Sophie's Floorboard

Tuesday, 20 September 2022

Scowl

Scowl are a four-piece hardcore band from Santa Cruz, California that formed in 2019. They put out a demo and EP the same year. Their debut full-length How Flowers Grow came out last year, and was without a doubt one of hardcore's finest moments of that year. The band rips through 10 songs in 15 minutes, and the only way I can think to describe it is "aggressively fun". The drums are pummelling, the vocals are scorching, and the band still finds time to change things up on the surprisingly catchy and sunny standout track "Seeds To Sow". They're touring with The Bronx, The Chats and Drug Church in October, so check them out if you get the chance. Based on videos from their live sets, it looks like they put on hell of a show too. Enjoy.

Demo (2019)

1. Scowl

2. Roots

3. Negative Contract

4. False Virtue

5. Just To Be

Reality After Reality... (2019)

1. Retail Hell

2. Pretty Selfish Cretin

3. Reality After Reality...

4. My Turn 2 Play

5. Choke

How Flowers Grow (2021)

1. Bloodhound

2. Dead To Me

3. Pay Privilege Due

4. Trophy Hunter

5. Seeds To Sow

6. Idle Roaring Room

7. Fuck Around

8. Roots

9. Four Walls

10. How Flowers Grow

Psychic Dance Routine (2023)

1. Shot Down

2. Psychic Dance Routine

3. Wired

4. Opening Night

5. Sold Out

Are We All Angels (2025)

1. Special

2. B.A.B.E.

3. Fantasy

4. Not Hell, Not Heaven

5. Tonight (I'm Afraid)

6. Fleshed Out

7. Let You Down

8. Cellophane

9. Suffer The Fool (How High Are You?)

10. Haunted

11. Are We All Angels

Mindforce

Mindforce are a four-piece hardcore band from Poughkeepsie, New York that have been around since 2016. Following up their absolutely fantastic debut full-length Excalibur in 2018, Mindforce are back baby, with their sophomore release New Lords. It was put out by Triple B Records, as has most of their records. Once again this label proves why they are one of the finest tastemakers in hardcore, as Mindforce are easily one of the best crossover bands currently kicking, and their newest album is a dropkick testament to that. Heavy, chugging guitars, squealing lead breaks and a ton of gang chants are all omnipresent here, and though it may not be reinventing the wheel, it sure as shit is fine tuning it. Enjoy.

2016 Demo (2016)

1. Moments That Define

2. Chroniker

3. Untitled

4. The Fulcrum

5. Gauntlet

The Future Of... (2017)

1. The Future Of...

2. They Just Want War

3. Storm About To Burst

4. Golden Age

5. Run And Tell Them

Mindforce/Dead Heat (2018)

1. Mindforce - Firestarter

2. Mindforce - Another Lost Piece

3. Mindforce - Civilization's Lie

4. Dead Heat - Pay The Toll

5. Dead Heat - True Blue

6. Dead Heat - World So Cold

Excalibur (2018)

1. Destroyer

2. Senseless Act

3. Nightmare

4. Fangs Of Time

5. Excalibur

6. Put You Down

7. Won't Be Denied

8. Smother My Foes

9. Bestseller

10. Fades Away

Live On Axe To Grind (2019)

1. Slay An Intruder (Live On Axe To Grind)

2. My Rage (Live On Axe To Grind)

3. Smother My Foes (Live On Axe To Grind)

4. Fangs Of Time (Live On Axe To Grind)

5. Destroyer (Live On Axe To Grind)

6. Senseless Act (Live On Axe To Grind)

7. Excalibur (Live On Axe To Grind)

Swingin' Swords, Choppin' Lords (2020)

1. Swingin' Swords, Choppin' Lords

2. Fratello

3. Hope Dies In The City

4. Hellscape

Reign Of Terror (2020)

1. Reign Of Terror

New Lords (2022)

