Worst Party Ever

Worst Ever Party are a four-piece indie/emo/punk band from Sarasota, Florida that formed sometime around 2014. They broke up temporarily near the end of 2016, but are now back with a new album in the works. These guys play an incredibly fun, energetic, bedroom-demo style of music. They're catchy as hell, with fantastic lyrics built around personal anecdotes. Some of it's acoustic, some of it is full-band. They bear a striking resemblance to very early The Front Bottoms, which is an absolute compliment, as well as Modern Baseball and Mom Jeans. Fans of those bands absolutely need to check this out, they won't be disappointed. They've released a couple of EP's thus far, as well as Anthology, which contains a good chunk of their recorded material up until now. I'd suggest starting there. Enjoy.

Money. (2014)

1. Sleeping With My Cellphone

2. Wires

3. You Don't Party

Worst Party Ever (2014)

1. Sleeping With My Cellphone

2. I Drive Past A Light Store On The Way To Your House

3. Lakes

Super Soaker (2014)

1. Kicking Myself In The Face

2. Come On, Guys

3. Lakes (Acoustic)

Cheap Haircuts/Worst Party Ever/Junior College/I Am Clark Kent (2015)

1. Cheap Haircuts - Callaway Villas

2. Cheap Haircuts - Paper Cuts

3. Worst Party Ever - Real Sports

4. Worst Party Ever - Dewey

5. Junior College - Deja Vu

6. Junior College - Limescale And Rust

7. I Am Clark Kent - OhLookADonnybrooke

8. I Am Clark Kent - Bronchitis

We Still Love You (2015)

1. Kicking (myself in the face)

2. 1:30

3. Come on, guys

4. Swimming

Trying Soda (2016)

1. Big Wave

2. Trying Soda (I Know You So Well)

3. Brian, In Tampa

4. Creeper (Instrumental)

Anthology (2016)

1. Sub Bean Every Day

2. Did The Cubs Just Win The World Series?

3. Trying Soda (I Know You So Well)

4. Trying Harder

5. Ohmygodicantbelieveiforgothowtoplaythis

6. Big Wave

7. Dewey

8. Real Sports

9. Brian In Tampa

10. Kicking Myself In The Face

11. 1:30

12 Come on, Guys

13. Swimming

14. Wires Demo

15. Sleeping With My Cellphone

16. I Drive By A Light Store On The Way To Your House

17. Sleeping With My Cellphone (Demo)

18. Fault Lines (2014)

19. Wires

20. Come On Guys (Demo)

21. Lakes

Worst Party Ever/Wake Up Spaceboy (2017)

1. Worst Party Ever - Ganon Main (Demo)

2. Wake Up Spaceboy - I'm Never Leaving Florida

The Year Of The Manatee (2018)

1. Ganon Main

2. Camping

Japan (2018)

1. Alright

2. Holy Water

3. Worst Party Ever

4. Sake Bomb

5. 12/11/17

6. Things Change

7. 09/2016

8. Japan

here, online (2020)

1. Cross Country

2. False Teeth

3. what about you?

4. Chofu

5. Road Trip

Worst Party Ever/Dogleg (2020)
1. Worst Party Ever - Star 67 (Dogleg cover)

2. Dogleg - Ganon Main (Worst Party Ever cover)

3. Worst Party Ever - Fos (Dogleg cover)

4. Dogleg - Road Trip (Worst Party Ever cover)

Dartland (2021)

1. Prism On A Window

2. Circle 

3. Provenance

4. Where's Jack?

5. In Chamber

6. Talk

7. Beautiful Out

8. ALYWD

9. 3D Camera

10. New God

11. Natural

12. Into The Pür

Bandcamp

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Jejune

Jejune were a three-piece (later four-piece) emo/indie band that were around from 1996 to 2000. They originally formed in Boston when all its members attended the Berklee College Of Music, but moved to San Diego in 1997. They played an energetic style of emo at the beginning of their career that can be loosely compared to bands like Jawbreaker, Christie Front Drive or early Jimmy Eat World (who they put out a split with). As they progressed, they began to develop a jangly-pop song, featuring clean bright guitars. Into the mid to late stages of their career, they start taking influence from elements of shoegaze, most notably in the heavily distorted guitars and reverberated vocals. They are also known for the interplayed, dual vocals, which had a knack for harmony and some striking melodies. Overall, this band isn't nearly as well-known as they should be, and definitely stand out among their "emo" contemporaries as being truly unique. Highly. highly recommended. Enjoy.

