Handlr - 2023 - Invader - Reviewed

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1) Noid Flanders

2) X 15087

3) Buzz Never Went to Space
4) So Far A Day

5) Body Double

"The long awaited debut EP from Philly's best post hardcore act. Aside from 2 tracks we're familiar with, we have 3 more, each with that polish and creativity you expect from them (Body Double has to be one of my new favorites). I might not be the biggest audiophile, but the mixing here is on point, helping bring that 2000s angst full circle."

Seahorse Choke - 2023 - Everything Went to Shit Like I Thought it Would and You Didn’t Believe Me - (Reviewed)

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1) Died at the Tunnel Along with All the Memories We Made There

2) Oh I Might Hate You Now Seven

3) Reset

4) Rest

5) Time Apart

6) Elliot's Song

"Sad music samplng sad movies, with sad lyrics and sad chords... and this is just what I like. To the likes of Merchant Ships and Place Called Home, it really is a throwback to that era of screamy post 2010 emocore. The best song on here I gotta say, is Elliot's Song; displaying what makes Seahorse Choke a special kind of angsty."

Iwishiwasraining - 2023 - When the Winter Gets Here, I Won’t Know What to Do - (Reviewed)

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1) Everything’s Alive, but I’m Not breathing

2) The Summer is My Reminder
3) Nothings Okay, but That’s Okay

4) Penelope
5) Steve Carrell vs the World

6) October 25th

7) I Can’t Wait for the Spring

8) Give it a Rest

"The first album dropped yesterday, and I didn't anticipate this coming anywhere short of amazing. In their sound, you'll find a much more intimate experience, with both the somber twinkly guitars and emotionally strained vocals you come to expect in a Iwishiwasraining release. Easily these are some of their best songs, by the mere care and passion that went into them. It makes me wonder if there was any inspiration drawn from Russian/Ukrainian emocore. It's a great album, and any fan of the genre's current bands should definitely see what these guys cook up, because I really don't think anyone can do it quite like these fellas from Ohio."

Handlr - 2020-2022 - Singles - (Reviewed)

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1) I Forgot to Water My Plants and They Faked Their Own Death (2020)

2) Trophy Kill (2021)

3) X 15087 (Single) (2022)

"I mean this sincerely, the best band to come from the dead corpse of this style of post hardcore in the past 2 years. When listening to old pxc stuff circa '03-'09 I'm always thinking 'they don't make em like this anymore'. It's a somber reality, but I believe if you look hard enough you can find people who feel the same way and have the inventiveness to rekindle pxc's flames. Each track holds the same level of potency, but is completely unique from each other. I've been patiently anticipating every bit of news ever since their very debut. Being that their most recent single just dropped today, a 'singles' post  and a proper review would be appropriate."

Meißel - 2022 - Meißel - (Reviewed)

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1) VIII

2) II

3) III

4) IV

5) VI

6) V

7) I

8) VII

"My partner is into old school punk, and I ask him what he likes about it vs. post hardcore, screamo, etc. One of them is that the songs are shorter, which allows for more variety... and this is a point I can totally see; thankfully for him, Meißel took a word out of that book and brings to you some powerfully written material back-to-back with a great mashup of screamo and post hardcore, ever-changing in intensity; I love it. Thanks to David from the band, go and give them some love for their masterful work!"

Opt Aut Sic Eco - 2017 - Opt Aut Sic Eco - (Reviewed)

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1) Transformation A.D.

2) Griffith's Billiards

3) The Wolfman's Discotheque

4) The Hunger

5) Outta My Way Fishman

6) You One Of Them Super Draculas

7) Village of the Cat People

8) Death Awaits You

9) Robot Arms Robot Eyes Robot Hips Robot Thighs

10) Night of the Mantis

11) Murder on the Oh No You Didn't Express

12) You Prefer Alien Love

13) The Ghost in the Walls

"First overlooked at the mere sight of it on a certain YT music spam channel... I didn't bother giving it a listen (rookie mistake, I should know better). Months later I rediscovered it whilst looking for some cassettes to pick up for my bf's car's radio. Finally, I sat down and gave it the time that it deserved before. Darkwave and hardcore are a match made in heaven, and I really wish I saw it more, with bands like The Axe That Chopped The Cherry Tree and Blow Up being ones that come to mind. The innate characteristics of the darkwave genre carry across it unrivaled atmosphere for the hardcore components to reside in. As a result, you get a uniquely personal listening experience that helps you appreciate all other aspects of fantastic vocalization, excellent guitarwork, heavy bass, and cadenced drums (think of it as a concert in a chamber, that's the best way I can visualize it). This has been one of the coolest albums I've heard in the past year, and I'm so looking forward to spending more time with it."