1. New Lords

2. Survival Is Vengeance

3. Worlds Fail

4. All Facts

5. Thirteen & Mean

6. Oucasts Of The Empire

7. When Instant Karma Lasts

8. Goliath & The Runt

9. Street Slayer

10. Rotten

Monday, 19 September 2022

Sweet Pill

Sweet Pill are a five-piece emo/indie/punk band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that began in 2018. They put out their debut full-length Where the Heart Is earlier this year via Topshelf Records, following an EP and series of singles that were compiled on the sampler below. This band is fucking great, I just got the chance to see them with La Dispute and they blew me away. They put on a flawless show with a fantastic energy, and I highly recommend you check them out on this tour I assume many of you will be going to anyway. They seamlessly blend math rock riffs and some technical drumming into straight-up bangers, with some incredibly charismastic lead vocals to complete the ensemble. Their debut is a fun yet endearing outing, and absolutely should not be missed. Enjoy.

Lost In It (2019)

1. Swallow The Pill

2. Doubt

3. Nephew

4. Best Of Me

5. Til It's Gone

Sweet Pill Sampler (2020)

1. Swallow The Pill

2. Best Of Me

3. Miss This

4. Tell Me

5. Doubt

Where the Heart Is (2022)

1. Where the Heart Is

2. Blood

3. High Hopes

4. Dog Song

5. Sucker Punch

6. Sometimes

7. Diamond Eyes

8. Fate

9. Red String

10. Cut

Starchild (2024)
1. Starchild

2. Chewed Up

3. Eternal

4. Sympathy

The Arrival Note

The Arrival Note are a four-piece emo/post-hardcore band from Tampa Bay, Florida that formed in 2021. They initially began as a two-piece project, with both members covering all instruments on their first EP released earlier this year. Since then, they rounded out their line-up and recently put out their second EP of the year, Vol. 2. This is the good shit right here. They take influence from post-hardcore/emo bands such as Texas Is The Reason, Hey Mercedes, Elliott, and My Heart To Joy. Essentially, the kind of midwest emo that's a lot punchier and more driving, with some crisp overdrive and hard-hitting drums. The vocals are still catchy, but with a little more "oomph" behind them than your typical midwestern emo fare. Both EP's are absolutely fantastic, and I cannot recommend this enough, this band undoubtedly has a bright future ahead of them. Enjoy.

The Arrival Note (2022)

1. Trajectory

2. Run

3. Isn't That A Shame?

4. Floor

Vol. 2 (2022)

1. XOXO

2. We Had A Deal

3. Grey

4. 4th of July

...Home Is So Far From Here (2024)

1. All In A Lifetime

2. World Moves On (feat. Postrome)

3. Shine

4. Astronaut

5. Based On A True Story

6. XOXO

7. Loveletter (For You)

8. Back To The Start (feat. Glazed)

9. Interlude

10. Chasing Powerlines

Sunday, 18 September 2022

Squirrel Bait

Squirrel Bait were a punk/post-hardcore band from Louisville, Kentucky that were around from 1982 to 1987. They began as a three-piece, with founding member David Grubbs as their guitarist and vocalist. With this line-up they recorded their first demo, when they were all still in high school and going by the name Squirrelbait Youth. Following that, they changed their name and drummer. They added Peter Searcy as the primary vocalist, which is when their sound really began to evolve from the scrappy punk of the band's earliest work. Following the inclusion of Brian McMahon as a second guitarist, they put out their most ground-breaking material, which was their self-titled EP and only full-length, Skag Heaven. Both were reissued in 1997, which is why sometimes the release year is listed as such on those two albums. There's a great write-up on the history of the band here if you're interested in learning more.

Their sonic trajectory can be loosely compared to bands such as The Replacements or Hüsker Dü, who took their energetic punk origins and blended it with catchy songwriting and big, melodic, distorted and reverberated guitars. Squirrel Bait's influence was immediately felt, especially in the emerging grunge and emo scenes at the time. One listen through of their EP will reveal just how foundational they are, as it predates the sounds that would define a decade years before that decade even began. It's no surprise that the likes of Bob Mould and Dave Grohl have been known to sing their praises. Members of this band went on to a ton of other amazing projects. Most notably, guitarist Brian McMahon and drummer Britt Walford formed Slint, another genre-defying and hugely influential project. Walford was also a member of The Breeders, and played on Pod. David Grubbs went on to play in Bastro and Bitch Magnet. Enjoy.