Garden Variety/Jejune (1996)

1. Garden Variety - New Guitar Parts

2. Jejune - Drive By Negly

The Emo Diaries - Chapter 1: What's Mine Is Yours (1997)

8. Hialeah

Junk (1997)

1. Meteorite

2. Greyscale

3. Pablo

4. Stresser

5. Ethan Allen

6. Pablo

7. Radical Firepower

8. Ford

Jejune/Jimmy Eat World (1997)

1. Jejune - Early Stars

2. Jejune - That's Why She Hates Me

3. Jimmy Eat World - What I Would Say To You Now

4. Jimmy Eat World - Speed Read

This Afternoons Malady (1998)

1. Morale Is Low

2. Coping With Senility (Lowlife Owns A Pen)

3. This Afternoons Malady

4. Fixed On The One

5. Sitcom Epiphany

6. Solar

7. New Clear Saturday

8. Regrets Are Unanswered Dreams

9. Demonica

10. 38 Calumet

11. One Transmission

12. Same To You

Jejune/Lazycain (1999)

1. Jejune - The Boy With The Thorn In His Side (The Smiths cover)

2. Lazycain - Handsome Devil (The Smiths cover)

Jejune/Dignity For All (1999)

1. Jejune - Record City Afterworld

2. Dignity For All - Transparency

3. Dignity For All - Short Distance

R.I.P. (2000)

1. Record City After World

2. The New State

3. Lunatic

4. The Highs And Lows

5. 2000 Miles

6. Heart Of Desire

7. Early Stars

8. Morale Is Low

9. That's Why She Hates Me

10. Solar

11. Lowlife (Version Remix)

12. Grace (Wizard Glick Is Swimming)

Benton Falls

Benton Falls were a three-piece (originally four-piece) emo/indie band from Santa Rosa, California that formed in 2000 and broke up in 2010. They released two incredible full-length records, as well as a compilation of previously unreleased material, all on Deep Elm Records. Sonically, Benton Falls took their cues from the great emo bands of the decade that preceded them, such as Sunny Day Real Estate and Braid. They utilized quiet, twisting, clean arpeggios, moody, melodic vocals, and explosive build-ups of furious, distorted octave chords and screamed vocals. Their songwriting is top-notch, and they really hit the melancholic note that the genre is renowned for. This band is highly, highly recommended for any fan of that classic emo sound that obviously influenced its current revival. Quick side note, guitarist/vocalist Michael Richardson was a member of The Jealous Sound during their last few years of existence. Enjoy.

Fighting Starlight (2001)

1. All These Things

2. Swimming With You

3. Fighting Starlight

4. Sad Like Winter Leaves

5. Always Behind A Smile

6. June Port Bridge

7. No Hero

8. Coastal

9. Back To Nothing

10. Eudora

Guilt Beats Hate (2003)

1. The Housecall Could Kill

2. The Race To Die

3. Bitter By Choice

4. Trial And Terror

5. Angel On Hiatus

6. Like Portraits On Walls

7. There's No "F" In Team

8. Defining The Warm-Up

9. Beneath The Ashes And Lies

10. Broken Frame

Ashes And Lies (2010)

1. Occupied For Now

2. Hold Out

3. Tell Him

4. These Lies

5. Zinfandel Dream

6. Angel On Hiatus (feat. Clair De Lune)

7. Untitled Demo 1

8. Untitled Demo 2

9. Untitled Demo 3

10. Untitled Demo 4

11. Untitled Demo 5

12. Untitled Demo 6

Deep Elm Records

Second Story Window

Second Story Window (not to be confused with the band From A Second Story Window) were a four-piece hardcore/emo band from Del Mar, California that were from 1993 to 1995. They only put one EP and one LP, both of which were on the legendary Gravity Records. Along with their labelmates such as Heroin and Antioch Arrow, Second Story Window are often credited as being a pioneering screamo band, and share a lot of commonalities with the aforementioned bands. If you dig the noisy, aggressive shrieking of those bands, with a bizarrely melodic tinge, you will undoubtedly like this. Enjoy.

