Army Of Ponch

Army Of Ponch were a four-piece emo/post-hardcore band from Gainesville, Florida that formed in 2001. They quickly released a demo, which was followed-up by their sole full-length, which came out on No Idea Records. The band also released an EP and a live split, but nothing since. Apparently they disbanded in 2006, but they've been playing occasional shows since 2010 at least. They were also set to record a new LP a few years ago, but nothing has surfaced yet. 

Army Of Ponch are a tough band to nail down, as they exist at the crossroads of a real mix of sounds. They melded this raw, driving punk energy with the dynamic and melancholic influence of acts in the underground emo scene from the decade prior. Think a lot of octave chords and rumbling, melodic bass lines. Their vocals were often shouted, but could also switch up to incorporate some straight-forward melodic singing. I'm just rambling here, but if you're a fan of other No Idea acts such as early Planes Mistaken For Stars, Small Brown Bike, or Twelve Hour Turn, you should check this band out. Those aren't really comparisons, more just like bands that may have existed in the same sonic headspace. Enjoy.

Army Of Ponch (2001)

1. Those Old Hurts

2. Wellington, Ohio

3. So, You Told Your Friend I'm Some Kind Of Jet Pilot?

4. Americas #1 Snackcake

5 Go Lemming Go

6. I Spilled Another Drink In My Mouth

7. Résumé, That Still Sounds Weird To Me

8. Mantight (Red Thunder)

9. These Old Hurts

So Many You Could Never Win (2002)

1. Wellington, Ohio

2. Why Don't We Meet Tonight, We'll Sit On The Porch And Sing With Our Cans Raised High Arm In Arm Swinging Side To Side?

3. Foil Monkeys Or Bread Monkeys Either One

4. There's Shit On These Wings

5. Those Old Hurts

6. Go Lemming Go

7. America's #1 Snackcake

8. The Lively Lex Lopez

9. I Spilled Another Drink In My Mouth

10. Résumé, That Still Sounds Weird To Me

11. So, You Told Your Friend I'm Some Kind Of Jet Pilot?

Vs. The Curse (2003)

1. Where's My Miyagi

2. Joe Versus The Tornado

3. Could I Get More Employee In The Monitors?

Live At The Atlantic Vol 01 (2008)

1. Young Livers - Drinks Are Our Amnesty

2. Young Livers - Fair Well

3. Army Of Ponch - America's #1 Snackcake

4. Army Of Ponch - Could I Get More Employee In The Monitors?

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Roosevelt

Roosevelt were a five-piece emo/hardcore band from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida that formed in 1994 and disbanded in 1995. They evolved out of another project by the name of Platform, whose demo I've also included here. Roosevelt formed in late '94 and recorded a demo cassette that same year. Their first official release was a split with Culture, a band they had close ties to in their brief tenure. Their final release came in the form of a 7" that was put out posthumously by Boxcar Records, after its members had moved on to a multitude of other projects. There's a fantastic interview on Abridged Pause with members of the band; it goes into great detail regarding their history and influences (Split Lip, Unbroken, and Texas Is The Reason, to give you a sonic reference point). It's worth a read, and also where these downloads were found from, so full credit there. Enjoy.

Platform Demo (1994)

1. Watch It Burn

2. Damnation

3. Cleanse The Soul

4. Within

Demo (1994)

1. Citizen

2. Stale

3. Runner Up

4. Shroud

5. Wishing Well

6. Gender

Culture/Roosevelt (1995)

1. Roosevelt - Smile

2. Culture - Exchange

Roosevelt (1996)

1. Spine

2. Parade

3. Ugly Truth

Abridged Pause

The Arrival Note

The Arrival Note are a four-piece emo/post-hardcore band from Tampa Bay, Florida that formed in 2021. They initially began as a two-piece project, with both members covering all instruments on their first EP released earlier this year. Since then, they rounded out their line-up and recently put out their second EP of the year, Vol. 2. This is the good shit right here. They take influence from post-hardcore/emo bands such as Texas Is The Reason, Hey Mercedes, Elliott, and My Heart To Joy. Essentially, the kind of midwest emo that's a lot punchier and more driving, with some crisp overdrive and hard-hitting drums. The vocals are still catchy, but with a little more "oomph" behind them than your typical midwestern emo fare. Both EP's are absolutely fantastic, and I cannot recommend this enough, this band undoubtedly has a bright future ahead of them. Enjoy.

