Widowdusk - Widowdusk
B Tier
Youthful, clumsy and raw, Widowdusk’s self-titled debut LP is a depressive Screamo album with plenty of tense, quieter moments to balance out the aggression. Widowdusk also integrates haphazard Indie Folk songs and one true meme song to close things out, which perhaps holds this record back just a bit.
basque - Pain Without Hope Of Healing
B Tier
Starting innocuous enough with an Indie-esque minute-and-a-half intro, basque soon introduces frenzied and dissonant Screamo, which is the bulk of this album’s sound. Despite sounding pretty sick and taking influence from more than just your standard Screamo, some production and songwriting choices leave the songs just below that explosive gear that the Emoviolence greats are able to throttle into. Despite that, it’s a worthy listen and the final song is genuinely brilliant.
Burial Etiquette - Mise-en-scène
B Tier
Modern Canadian Emos, Burial Etiquette is already one of the most prolific artists in the scene with a myriad of EPs and splits underneath their belt. However, Mis-en-scène is the band’s debut full-length album. The band prioritizes DIY aesthetics and melancholic production, though the music itself is a combo of Midwest Emo, Screamo and Post-Rock. Perfect listening for when you're sad and a bit pissed.
Foxtails - Home
B Tier
Foxtails is one of the most celebrated Screamo bands of the last decade, and with good reason. On this EP, Foxtails expound upon their last LP, playing atmospheric Post-Screamo with special mention to the sinister violin that colors the songs dark. June's punishing vocals permeate the agony of the lyrics with a mix of saddened cleans and merciless screams. Perhaps the only fault I can find is that the weight of their ambition sort of crushes this record. Had the grandiosity continued after the third and final song, this would be much higher.
Excuse Me, Who Are You? - Double Bind
B Tier
Sounding like if William Bonney added some Post-Hardcore into the mix, EMWAY? is a newer Midwest Screamo band that really enjoys rocking the lower register guitar notes more than the twinkly stuff. The vocals are aggressively shouted and endowed with a sense of self-loathing. However, the sum is not greater than the parts on here as some tracks have a disconnect between the vocals and the general song vibes. Either way, this is a great outing for a debut LP.