Second Story Window 7" (1993)

1. Bottle Opener

2. Justified

3. Pole To Pole

4. Abigail

5. Left Behind

Second Story Window LP (1994)

1. Big Eyed Blue

2. New York Loop

3. 86 Submunitions

4. Unfinished

5. Hypothalemus

6. Circus Act

7. Targeting Precision

8. Executive Realignment

9. Sophisticated Engineering

Foxtails / Algae Bloom SPLIT PREMIERE

It's the first day of spring, and with the changing of the seasons comes this split from two incredible bands. Connecticut's Foxtails and Norwich's Algae Bloom come through with 6 new tracks of material out today. This is a split release between Nothing Feels Good (US), Adorno Records (UK), and Damn Fine Tapes (EU).

Foxtails bring 2 tracks to the table, featuring their unique brand of technical screamo, with clean, dissonant instrumentation and maniacal, haunting vocals. Just listen to the throat-shrieking climax of "Cucaracho" to hear everything incredible about this band. Algae Bloom bring this split home with the final 4 tracks. They come through with a warm, fret-frenzied style of midwestern emo that teeters between melancholic and melodic. Vocally, they top it off with some hoarse screaming, giving these would-be calm songs a shot of incredible desperation. The highlight on their side would probably have to be those syncopated breaks on "Understanding In Negative", though this whole split is nothing short of awesome.

You can listen to it at the link below or you can pick up the cassette via Nothing Feels Good or Damn Fine Tapes!

Foxtails / Algae Bloom (2018)

1. foxtails - To Kitty, Love Bunny

2. foxtails - Cucaracho

3. algae bloom - How Are You?

4. algae bloom - Life In Brio

5. algae bloom - If I Was To Talk Meaningfully With My Friends

6. algae bloom - Understanding In Negative

Foxtails

Bandcamp

Facebook

Algae Bloom

Bandcamp

Facebook

Kite Flying Society

"Please let me keep this memory. Just this one."

Year 6 of this lonely and despaired tradition. Another screamo soundtrack to wallow in. Valentrine's Day 2018, a day of romance and lovers. Not that you'd know anything about that. Thus you are left to scourge every sorrowful moment, every lonely Sunday morning, every pain in your half-burnt heart, and every reminder of when things were better. Might as well listen to some decent tunes while you do it. This year we've got the fantastic Kite Flying Society to do so, and I'll leave links to all previous years in the comments if you want to deepen the wound.

Kite Flying Society were a five-piece screamo band from Orlando, Florida that were around from at least 2000 to 2002 (any more info would be appreciated). They played an impassioned style of screamo akin to bands such as Saetia or You And I. In their chaos and dissonance, there are definite signs of melody here, albeit brief ones. Vocally, they are absolutely scorching, but also made heavy use of spoken word bits, which harken back to Moss Icon in the fragmented delivery atop arpeggiated guitars. Their discography, like many of their contemporaries, is fairly scattered. They released 2 EP's in their lifetime, and recorded a handful of other tracks that were never released. That is, until their full discography was compiled in 2006 by Init Records. Their discography is below, which includes all their EP material, some unreleased/demo tracks, as well as some live stuff. Doesn't get much better than this on days like today. All apologies and smiles, yours truly, ugly Valentine. Enjoy.