The Arrival Note (2022)

1. Trajectory

2. Run

3. Isn't That A Shame?

4. Floor

Vol. 2 (2022)

1. XOXO

2. We Had A Deal

3. Grey

4. 4th of July

...Home Is So Far From Here (2024)

1. All In A Lifetime

2. World Moves On (feat. Postrome)

3. Shine

4. Astronaut

5. Based On A True Story

6. XOXO

7. Loveletter (For You)

8. Back To The Start (feat. Glazed)

9. Interlude

10. Chasing Powerlines

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Sunday Drive Records

Snacking

Snacking are a five-piece emo/indie band from Petersburg, Florida that have been around since 2012. Their latest EP Painted Gold came out in February of this year. These four tracks all offer something different, with strong songwriting and some fantastic production being the common thread. Sonically, the band takes clear influence from emo with an indie rock temperament, with a sound that would appeal to fans of bands like Into It. Over It. or Death Cab For Cutie. Highly recommended stuff, enjoy!

Live GNC Session (2015)

1. Penalty Shot

2. It's a Spring Thing

3. Crumby

4. Phone Etiquette

5. I Don't Want To Live On This Planet Anymore

Not Here (2018)

1. Unravled

2. Rocket Town

3. Genius, Actually

4. Quincy

5. Hum

6. Weathervane

Painted Gold (2021)

1. Blacked Out On A Train

2. Crossword

3. Edward

4. Painted Gold

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Expert Timing

Expert Timing are a three-piece emo pop band from Orlando, Florida that began in 2016. They're a relatively new addition to CYLS with the release of their EP Whichever, Whatever last year, and were pretty prolific up until then. The band have made life easy with the self-assigned "bubblegrunge power pop", which really encapsulates their sound. They bring high energy, dual vocals, earworm choruses, and bright chords with the occasional blast of distorted guitars to each song, making for some unforgettable tracks. Fans of Weezer, The Format, Dowsing, and Camp Cope should check this band out, though those are some pretty loose comparisons. Enjoy.

2016 Demo (2016)

1. Cement

2. Speak

3. Nervous Wreck

4. Sad Enough

Selective Hearing (2017)

1. Sleep

2. Act Your Age

3. Nervous Wreck

4. Swimming

5. Slow

Glare (2018)

1. Don't Look Back

2. Classic Case of Narcissism

3. Disastrous

4. Never See Me Again

5. Smother

6. Alone

7. Sever Your Ties

8. Cement

9. I Just Might Surprise You

10. Littlest Amount

11. Glare

2019 Demos (2019)

1. Complain.gif (Acoustic Demo)

2. Elevator (Acoustic Demo)

3. Cruis'n USA (Demo)

Disastrous (Acoustic Version) (2019)

1. Disastrous (Acoustic Version)

Whichever, Whatever (2020)

1. Gravity

2. Good Things

3. Constant Melody

4. Luckin' Out

5. My Body

Live In Stereo (2021)

1. Cement (Live At Shards)

2. Never See Me Again

3. Classic Case Of Narcissism

4. Sleep

5. Wait, Wait, Wait (The Format cover)

Stargazing (2022)

1. Special Hell

2. Super Ordinary Unimpressed

3. Autonomy

4. The Bigger Picture

5. Life In Pictures

6. New Queen

7. Short & Sweet

8. Hey Friend

9. Homesick Hearts

10. I Can See You Dancing

11. Kick Rocks

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Count Your Lucky Stars

LimitedRun

Camp Trash

Camp Trash are a four-piece indie/emo band from Bradenton, Florida that released their debut EP in January of 2021. I'm admittedly a little late to the game here, but these four tracks are absolutely perfect to soundtrack the coming summer months. They're a blend of pop punk and midwest emo (from The Get Up Kids to Oso Oso) and slacker indie rock a la Built To Spill. These songs are incredibly memorable, with fantastic lyricism, infectious energy and a sense of invincible nostalgia. They've got a bit of a wacky history you can read more about here. Highly recommended. Enjoy.