Sonagi - 2021 - Pansori 판소리 - (Reviewed)

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1) Minjung 민중

2) Pansori 판소리 (Single)

"Formed in 2019 out of the Philly scene, Sonagi delivers immense talent and creativity into the post rock-screamo niche. I was pleasantly surprised to see Ryann from Closer doing vox, which put this on my radar initially, for which I'm here to stay! This are just the debut singles (if not counting their split tracks), but a full release, Precedent, is set to release on the 22nd of this month; which I eagerly await for. Excellent, beautiful stuff here."

In.Her.Head - 2022 - Carved Wrists In Retrospect - (Reviewed)

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1) That’s Not A Leg Brace, That’s Professor Snape

2) There Are No Doves In Outer Space

3) Hands Tied Hands Basket To Former Self

"Ever since this solo project (now duo) brought upon us the single There Are No Doves In Outer Space a year ago along with the announcement of an EP, I was hyped. This only was furthered by the release of more singles and demos... and here, the long anticipated release is finally out! This is one of the most expressive post hardcore albums I've ever heard (if not the most) from how personal and 'one-on-one' such composition brings across. This might have to do with the fact so much is done with just one individual (you rock, Rowan!), or perhaps its expressive lyrics. Either way, its absolutely legendary and ya'll should definitely give it a listen."

Vape Pens - 2022 - Gothitelle GF Demos - (Reviewed)

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1) Lowkey Scared of Heights But I'm Tryna Be Cool

2) I Love You to Pieces <3 

3) Jodie Foster Nosferatu

4) Wasted Adderall

"The qualities of this style of screamo do something much music fails to do (maybe because this is a very specific scenario)... being stuck in your room, isolated, with nothing left to do but binge random content you have lying around to stimulate your brain and distract from how lonely and detached you have become; this perpetual state of limbo is something many more people have unfortunately come to experience in these past two years. This is a short and sweet demo, each sampling used appropriately to add to this overall sentiment (bonus points for Taxi Driver & Cube... kinopilled). Now, this is just coming from me and this might mean something totally different; but this is what resonated deeply with me. I must've listened to this thing at least 20 times by now. If you've shared this sentiment, then this is a must listen. Innovative, personal, wrapped in a warm blanket."

Slipdiver - 2010 - Slipdiver - (Reviewed)

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1) Summer Song

2) Christmas In Mexico

3) Blame The Vase

4) The Snakewood Avenue Crucible

5) Showin' Up

6) Lit Up!

7) Quit Giving Up

8) Waterwitch

9) Resin Breath

10) Welcome To The Bottom (Prepare To Feed)

11) Room 224 Post Cocktail Hour

12) Your Boyfriend's Weird

"The rough around the edges, loosy-goosey, and experimental debut release that would plant the seeds for their other releases. This gives it a special quality that make it a unique experience. Slipdiver has been one of my favorite bands recently, and going back to this lets my enjoyment come full circle. A humble and intimate experience that is even more incredible with retrospective viewing."

Iwishiwasraining - 2021-2022 - Demo Tapes 1-3 - (Reviewed)

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1) Campfire Song

2) Counting to a Billion

3) Have You Seen Me??

4) Long Story Short, it Was a Banana in My Pocket

5) An Excellent Day to Wither Away

6) I Miss the Comfort in Being Sad

7) Interlude

8) Good Mourning, Good Night

9) Turnpikes and Highways

10) So Long, Goodbye!

11) Cheese in a House of Vegans

12) I Drank a Redbull and it Didn't Give Me Wings

13) Crows Above

14) Bite Here
15) She Doesn't Like Merchant Ships? That's a Red Flag

16) Ifyoucouldreadmylockediphonenotesyouwouldcry

17) Are Shroom Moms the New Wine Moms?

18) The Great Departure of the 2000's

19) [Single] I Would Kill for My Chest to Stop Hurting (2022)

"This exceptional three piece band from Ohio brings with it a plethora of influence and creative ability. Songs are diverse, engaging, and overall just plain lovely (in my own words). Bedroom melancholia that is relaxed without breaking the fast and manic pace of expressive introspection. This is a great way to use elements of a genre to their full capabilities in telling a compelling narrative. One example; using a squacky-styled scream in some of the songs could come across as amateur for many (doesn't bother me too much, though it can sometimes), but the way in which they use it feels very deliberate; slowing it down, picking it back up, changing the pitch... the extent of their creativity is so fucking impressive in what they're able to express. A small detail among many that makes this demo a must amongst skramz bois out there. Also lyrics are super relatable lmao."