A Discography (2006)

1. Art of Conversation

2. Past Life Regression

3. Nothing

4. Art Of Conversation

5. Breathe

6. Blinded

7. Past Life Regression

8. On Stars Our Dreams Are Born

9. A Twisted Path

10. 10,000 Hands

11. This Picture Was My Heart

12. Untitled

13. We Dance At Night

14. Summer Solstice

15. A Twisted Path

16. Rocky IV

17. Hospital Bed

18. Winter Solstice

19. Stuck Like Chuck

20. Concrete Trees

21. End Of Time

22. Metal Mayhem

23. We Dance At Night (Live)

24. Breathe (Live)

25. Nothing (Live)

26. A Twisted Path (Live)

27. Art Of Conversation (Demo)

28. Winter Solstice (Demo)

Bandcamp

Basic White

Basic White are a four-piece band from London, Ontario who play that old time rock n roll. Their debut EP, Long Time Comin', came out in November 2016. This thing is five tracks of killer hooks and riffs, complimented by some slick leads and blues-tinged rhythms. Fans of other great Canadian rock bands such as The Trews or Sam Roberts will definitely see the appeal here. They've got a fantastic kick-back and let loose energy to them, which really translates well in a live setting. Check out their latest video for the song "Glory Years" below. If it suits ya fancy, I definitely recommend picking up the full EP, which is available below and well worth the listen. Enjoy!

Long Time Comin' (2016)

1. Glory Years

2. Something In Between

3. Willing & Able

4. Waiting For Change

5. Way Up

Website

Bandcamp

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Foxtails

Foxtails are a three-piece emo/screamo band from Connecticut that have been around since at least 2015. They play a very technical style of emo that borders on math rock, with some dizzying fretboard work on bright guitars, and some very athletic drumming. They've got some very impressive dynamic shifts, going from melodic, quiet passages with softly sung vocals to screamed, bombastic moments. Utilizing off-kilter rhythms, odd song structures and time signatures, as well as never shying away from dissonance to create unease in the calmer moments, Foxtails have showed that they are not only incredible musicians, but have crafted a sound that is truly their own. Their last album, III came out last year on Emo Cat Records, and is unfortunately something I've slept on until now. Highly, highly, recommended. Enjoy.

This Is Not For You (2015)

1. Random Names Always Work

2. Purge

3. Vacant Lottery

4. ccc

5. The Ten Commandments Of Ryan F.

6. Every Window In An Alcatraz Has A View Of San Francisco

7. I Can't Fucking Write Books Because I Only Write Songs Now

8. Well, Well, Well, How The Turntables...

O Tempora! O Mores! (2016)

1. Timeline

2. I'm A Sociopath

3. Pellon Upon Ossa

4. Do You Believe I'm Real, Boy Wonder?

5. De Mal En Peor

6. Welcome To Hawaii

Rare Beasts/Foxtails (2016)

1. Rare Beasts - Grendolyn

2. Rare Beasts - Let Me Tell You About The Time I Punched That Bandicoot (Live)

3. Foxtails - The Punishment Light

4. Foxtails - I Experienced Ego Death On An NDE Thread

III (2017)

1. Princess Carolyn

2. The Chicken From Outer Space

3. c.c.c.r.e.m.i.x.

4. Punishment Light

5. zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcba

6. The Revenge Of The Chicken From Outer Space

7. I Experienced Ego Death On And NDE THread

8. Every Window In An Alcatraz Has A View Of San Francisco (II)

Note: Cassette can be found here

Foxtails / Algae Bloom (2018)

1. foxtails - To Kitty, Love Bunny

2. foxtails - Cucaracho

3. algae bloom - How Are You?

4. algae bloom - Life In Brio

5. algae bloom - If I Was To Talk Meaningfully With My Friends

6. algae bloom - Understanding In Negative

querida hija (2019)

1. zzz

2. the chickening

3. prime crier

4. it was the first i remembered a saturday night i forgot about

5. lucky cat sticker pack

6. querida

7. i experienced ego death on a skramcave thread

fawn (2022)

1. ego death

2. star-crossed

3. ataque de nervios

4. gazelle

5. bbq

6. gallons of spiders went flying thru the stratosphere

7. so it goes

8. space orphan

9. life is a death scene, princess

10. catalyst

11. la belle indifférence

12. paper tiger

Home (2024)

1. Dereliction

2. Dissection

3. Deconstruction

Bandcamp

Facebook

Emo Cat Records

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

Bandcamp

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Zegema Beach Records

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

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