The Sprawling World of Post-Emo
The boundaries of emo have never felt as expansive as they do in 2021. You’re getting a little bit of 2013 deja vu, where almost anything with loud guitars is getting put under the genre. But there does seem to be some genuine new territory being explored in the various outgrowths that have followed from the so called death of the emo revival. One of the most compelling ones of note has been labeled as post-emo. There may be some squabbling over the classification or if certain bands belong in it or not, but it’s where we’re seeing deviations from the stilled sound emo took on by the maligned “weedmo” era. The influences feel less tied to the traditional cannon and are more a product of the internet age, bringing in a little bit of everything. We’ll call it emo’s version of hyperpop for shorthand.
Trying to trace the history of Post-Emo is messy though. It doesn’t follow a linear timeline. The sound is scattered throughout the revival, and never really formed under a coherent scene until very recently. Below are a few of the main influences for the modern sound along with a sampling of active bands that I would call Post-Emo. This is by no means comprehensive or the final word as the discourse moves at a breakneck pace week to week that is overwhelming to be honest.
Brave Little Abacus
Just Got Back From Discomfort is the blueprint for whatever people formulate as the post-emo sound. And it most likely will never be topped. It’s a product of its era in the best way possible, clouded in mystery for the simple fact that The Brave Little Abacus broke up in 2012, way before the very online era we are now existing in came about. All newfound fans had to pour over was the music, creating whatever narrative they saw fit. It wasn’t until recently that people finally got some answers on the very excellent E Word episode featuring Adam Demirjian from last year.
What still makes the band feel special all these years later was how novel it all was and still is. There wasn’t any one thing in particular that The Brave Little Abacus were drawing from when they released what people mistakenly call a 2008 demo. The influences were all over the place, placing Bomb! The Music Industry and Rush on equal footing.
Crying
You never know what bands are going to be influential for the generations going forward. Emo has proven this fact several times, with many only becoming bigger once they break up. The internet works as an equalizer in this way. One of the unexpected bands that looms large today is Crying. You can hear their influence especially on Get Olde, when songs were built atop a Gameboy programmed to work as a synthesizer. It never falls into the trap of novelty act though, expanding into new territory and abandoning the Gameboy on Beyond The Fleeting Gates, the band’s debut on Run For Cover Records.
Glass Beach
2019 to me was the first sign that we were entering something different in the emo landscape. New acts were beginning to emerge, solidifying that we were entering an exciting time for the genre. Along with Dogleg and Origami Angel, came Glass Beach with their self titled debut. Even if it didn’t necessarily sound like the revival, calling it indie rock wasn’t right either. Listening to “classic J goes dies and goes to hell part” gives the same feeling as when I first heard “Pile! No Pile! Pile!” or “An Introduction to the Album” for the first time. It stirs a feeling deep inside of you that only emo can provide, meant to be sung arm in arm of a random stranger in a sweaty basement.
Weatherday
Weatherday is the reminder that not every single band has to have crystalline production. The draw of emo has always been in its imperfections. Records that are beloved oftentimes sound like shit. But it doesn’t end up mattering to me. A good song is more important than how well it was recorded. And over time I adore those blemishes because it is inherently tied to the experience of listening to the record.
I use this long winded preamble to talking about Come In, the debut record from Weatherday, because this project is truly a DIY affair. Everything you hear on the record was done by one person. So the drums might not always sound exactly to your liking for example. The strength of the songwriting is so strong that whatever hangups you bring will melt away. The one-two punch of “Come In” and “Older Than Before” should easily draw in anyone who wants a filling of sugary pop delight. “My Sputnik Sweetheart” is the centerpiece and a 13 minute opus, taking wonderful detours, such as a church like choral interlude about halfway through.
Lobsterfight
Nobody else on this list even comes close to sounding like Lobsterfight. Pink, black, and orange in the corners. starts out with a stark scream against a synth line, giving the listener a hint at what is to come. These songs feel as gigantic as Glass Beach but are so much more chaotic. The instruments clash against each other constantly, resulting in these intense pockets of catharsis. It’s unpredictability is the draw, especially for a genre that has leaned into boring genre tropes in the last couple of years. “frog” is the starkest example of Lobsterfight’s whimsy, showcasing all the best parts of the band in a sprawling 12 minutes.
Hey, ily
Where other post-emo acts favor maximalism, Hey,ily goes in the opposition direction and is a completely lo-fi affair. You can make the Crying comparison almost immediately but I also hear some other influences coming through the two EP’s released thus far. “Behave Like Tundras” shows up about halfway through Internet Breath and is essentially a screamo song. The vocals are buried far underneath a drum machine, living in the extremely exciting world of bedroom screamo. But at the core of the project is a knack for pop songwriting. “DigitalLung.EXE” burrows itself into your brain, with something as simple as a five second guitar riff drawing you in.
Thank you, Agamenmon
Within the first ten seconds you will know whether thank, you agamemnon is for you. The intro track is one of the catchiest songs I’ve heard all year, placing its screams at the perfect spot and gives the same intended effect as gang vocals to me. It sits in a very similar space as the Hey, ily project, even calling itself digital rock as one if its bandcamp tags. There is not a second wasted on the debut EP and cuts out any excess fat, with no song running over the 3 minute mark.
Summer 2000
Summer 2000 will be familiar to anyone with a passing interest in the indie rock world. It’s dreamlike in its atmosphere, reminding me of a more slowcore tinged Strange Ranger with a bedroom production. The moments where it veers away from sedate indie rock are when it truly grabs me, like halfway through “Autumn Birthdays”, where for about 20 seconds it turns into spittle filled punk song.
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