Downtiming (2021)

1. Bobby

2. Sleepyhead

3. Potomino

4. Weird Carolina

Edema Ruh (2022)

1. Camp Trash - Blazing Trash

2. Weatherday - Nostalgia Drive Avatar

3. Oolong - Bicycle Day

4. Michael Cera Palin - Crypto

The Long Way, The Slow Way (2022)

1. Mind Yr Own

2. Pursuit

3. Weird Florida

4. Another Harsh Toyotathon

5. Enough Explaining

6. Poured Out

7. Lake Erie Boys

8. Let It Ride

9. Soft

10. Church Bells

11. Riley

12. Feel Something

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Count Your Lucky Stars

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Moonraker

Moonraker were a four-piece emo/hardcore band from Tallahassee, Florida that began in 1994 and broke up in 1995. Their releases were very limited, with only two splits, a few compilation tracks and one 10" (released on No Idea Records posthumously). Luckily we live in the age of the internet, so other unreleased material and live songs have also been made available. This resulted in an online bootleg of their full discography. I highly suggest giving this a listen, especially if you're a fan of bands like Moss Icon, Indian Summer and Native Nod. Listen to a song such as "20 Minutes With Michael Kerney" and you'll see exactly what I mean, it's like their "Gravity" or "Angry Son". Enjoy.

Summer Ninety Six (1995)

1. Moonraker - White Christmas

2. Hope Springs Eternal - Drone

3. Don Martin Three - Transistor

Moonraker/Waltz (1997)

1. Moonraker - 1000 Yard Stare

2. Waltz - Gordon Rule

The Age Of Light (1998)

1. 20 Minutes With Michael Kerney

2. Accident Prone

3. You Sank My Battleship

Discography

1. Serum Sickness

2. Train To Blue Mountain

3. Suicide 6

4. Teen Hulk

5. Friendly Fire

6. Accident Prone

7. You Sank My Battleship

8. 20 Minutes With Michael Kerney

9. 1,000 Yard Stare

10. Microgroove

11. White Christmas

12. Accident Prone (Live)

13. Mirogroove (Live)

14. Chicago Train (Live)

Look Mexico

Look Mexico are a five-piece (originally four-piece) indie/math rock/emo band from Tallahassee, Florida that began in 2004. They've been very consistent for such a long-running band, and were slightly ahead of their time musically. They were playing with very clean, complex math-y guitar bits early on, that tends to fall into both emo and math rock camps. As a good pinpoint, they bridge the gap between Ghosts And Vodka and TTNG. Particularly their early EP's and debut album This Is Animal Music, which are often painfully overlooked. They've been fairly consistent since then, with two solid albums, the latest of which came out in 2016 on Tiny Engines. I think anyone into the early emo revival stuff will undoubtedly dig this band, if they haven't heard them already. Enjoy.

