporates jazzy, off-kilter rhythms, particularly in their interludes. La Bella makes excellent use of dynamics, utilizing the loud/soft interchange without having to go through massive build-ups. They still hit hard, but give their chords enough room to breathe, which allows the drums and bass to indulge in their jazz spasms and to create unique rhythms. The band takes influence from a lot of classic acts, such as The Kodan Armada and Off Minor, but have also crafted a sound truly their own thanks to their background in a multitude of other genres. Enjoy.

Recomposition (2012)

1. Brukman Factory

2. Non-Linear Architecture

3. Everything That Came After

4. Petrichor

5. Hotchkiss

6. Spontaneity In Am

7. Todo Para Todos

Ides (2016)

1. Germinal

2. Thrush

3. Silver Spool

4. Wellspring

5. Subaltern

6. Harbiner

7. New Hymns

8. Skein

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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

Oso Oso

Oso Oso is an emo/indie project primarily consisting of Jade Lilitri from Long Beach, New York. The project began in 2014 under the name osoosooso before being shortened to Oso Oso. Prior to beginning this solo endeavor, Lilitri was better known as a member of State Lines. Thus far they've released two stellar full-lengths, and a recent EP out on Triple Crown.

Sonically, this is a pretty tough project to pin down. Without a doubt they are one of the most unique and beloved modern emo bands around, though they don't really sound like a lot of their contemporaries. Instead, they take influence from major bands such as Death Cab For Cutie, Jimmy Eat World, and Built To Spill, and create these incredible songs with pop exteriors and emo interiors. Lilitri is an incredible lyricist, which has been obvious since the first State Lines record, but with Oso Oso he has really stepped up his craft to string together some beautiful lines to cut underneath the catchy melodies.

I can't recall exactly where I first heard this description (probably some online comment), but it was something along the lines of "Oso Oso is the sound of being sad at the beach", which is a pretty accurate description of their duality. This applies in particular to The Yunahon Mixtape, his most celebrated release. There's not much more to rant about here, this band has been requested to death for years upon years, so here ya finally go. Enjoy.

osoosooso (2014)

1. Moving In

2. A Bunch Of Things I Don't Know

3. Neighbors

4. Safe

5. The Expiration Date

6. Para 'effin dise, Baby!

7. Mike Isn't Down With Punctuation

Free Throw/Oso Oso (2014)

1. Free Throw - Grandma Got Runover By A Reindeer

2. Oso Oso - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

Real Stories Of True People Who Kind Of Looked Like Monsters (2015)

1. Track One, Side A

2. Wet Grass or Cold Cement

3. Another Night

4. Where You've Been Hiding

5. How It Happened

6. Josephine

7. Interlude

8. Easy Way Out

9. This Must Be A Place

10. This Must Be An Entrance

11. This Must Be My Exit

The Yunahon Mixtape (2017)

1. the cool

2. reindeer games

3. the walk

4. the bearer of the truths

5. get there (when you're there)

6. great big beaches

7. shoes (the sneaker song)

8. the slope

9. the secret spot

10. the plant mouth

11. out of the blue

gb/ol h/nf (2018)

1. gb/ol h/nf

2. subside

basking in the glow (2019)

1. intro

2. the view

3. basking in the glow

4. dig

5. one sick plan

6. a morning song

7. priority change

8. wake up next to god

9. impossible game

10. charlie

sore thumb (2022)

1. computer exploder

2. nothing to do

3. father tracy

4. give a fork

5. all love

6. fly on the wall

7. describe you

8. pensacola

9. sunnyside

10. because i want to

11. nothing says love like hydration

12. carousel

De Facto (2022)

1. De Facto

Life Till Bones (2024)

1. many ways

2. the country club

3. all of my love

4. that's what time does

5. stoke

6. dog without its bark

7. seesaw

8. application

9. skippy

10. other people's stories

Bandcamp

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Belmont

Alrightalrightalright, you've spoken, I've heard the countless requests, and will finally deliver. Belmont are a five-piece pop punk band from Chicago, Illinois that formed in 2014. Following a few EP's, they dropped their self-titled debut full-length earlier this year. It also seems like they've built quite the following. Sonically, they sound like Knuckle Puck or Four Year Strong-lite or something of the sort; as you may know this is not exactly my area of expertise. It seems like a lot of you guys dig this band, so I'm more than happy to share their discography with ya anyway. Enjoy.

Vicissitude (2015)

1. Crossroads

2. Masquerade

3. Empty Shelf

4. Old Wounds

5. Convalescence

Between You & Me (2016)

1. 731

2. Solitude

3. Shackles

4. Overstepping

5. Minuscule

Water Weight / Step Aside (2017)

1. Water Weight

2. Step Aside

Belmont (2018)

1. Empty

2. Recluse

3. Write Me Off

4. Pushing Daisies

5. Interlude

6. Albert

7. Hollowed Out

8. Maplewood

9. Convalescence

10. BMC

Bandcamp

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Coping

Coping were a four-piece emo/indie/punk band from Chicago, Illinois that formed in 2010 and broke up in 2012. Thank you to the person who mentioned them in that chatbox-thing, it completely slipped my mind that they aren't on here yet. Coping were one of the many incredible bands to emerge out of the "emo revival" thing, so expect shouted vocals, bright and noodly guitars, good songs and good times. Fans of Algernon Cadwallader, Growns Ups, and CSTVT will dig this (if you aren't already familiar with them). Enjoy.

