I caught up with PARTY HATS aka Ethan, Johah, and Chris from Denton, Texas prior to their ZBR Fest run. Besides asking them to play the fest, I've helped release 'Fatima' on cassette via Tomb Tree so they've been on my radar since then. Twinkly/screamy emo/screamo for the few readers who may not have come across this band yet, but I think they're kind of a mix between The Exploration and D'Amore. Some things discussed amidst awesome music: ripple effects of Warped Tour, laptops as babysitters, Mojo Haiku, the need for output, Dave's small net, Venus Twins' love, excitement for ..read more

USURP SYNAPSE "Jaw One" exclusive song/music video premiere For fans of: Lower Automation, Whores and Jeromes Dream      New USURP SYNAPSE. More info soon. (2024) USURP SYNAPSE "Jaw One" official music video https://youtu.be/_6NVhyL33lE ..read more

CATALYST + KNUMEARS + VS SELF + PARTY HATS "Split" exclusive album premiere CATALYST Bandcamp KNUMEARS Bandcamp VS SELF Bandcamp PARTY HATS Bandcamp LARRY RECORDS Bandcamp ORDER LINK ---> order link goes live at 9am PST / 11am CST / 12pm EST <--- ORDER LINK      I am fucking ecstatic to be the one bringing you the exclusive first premiere of the entire 7" 4-Way split featuring four of the hottest screamo bands around. Larry Records had this to say about its origin: "This split was heavily inspired by the 4 way split series ZBR did a few years ..read more

Band: .22LRFor fans of: Frail Body, Othiel, Gil Cerrone, Youth Funeral, Crowning, Brahm, Elle, Beau Navire, and Heavenly Blue.Genres: Punk / Emo / Screamo / Skramz / Emo-violence Related artists: Less Dead, Low Before The Breeze, Noisy Sins Of The Insect, Stevan Filopovic, Tara Tarama, and Jornada Del Muerto. Country: Atlanta, Georgia U.S.A. + Istanbul TURKEY Years Active: 2024-present Label(s): Tomb Tree / Mevzu Records      After releasing such an incredible debut I felt it necessary to try and push it a bit more thr ..read more

VOW "Die Silent" exclusive song premiere For fans of: Undying, Rotting In Dirt, Pathos Departure, (early) Left Behind, Advent, Brothers and Xibalba releases April 16th on Tomb Tree      VOW is a new band from Chicago and holy fuckin' smokes this 'Demo' hits like a concrete slab. Vocalist Andy Klingensmith has done a bunch of drone/noise and acoustic folk but when he sent me this four-track debut I couldn't believe my ears. Pummeling yet dynamic, heavy yet melodic, this band's release comes out on cassette via Tomb Tree on April 16th. The band is gene ..read more

LIFE IN VACUUM THE DOG INDIANA / DASTARD @Lucky Bar in Victoria on March 29th, 2024 Live Show Review I'm starting to get back into the cycle of seeing a lot of shows and I couldn't be happier about it. Besides the most recent Emma Goldman show and this, expect reviews of the Comeback Kid/Spy show in Victoria as well as the first few Mourn Recif shows, a few of which will be with Hillsboro and Bok Suna (bands on CanaDave's Softseed Music label). Trekking out to this on my lonesome was a tad daunting but I got hugged immediately by a few friends upon entering and all of my worries ..read more

Band: LOCKSLIPFor fans of: Converge, Horsewhip, Ed Gein, Volp, Engineer, Cult Leader, Kidnap Soundtrack, The Chariot, Cave In, Rotting In Dirt, Sectioned, Frontierer, Dillinger Escape Plan, Advent, Lavotchkin, Achilles, and Lentic Waters.Genres: Punk / Hardcore / Metal / Metalcore / Metallic Hardcore / Math Metal / Mathcore Related artists: House Olympics. Country: Loas Angeles, California U.S.A. Years Active: 2023-present Label(s): Bad Break Records      I've had the review queued up for over a week but have had a tough go with the excep ..read more

FARAH RUD + OPIÁCEA + DESVIO "Split" exclusive album premiere For fans of: Orchid, June Paik and Amu Daria FARAH RUD Bandcamp DESVIO Bandcamp OPIÁCEA Bandcamp             Today's premiere of this incredible 3-way split featuring 7 songs in 16 minutes from Farah Rud (Indonesia), Desvio (Brazil), and Opiácea (Brazil). It releases in full March 21st via Lua Negra Records, a Brazilian screamo label, on their Bandcamp page as well as streaming platforms. The production was completely DIY: all the songs were recorded, m ..read more

    Nick Miller from FLESH AND BLOOD ROBOT joined me on the most recent podcast which I'm airing a day before their reunion show with From A Second Story Window on March 17th, 2024 at Pyramids Scheme in Grand Rapids, the band's first show in 18 years. Nick also plays in Dust Biters and is a hella funny and interesting guy. Some things discussed: stupid back injuries, being a roadie at 16, Myspace messaging board beefs, screamo and instru-metal tangents, surviving on the McDonald's $1 menu, reuniting and playing with From A Second Story Window, the Ion Dissonance trailer show, the ..read more

AUTUMN "winter hug" exclusive song premiere For fans of: Sorecausaqich and Twinfield orders open March 26th on Softseed Music      Nearing summer I will begin posting more indie rock stuff, as that has dominated my ears for the past year. Just a heads up. I reckon once per month you'll see a post for that kind of stuff, with everything else remaining the same as it's been for the last 12 years.      As I continue my immersion into the softer stuff, when I find stuff I really like I put that shit out on my label Softseed Music, which is where this ..read more