Origami Angel - Feeling Not Found
🥉#3 | S Tier
Gami Gang rejoice! This is Origami Angel’s best outing since GOATed Emo album Somewhere City, and that is an amazing statement given their legendary discography. Whereas on their debut LP they clung to a youthful and somewhat naive sense of hope and optimism despite life's turmoils., on Feeling Not Found, five years later, they present a new sense of cautious optimism that only wisdom and world-weariness can draw out. Replacing their fixation with Math Rock is a penchant for Easycore riffs and breakdowns, the latter of which is particularly creative and ubiquitous on this record. Despite being 14 songs deep, almost every track is prominent and serves a function on the larger experience.
Heart to Gold - Free Help
#8 | A Tier
Moody Emo veterans H2G finally unlock their melodic potential by adding in a heaping teaspoon of radiant Emo-Pop into the mix. With one of the best vocalists in Emo today throwing caution to the wind, the vocals are far and away the best feature of this record, but the lighter direction the band took helps to highlight the bombastic singing to a higher degree. While the instrumental virtuosity isn't a priority, the band's performance is consistent and superb, delivering possibly the finest addition to this underrated band’s discography.
Wapddi - Like Our Friend Murphy
A- Tier
Infectiously fun, wildly explorative and ridiculously melodic, South Korea’s hidden Emo gem Wapddi delivers one of the freshest albums of the entire year. 5th Wave Emo fans rejoice! This release takes influence from a multitude of other genres, including Math Rock, Power Pop, Indie and Post-Rock. The superlative influences actually meld together quite naturally here, with song after song feeling instinctively in its place as the album presses on. Some of the catchiest vocal and instrumental melodies of the entire year are just casually found several places throughout each song.
Frat Mouse - Flea House
B+ Tier
Frat Mouse has been one of the most interesting and consistent bands in the entire wave, and Flea House is no exception. The youngin’s are youngin’, which almost always makes for great Emo. The folksier elements of the band’s sound have been toned down on this album, meaning this release is more straight Emo. If you’re a fan of any of the band’s other work, this album is exactly what you need.
Oso Oso - life till bones
B+ Tier
life till bones is a breezy stroll through increasingly-Power-Pop-influenced-Emo-Pop from Emo stalwarts Oso Oso, filled with acoustic guitars, fun and simple song structures and an unwavering commitment to making catchy music. It’s not the greatest Oso Oso release of all time, but fans will have a lot to dive into, but new fans will love how accessible this outing is. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but there’s a strong Macseal vibe on this one, too.