Armor For The Broken - 2006 - Songs of Hope and Love - (Reviewed)

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1) Diagram of a Darkened Heart

2) A Boy Called Never

3) Bedroom

4) Augustine

5) Autobiography of a Spotlight

6) Maybe the Bitter End Ain't So Bitter

7) Call it a Tragedy

8) Sometimes I Like to Pretend I'm Johnny Cash

9) Such a Disappointment That All Things Should End This Way

10) Texas Emergency Hotline

"There's something really special about this album... it might be a product of the era with an unassuming name but this doesn't really as feel derivative or uninspired as you'd expect, quite the opposite; fresh and original. Some parts can go anywhere from A Skylit Drive to Drop Dead, Gorgeous, to Anatomy Of A Ghost (to those who aren't aware that's a pretty diverse range of sound to the genre). It doesn't appeal to lowest common denominator desperate to be picked up by a label, I really get the feeling they were trying to pick apart their influences and seeing what they could create (DUNGEON SYNTHS, people!). My only wish is that there was more diversity with 10 tracks... but considering I rated My Last Dying Wish so high I don't hold that against it. Thanks to Liam for sending the files he had and for the recommendation!"

Like Hung Like Stars - 2021 - It Gave Way to More Than You Could Imagine - (Reviewed)

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1) You're Not Alone, There's Plenty of Us That Feel the Same Way You Do but Don't Have the Courage to Say It

2) New Year, but it All Feels the Same

3) An Unremarkable Day Spent at a Water Park in Wisconsin, I Still Remember it for Some Reason

4) A Christmas Gift for Laurel

5) End of This Story, The

6) [Single] Departing Ships (2021)

"This EP progresses from their demo, while introducing a lot of new sounds into the mix, like experimenting with folk singing, spoken word, and predominant electronic elements; distorting their sampling to a larger extent. Just as good as the last, I can only hope they go up from here. My only tiny nitpick is some of the sampling choices seemed out of place. A small detail I adore is the tape-changing sounds and differing audio mixing that sounds akin Tear Down December's rough demos (very out there reference but it just came to mind).

Lights Strung Like Stars - 2020 - Fall Demo - (Reviewed)

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1) Power Lines, or How We Wondered Where it All Went

2) Like an Apparition, You Were Never Even There

3) Peachleaf Drive

4) Rei Ayanami

"I find myself just blown away by this demo... something about it, I can't put my finger on it. I hate myself for not discovering these guys sooner, I was introduced thanks to The Battle at Kiganjima Island. A lot of aspects remind me of picking up where Merchant Ships, The Kodan Armada and The Brave Little Abacus left off. We are in the onset of a beautiful, emotional, atmospheric screamo scene with so many years of retrospection and material behind us. This 3-piece from West Lafayette, Indiana has some great concepts in the works... I'll post their Janurary EP tomorrow and review that as well, I just really needed to stress the importance of giving these guys a listen as soon as I could. I've listened to this demo like 5 times already."

Griphook - 2021 - Brutal Bloodsport - (Reviewed)

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1) Blood Rage

2) Prom Night

3) The Mutilator

4) You're Next

5) Black Christmas

6) Maniac

7) Silent Night, Deadly Night

8) Slumber Party Massacre

9) Angst

10) The Burning

11) New York Ripper

12) Scream

13) House By The Cemetery

"I meant to post this earlier on its release (since it released Halloween). It's not often I listen to this genre... but oh boy am I glad I did. The frontman, Butcher, from the band sent this my way; a group of horror fanatics from Akron, Ohio whose aesthetic is unrivaled, inspired by horror flicks and grindhouse horror, comes a tasteful embodiment of edge and grime (without coming across as pretentious). It's an album I recommend listening to all at once, and brings me back to Loss (2006)... though, hot take: I like this a whole lot more, especially toward the album's latter half. Sludgy guitarwork, upfront bass, and impassioned vocalization work together to create allegorical images, allowing for absolute immersion. Show these dudes some love, seriously."

How To Escape Reality - 2020 - How To Escape Reality - (Reviewed)

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1) The Evening Star

2) Let Me Inside

3) Okay Okay

4) Falling Away

5) In The Ground

"This band is so refreshing to the ears, a blend of beautiful melodic emo, indie/alternative, and post hardcore to make for a pleasant experience. No track limit themselves to a stagnant cadence, yet doesn't feel bloated, remains sincere all the way through. Stay posted on these guys; I'm serious. Was sent this by Sam from the band, who's also a listener of the blog (what a chad)!"