So Byzantine EP (2005)

1. Comin' In Hot With A Side Of Bacon

2. Whose Ship Is This

3. I Had A Wrench...

4. Me And My Dad Built Her

5. Oh, The Things I'm Going To Do For My Country

6. Variations On A Theme (Guys, I Need A Helicopter)

The Hang Loose Collection (2005)

1. Comin' In Hot With A Side Of Rucker

2. Guys, I Need A Helicopter (Live From V89)

3. Remember That Favorite Game of Yours?

4. Me And My Dad Built Her (Remix)

5. Eastern And Western

6. Shipped To Who?

7. Jacob

8. Not On My Watch

The Crucial EP (2006)

1. He Bit Me

2. I Can't Today I'm On Duty

3. Call Off Your Lapdog

4. Guys, I Need A Helicopter

5. Come On, We Are Talking About You Here

This Is Animal Music (2007)

1. You Come Into My House, While I Sleep?

2. It's Been A Long Time Since I Smelled Beautiful

3. I Promise We'll Swing For The Fences

4. I Had A Wrench And I Hit Him

5. Watch Out For This

6. Dude, You Have A Bazooka

7. You Ever Get Punched In The Face For Talking Too Much?

8. Me And My Dad Built Her

9. I Mean Pushups?

10. Not On My Watch

11. Done And Done

12. Comin' In Hot With A Side Of Bacon

13. Half That Money Is Mine And I Want It

14. I Like Being A Millionaire. You Will Too, Believe Me

The Crucial Collection (2008)

1. He Bit Me

2. I Can't Today I'm On Duty

3. Call Off Your Lapdog

4. Guys, I Need A Helicopter

5. Come On, We Are Talking About You Here

6. Whose Ship Is This?

7. Oh, The Things I'm Gonna Do For My Country

8. Variations On A Theme (Guys, I Need A Helicopter)

9. Math Is Everywhere

10. I Meant Pushups

11. Me And My Dad Built Her (remix)

12. You Ever Got Punched In The Face For Talking Too Much? (History Invades remix)

13. You Come Into My House, While I Sleep? (Chris Rucker remix)

14. Done And Done (The Dark Romantics remix)

Note: Contains The Crucial EP, select songs from the So Byzantine EP, as well as b-sides and remixes

Gasp Asp EP (2008)

1. You're Not Afraid Of The Dark, Are You?

2. Don't You Dare

3. I'm Not Guilty But I'm Used To It

4. A Survivors' Code. My Code.

Under The Influence Vol. 1 (2008)

1. Fake Problems - I'm A Ramblin' Man

2. Look Mexico - Brand (You're A Fine Girl)

To Bed To Battle (2010)

1. You Stay. I Go. No Following.

2. No Wonder I'm Still Awake

3. Take It Upstairs, Einstein

4. I Live My Life A Quarter Mile At A Time

5. Until The Lights Burn Out

6. They Offered Me A Deal (I Said No, Naturally)

7. Get In There, Brother!

8. They Only Take The Backroads

9. Time For You To Go Down Your Own Thing

10. Just Like Old Times

Real Americans Spear It (2011)

1. You Hungry? Good Cause You're Saying Grace

2. Arrest? I Don't Feel Like I'm Under Arrest

3. That's Funny Cause It Goes Both Ways

4. Where Were You, Vince?

5. Runnin' Ain't Freedom (You Should Know That)

Uniola (2016)

1. Ride Or Die, Remember?

2. Well, Kansas Ain't What It Used To Be.

3. You're Lucky You Didn't Lose Your Arm

4. I Even Got This Scar To Match

5. Next Time, Send A Limo

6. We Are Groot.

7. Ice? Yeah, You Could Chisel Some Off Your Heart, If You Could Find It.

8. Ok, Ok, I'll Turn Down The Music

9. My Superman Seat-Grab Barrel Roll? I'm Still Working On It.

10. I Was Raised With A Different Kind Of Loyalty, You Know What I Mean. I Vote No. (Remember The Second You Go Through That Door, Everything Changes. Our Old Life Is Done.)

11. That Was The Flame Thrower. Use The Rockets. (digital only)

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Tiny Engines

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Donor

Donor were a five-piece emo/indie/punk band from Orlando, Florida that began in 2013. They were a project created by members of Dikembe, You Blew It!, You'll Live, and Crucial Dudes, all fantastic bands in their own right. They came together for one four-track EP, which was released in 2013. They haven't shown any signs of activity since 2015, so it's safe to say this is the one and only we will get. It's a solid release, and sort of what you'd get when a midwest emo band kicks on the overdrive for a pop punk tinge. Enjoy.