Squirrelbait Youth (1982)

1. Tylenol Scare

2. Busy Signal

3. Ghetto Blaster

4. The Darker Side Of Youth

5. The Pit

6. You Can Forget It

7. Penelope

8. That Badge

9. Desert Wasteland

10. Insurrection

Note: Tracks 8 and 9 only, the rest of this demo has yet to surface online

First Demo (1983)

1. Silence Is Golden

2. Occupant

3. New Direction

4. Pepsi Generation

5. Doubting Thomas

6. Blockhead

7. Operation Eagle

8. Fashionable

9. Just Kidding

10. Average Rebel

Second Demo (1984)

1. Tense / Earth Shattering

2. Insult To Injury

3. Black Light Poster Child

4. The Nearest Door

5. Rage For Life

6. Disguise

7. Occupant

8. Notice When

9. When I Fall

Squirrel Bait (1985)

1. Hammering So Hard

2. Thursday

3. Sun God

4. When I Fall

5. The Final Chapter

6. Mixed Blessing

7. Disguise

8. Perfect

Kid Dynamite (1986)

1. Kid Dynamite

2. Slake Train Coming

Skag Heaven (1986)

1. Kid Dynamite

2. Virgil's Return

3. Black Light Poster Child

4. Choose Yr Poison

5. Short Straw Wins

6. Kick The Kat

7. Too Close To The Fire

8. Slake Train Coming

9. Rose Island Road

10. Tape From California (Phil Ochs cover)

Bandcamp
Spotify

Apple Music

Halfway To Holland

Halfway To Holland were a four-piece emo/indie/pop punk band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that were active from 2001 to 2004. They recorded a handful of tracks and self-released one album in that time.Though the material is solid, this band's legacy may have slightly shifted to the wayside if not for what three quarters of its members would do soon after. Halfway To Holland is the precursor to the one-and-only Algernon Cadwallader, who played a major part in kickingstarting the emo revival and are still and beloved and reverred band to this day, even reuniting this year after breaking up nearly a decade ago. Before all that, bassist/vocalist Peter Helmis and guitarists Joe Reinhart and Colin Mahony were Halfway To Holland (with Helmis and Mahony on inversed instruments in HTH).

Sonically, they were a lot punchier and more driving than the noodly math rock that permeated Algernon's discography, with full chords, chunky palm mutes and only flashes of melodic guitar leads. They were a little more driving and conventional, which is why they often get lunked in with the pop punkier side of emo, which is still fantastic in its own right. This band does hold up on their own, and I'd recommend the self-titled to anyone that sounds appealing to on its own merit. It's just makes for an even more interesting listen knowing where these guys would go, especially now that they've finally returned. Enjoy.

Demo (2001)

1. The Most Convincing Letter

2. An American Ocean

3. From The Ankles Up

4. An Army Behind Me

5. It Comes With The Territory

6. In Good Taste

Halfway To Holland (2003)

1. It Comes With The Territory

2. The Most Convicing Letter

3. An American Ocean

4. An Army Behind Me

5 In Good Taste

6. Intentionally Blank

7. From The Ankles Up

8. Together In Hopes

9. Not Quite Yet

10. To Be Frank I'd Have To Be Foley

Unreleased Tracks (2003/2004)

1. Crimson Red

2. To Be Frank I'd Have To Be Foley

3. Leave The Claustrophobia To The Claustrophobians

4. Untitled

5. The Beast

6. Beating A Dead Horse

7. Poor English

8. Eight

9. No Souls

10. To Be Frank I'd Have To Be Foley (Demo)

11. Leave The Claustrophobia To The Claustrophobians (Demo)

Compilation Tracks

1. To Be Frank I'd Have To Be Foley

2. Together In Hopes

3. The Page Is Intentionally Blank

Saturday, 17 September 2022

The Progress

The Progress were a four-piece emo/indie/pop punk band from Cherry Hill, New Jersey that were around from 2000 to 2008. They put out one full-length in 2005, along with a handful of EP's and misceallounes releases throughout their years together. In 2020, their full discography was finally made widely available via a discography compilation, which can be found here or any streaming service. Sonically, they, alternated between the melancholic arpeggios of midwest emo and the chunky, distorted and energetic styllings of pop punk. Fans of bands such as The Promise Ring, Knapsack, The Get Up Kids, Piebald, or Hey Mercedes should definitely check this out if you've never heard them. A major point of note is that this is Evan Weiss' first major project. Post-The Progress, he began his solo and best-known project Into It. Over It., which are without a doubt one of the flagship acts of emo in the past decade or so. He's got the Kinsella fever, so he's also been in a ton of other projects, including Pet Symmetry, Their / They're / There, Stay Ahead Of The Weather, and more. Enjoy.

