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.
Bottom Bracket - I'm So Afraid of Where
B+ Tier
One of Chicago’s true hidden gems, Bottom Bracket have been hard at work improving their sound ever since their debut EP all the way back in 2017. While I wouldn’t say they’ve perfected their sound, this album is a sizable leap forward for the band. I’m So Afraid of Anywhere is chock full of excellent Mathy riffs, heart-on-your-sleeve vocals and generally a light atmosphere, an accessible combination that many could be interested in. Although this album isn’t the defining Chicago album of the 2020s or anything, it’s an extremely solid effort from a band who is ever-improving.
hanoi traffic - towards an end
B+ Tier
towards an end is hanoi traffic’s second EP and damn do they bring the heat! Relentless and unbelievably heavy, towards an end has tons of subtle technicality if your ears can cut through the cacophony; it helps when Will Killingsworth himself is your mastering engineer. I’m looking forward to seeing where this band takes their sound in the future, but I can already really appreciate what they’re doing.
Blind Girls - An Exit Exists
B+ Tier
Blind Girls is perhaps the best Emoviolence act going right now, and certainly so for the Southern Hemisphere. An Exit Exists further canonizes the band as such with one of the darkest and most ferocious albums of the entire year. Anguish-soaked shrieks permeate the chaotic instrumental accompaniment with everything you’d expect from the genre: walls of distorted guitars, destructive drumming and slightly less noisy sections that highlight the true pandemonium within each song. Only further-defined volume dynamics could have improved this release at all, and that’s only my subjective opinion.
Ben Quad - Ephemera
B+ Tier
Surprisingly less Midwest Screamo than you’d expect based off their seminal single You’re Part of It, Ephemera is nonetheless exactly what fans of Ben Quad have been looking for - a continued exploration of their harsher sounds. I’m happy to report that, just like their non-screamed Emo songs, Ben Quad remain excellent songwriters first and foremost, and exhilarating musicians second. The mathy, twinkly sound of their Midwest Emo songs makes the jump with some Post-Hardcore structure.