Ache Through My Bones (2013)

1.Bitt Will Fit

2. Everything Feels Illegal

3. Katy Perry, Please

4. Pool Dad

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The End Of The Century Party

The End Of The Century Party were a four-piece screamo/hardcore band from Tampa, Florida that began in 1993 and broke up in 1999. They released one LP and a handful of 7"'s, which is pretty standard for a band in the scene they were kicking around in (which is the same scene that birthed Palatka. They were one of the earliest examples of emoviolence, a sound blended hardcore (and what would later become "screamo") with powerviolence influences, making their songs incredibly short, sharp and spastic outings. All their material was compiled on a discography release in 2004, which is what's below. Enjoy.

Discography 1993 - 1999 (2004)

1. Isn't It Perfectly Fucking Delightful To Be So Goddamn Certain

2. Crash Course In Fatherhood

3. Ask My Exorcist Or School Psychiatrist

4. Become A Part, Come Apart

5. The Only Reason You Say You're A Vampire Is Because Werewolves And Frankenstein Don't Get Laid

6. Swear The Barrel

7. Devolution Defined

8. With Breakfast In The Morning

9. People Aint No Damn Good And Shit

10. Everything Stops

11. 102

12. Always On The Outskirts, Enthusiastically Missing The Point

13. Circles Gather

14. With No Regard

15. They Built A City Out Of Radish Dust

16. Knocked Into Place

17. Clean Shot

18. Filed

19. I'm Your Pusher

20. So Long

21. Hope Me Blind

22. Childhood Hopes (Of Self Defense)

23. Older Than Dead

24. Convenience Store Regular

25. Let Me Go

26. Only Attempt

27. Preserving Shit

28. Spermy

29. Centralized Knowledge

30. Numb

31. So Long (Demo)

32. Only Attempt (Demo)

33. Centralized Knowledge (Demo)

Home Is Where

Home Is Where are a four piece emo/indie band from Palm Coast, Florida that have been around since 2017. Above all, they a testimony to emo's constant relentless revitalization. This band takes its cues from early midwest/revival and skramz bands (with some notable The Brave Little Abacus influence) and blends it seamlessly with elements of folk (harmonica included). Their energy is fantastic, songwriting is top notch, and they bring a newness to a nostalgic familiarity that reminds you why you got into this genre in the first place. Thanks to Nick for introducing me to these guys, and enjoy.

alabama / henry (2017)

1. alabama / henry

our mouths to smile (2019)

1. alabama

2. venison

3. alsace-lorraine

4. dob bylan

5. cicada summer (we were on the roof when the ufo's came)

the scientific classification of stringrays (2020)

1. the scientific classification of stringrays

I Became Birds (2021)

1. L Ron Hubbard Was Way Cool

2. Long Distance Conjoined Twins

3. Sewn Together from the Membrane of the Great Sea Cucumber

4. The Scientific Classification of Stingrays

5. Assisted Harakiri

6. The Old Country

dissection lesson (2022)

1. Home Is Where - names

2. Home Is Where - creationish (feat. Pierce Jordan)

3. Record Setter - a world without you

4. Record Setter - plain english

The Whaler (2023)

1. Skin Meadow

2. Lily Pad Pupils

3. Yes! Yes! A Thousand Times Yes!

4. Waiting For Sport

5. Everydays Feel Like 9/11

6. 9/12

7. Daytona 500

8. Chris Farley

9. Nursing Home Riot

10. Floral Organs

Hunting Season (2025)

1. reptile house

2. migration patterns

3. artificial grass

4. black metal mormon

5. stand-up special

6. bike week

7. everyone won the lotto

8. shenandoah

9. milk & diesel

10.  mechanical bull

11. the wolf man

12. roll tide

13. drive-by mooning

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