This Painted Red - 2004 - My Last Dying Wish - (Reviewed)

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1) Paper Cuts And Porcelain Dolls

2) A Dozen Dead Roses

3) Ever Wonder What A Broken Heart Sounds Like? (Ever Wonder 2004)
4) Long Short While
5) In A Lonely Room

6) Love Song

7) Hate Crisis

8) Everything We Have

9) [Missing] Promises

10) Funeral For My Heart

11) [Missing] Another Wasted Night

12) 7:45 (Because It's Shit Upside Down)

"This Painted Red was one of the first posts on the blog, The Floor It Fell From has always been one of my favorite releases since getting into the Lastfm pipeline. Originally, I found these guys from looking at bands with the tag Mall Emo when I was first getting my roots into post hardcore (I didn't know what Mall Emo even was)... I still have not found a band that captures the sound I'm looking for in the same way that This Painted Red has. It's been a lengthy search in trying to find this release with little to no info online, another victim of the Myspace & Purevolume losses. After many leads turned dead ends and contacts I finally received a hit on my wishlist; 12 tracks (9 more than I originally thought existed) uploaded by Pasha Thrills. Nothing could prepare me for this; I (quite damn literally) went to my car to isolate myself and scream from the excitement I felt. While driving to class tonight I was able to sit and listen at last, and it surpassed my expectations. Hitting on every aspect I praised their 2007 EP for, this release delivers. It's unpolished, sincere, and passionate (I don't know if you notice but I tend to repeat adjectives for these reviews; I'm not Roger Ebert nor do I pretend to be). I hope fellow Dear Diary fans will find this well, I've dreamt of finding this one day and I thought I never would've."

A Heartwell Ending - 2006 - Myspace Demos (Reviewed)

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1) Letters in Lipstick

2) Friction

3) As I Light This Fire

4) How it Feels to be Alone

5) Slit Your Wrists and Pray

6) All Alone (Demo)

7) All Eyes on Me

8) A Desperate Attempt for an Ongoing Conversation

9) Just Another Song (Slit Your Wrists and Pray Demo)

10) Say it Ain't So

11) Highschool Proms are for Assholes

12) If Looks Could Kill (Demo)

13) Realization's a Bitch

14) Playing for Blood

15) Prelude to a Kill (Another Song for Your Myspace Demo)

16) From Heart and Soul to Pen and Paper (Demo)

17) Things That Go

18) Random Words on a Particular Subject

19) Watch Me Make You Hate Me

"Provided by the Bernie, the legend... this is an unofficial release of their demos/releases scattered through various Myspace profiles, which was suspected to date around 2004-2006. I always wondered why their 2006 LP, 'Trust Us, We Lie was toned down compared to their other stuff (which made me overlook them initially as generic), and thanks to Bernie I now know why; clout. From the release of  'If Looks Could Kill', they blew up overnight and the fame kinda got to their heads, which led up to the dissolvement of the band before releasing their LP fans were rightfully disappointed from the change in appealing to more radio-friendly audiences. Regardless, these are some stellar tracks with a lot of unique experimentation. You could consider this a semi-informal review, but I'd give it a fair."

Attack Attack! - 2008 - Someday Came Suddenly - (Reviewed)

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1) Hot Grills and High Tops

2) Stick Stickly

3) Bro, Ashley's Here

4) Shred, White, and Blue

5) Party Foul

6) What Happens If I Can't Check My Myspace When We Get There?

7) Interlude

8) The People's Elbow

9) Kickin' Wing, Animal Doctor

10) Dr. Shavargo Pt. 3

11) Catfish Soup

12) Outro

"(I recommend watching The Punk Rock MBA's video on this as well)... This release is notorious for changing the landscape of metalcore to come in the latter half of the decade, making enthusiasts and gatekeepers alike vomit. In (hardcore) communities it has made a complete 180 in how it's been perceived and appreciated, from harsh skepticism and rejection, to meaningful recognition, and then to respect for what these guys brought to the table with their unmatched talent. While listening, you need to not just bathe in its 'cringe', but embrace it as part of the experience. Maybe I'm making it more complicated than it is, but I firmly believe that's the best way to listen to this album. For this very reason, it's one of Noise and I's favorite albums, for real."

Dryconditions - 2004 - A Sentimental Ornament - (Reviewed)

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1) A Sigh Of Relief

2) Hiding Behind

3) Mistaken For Targets

4) The Losses Of A Whole Decade

5) Azure

6) Walking Insecure

7) Lion's Cave

8) The Farewell-Phrases

9) Restricted

10) The Final Dance

"Now, I know in the previous update post regarding school I said I'd be slowing things down, but just today I couldn't help myself when I saw the album in the mailbox. Had it shipped all the way from good ol' Switzerland and used one of those USB disc things to convert the files over since my expensive ass desktop didn't come with a disk drive. Anyways, the album... this album... I recently found their 2010 release and it was eh, so it was a bargain, but since their 2006 split and 2001 releases were solid I was confident in this release being good. A beautiful assortment of components; pianos, both male and female vocalists creating one of the most dynamic albums I've ever listened to. While it still being distinctly post hardcore/emo, you can definitely see some progressive inspirations peaking their way through. I can also envision that people from numerous genre backgrounds enjoying this. In essence, one of the greatest albums I have had the pleasure of sitting through. One hell of an obscure gem that will hopefully now be more accessible."