The Complete Discography: 2000 - 2008 (2020)

1. Nightlife: Tornado Alley

2. Backwards From Ten

3. For Edwards Wells

4. Paper & Ink

5. A Drug Called Tradition (Version 2.0)

6. Merit

7. Maybe, Maybe

8. Similar Haircuts

9. The Face Of Better Moods

10. This Thing Goes Forever

11. Straight Shot From St. Lou

12. We Could Have Done This All As Frinds

13. 676 / 76 (Version 2.0)

14. And Straight On Till Morning (Version 2.0)

15. U.S. Camera

16. And Straight On Till Morning (Version 1.0)

17. 676 / 76 (Version 1.0)

18. A Drug Called Tradition (Version 1.0)

19. Isla De Pascua

20. Christmas Eve

21. The Saddest Way

22. Every Breath Is Right

23. Second Star To The Right...

24. (Penny Lane Breaks Hearts)

25. The Eye's Aurora

26. Windbreaker

27. Half New Year

28. Jingle Bell Broke

29. Christmas In Rittenhouse Square

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple Music

Chumped

Chumped were a pop punk/emo band from Brooklyn, New York that formed in 2011 and broke up in 2016. Their output was very limited, with only two EP's and one LP to their name. And what a hell of an LP it is. As I say often, it's absolutely criminal that this wasn't posted back around when it first came out, but now is as good a time as ever to check it out. With the benefit of hindsight, Teenage Retirement is probably one of the best punk/power pop albums of the decade, with impeccable songwritings and enough earworms to occupy a drunken summer night. With punchy instrumentals and wistful lyricism, the whole gives off a sense of bittersweet defeat. They descend from the influence of bands including Weezer, Jawbreaker, and Superchunk, and fans of their contemporaries such as Joyce Manor, RVIVR, P.S. Eliot, and Fake Problems.

Chumped (2013)

1. Union Square

2. Someday

3. Something About Lemons

4. Eleanor

5. Let Him Lie

6. Dear Emily Dickinson

That's The Thing Is Like... (2014)

1. Hot 97 Summer Jam

2. Doubt

3. Vices

Teenage Retirement (2014)

1. December Is The Longest Month

2. Hot 97 Summer Jam

3. Coffee

4. Novella Ella Ella Eh

5. Anywhere But Here

6. Name That Thing

7. Songs About Boats

8. Long Division

9. Something About Geography

10. Penny

11. The Pains Of Being...

12. Old And Tired

Not The One (2016)

1. Not The One

Note: Released before they broke up, B-side from the Teenage Retirement sessions

Yearning

Yearning are a four-piece screamo/emoviolence band from Montreal, Quebec that began in 2021. They put out their debut album earlier this year on No Funeral Records. MMXXII (Roman numerals for 2022) consists of 7 tracks in 9 minutes, which is all the time this band needs to get you hooked. Without a doubt, this is one of the most impactful and earnest takes on the sound pioneered by bands such as Orchid or Louise Cyphre that I've heard in a while. It's harsh, chaotic, and completely despondent, with some scorching vocals and and ritualistic guitars that recall the greatest moments of their aforementioned precursors. This is a release that will stay on repeat for a long time, and I cannot wait to see what this band has coming in the future., Also, just FYI, there is a Finnish doom metal band with the same name, in case there's some confusion when looking them up. Enjoy.

MMXXII (2022)

1. I

2. II

3. III

4. IV

5. V

6. VI

7. VII

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

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple Music

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Tuesday, 20 September 2022

Monday, 19 September 2022

Sunday, 18 September 2022

Saturday, 17 September 2022