Lawndale Cassette (2010)

1. Left Ear

2. Croquet

3. '95 Mariners

4. Mixed Horror Stories

5. Robert Pershing Wadlow

6. Seniors

Coping/The Clippers (2011)

1. Coping - Stoopin'

2. Coping - F For Now

3. The Clippers - Fur

4. The Clippers - That's Not Me

Nope (2012)

1. Somewhere in Skokie

2. B

3. Everything No Problem

4. Where's A.T. At?

5. Teach Me How To Fish

6. Ro' Money Ro' Problems

7. Love Tigress

8. Knuckle Puck

9. #72 East

10. Double Perfect

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Nervous Dater

Nervous Dater are a four-piece indie/pop punk band from Brooklyn, New York that have been around since 2015. They play a style of music that features fuzzy chords, melodic lead lines and upbeat tempos juxtaposed with some amazing lyrics that recall personal anecdotes and feelings. It's kind of like a poppy Rainer Maria meeting the lyrical density of Hop Along and raw energy of Say Anything, or something of the sort. That's probably not a very good description, but the music's good. Really good. Top-notch songwriting with a fantastic energy that they can speed up or slow down with ease. Their debut LP Don't Be A Stranger came out last year on Counter Intuitive, and they've been getting bigger ever since. Definitely a band to look out for, with a fantastic debut already out to enjoy. So, enjoy.

Nervous Dater (2014)

1. Kool-Aid

2. Hard Love

3. Queens

4. Chameleon

5. Die Alone

A Hundred Beers (2016)

1. Abba Zabba, You My Only Friend

2. Scabs

3. Kelly Said

4. Dead Space

5. 5th Floor Walkup

Don't Be A Stranger (2017)

1. Bad Spanish

2. Fun Dumpster

3. Don't Be A Stranger

4. Serenity

5. Pigeon Language

6. Vominos

7. Run Home

8. Stockton Syndrome

9. Saratoga

10. Wavelengths

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Counter Intuitive

Make Me

Make Me were a five-piece screamo/emo band from New Brunswick, New Jersey that formed in 2004 and broke up in 2006. Their output was fairly limited, releasing only a demo, a split, and some various compilation/unreleased tracks. However, they were an incredibly solid band and quire underrated. They took the shimmering, clean, and melancholic guitars of American Football and blended them with the intensive throat-shrieking vocals of You And I, or something of the sort. A good descriptor might be "upbeat screamo", or Merchant Ships pre-Merchant Ships. I don't know, it's good shit. Enjoy.

Demo (2004)

1. Rubber Sidewalks

2. Hello Moon

3. Relax And Adapt

4. Let's Go Off On A Tangent

Split With Black JuJu (2006)

1. Snail Trails

2. Do You Ever Wish You Could Breathe Underwater?

Unreleased

But It Felt So Real

Untitled #1

Untitled #2

Bandcamp

meth.

meth. are a six-piece "noisecore" band from Chicago, Illinois that have been around since 2017. They play an incredibly dark, noisy, and dissonant style of music that blend genres such as metalcore, black metal, drone, powerviolence, screamo, and grindcore to form this bludgeoning sound. It's an orchestra of drills and hammers, with shrieks and guttural moans as its conductor. These tracks come together in menacing chaos and hyperactive tension, and this band has truly blown me away. They released an EP earlier this year, the wonderfully titled I Love You, and another incredible one last year. I cannot recommend this enough for fans of music that's been pushed past an extreme limit, because this has definitely knocked me on my ass. Enjoy.

The Children Are Watching (2017)

1. The Bed In The Forest

2. Hazelona

3. The Mother's Garden

4. It Wasn't An Accident

5. Elder Body

6. Buried In The Woods (Bonus Track)

I Love You (2018)

1. Opaque Release

2. Shuttering Impulse

3. Prayer In Shallow Water

4. Ascend And Dispose

5. You Are Home

Mother of Red Light (2019)

1. Failure

2. Child of God

3. Swallowed Conscience

4. Her Womb Lays Still

5. Inbred

6. Cold Prayers

7. Psalm Of Life

8. Return Me (My Body)
9. The Walls, They Whisper

SHAME (2024)

1. Doubt

2. Compulsion

3. Blush

4. Give In

5. Cruelty

6. Shame

7. Blackmail

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Sleep Debt

Sleep Debt are a four-piece screamo/emoviolence band from Minneapolis, Minnesota that formed (presumambly) this year. They recently released their self-titled debut EP, which features 5 untitled tracks of jarring, intense music. Sonically, they can be likened to bands like Louise Cyphre, Ampere, and Loma Prieta for their off-kilter rhythms, dissonant guitars, assaulting vocals and dark atmosphere. This is definitely a fantastic debut, with hopefully a lot more good stuff coming down the pipeline. Enjoy.

Sleep Debt (2018)

1. Untitled #1

2. Untitled #2

3. Untitled #3

4. Untitled #4

5. Untitled #5

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