Meet Me In St. Louis

Meet Me In St. Louis were a five-piece post-hardcore/emo/math rock band from Guildford, Surrey that were active from 2005 to 2009 before reuniting for a tour in 2023. If you're interested in doing a deep dive on the band's history, they conducted a retrospective interview you can read here. In terms of sound, imagine trebly guitars, syncopated rhythms, odd time signatures, robust bass lines, and impassioned vocals that create this cacophony of sound that's as beautiful as it is blistering, just as melodic as it is technical. Their sole LP Variations On Swing is incredible, but if you're looking for just one release a compilation of all their recorded material was put out by Big Scary Monsters, so that's probably your best bet to start with. Enjoy.

Promise me that we'll never be like them. I don't want to wind up like that. Relax, baby. We're going to wind up like us. (2005)

1. I am Champagne and You are Shit

2. Why Thank You, Suzie

3. Corey Feldman

...And With The Right Kind OF Eyes You Can Almost See The High Water Mark That Place Where The Wave Finally Broke And Rolled Back (2006)

1. We Need To Act Like We Don't Need This Shit, Then you Give Us Shit For Free

2. The Kid Who Had His Ear Slapped By The Druggiest

3. Why Thank You, Suzie

4. What Happened To You Dylan? You Used To Be Someone I Could Trust

5. You Said Your Finger Was A Gun

Variations On Swing (2007)

1. The Torso Was Severed In Mid Thorax

2. Well You Damn Well Should

3. Right This Way, You Maverick Renegade

4. I Am Champagne, You Are Shit

5. I Beat Up The Bathroom, I'm Sorry

6. Ein Zwei Drei Hasslehoff

7. All We Need Is A Little Energon, And A Lot Of Luck

8. Come To New York, There Were Fewer Murders Last Year

9. I've Got Knives In My Eyes I'm Going Home Sick

10. You're Doomed

MMVI - MMIX (2015)

1. The Torso Was Severed In Mid Thorax

2. Well You Damn Well Should

3. Right This Way, You Maverick Renegade

4. I Am Champagne, You Are Shit

5. I Beat Up The Bathroom, I'm Sorry

6. Ein Zwei Drei Hasslehoff

7. All We Need Is A Little Energon, And A Lot Of Luck

8. Come To New York, There Were Fewer Murders Last Year

9. I've Got Knives In My Eyes I'm Going Home Sick

10. You're Doomed

11. I am Champagne and You are Shit

12. Why Thank You, Suzie

13. Corey Feldman

14. 1. We Need To Act Like We Don't Need This Shit, Then you Give Us Shit For Free

15. The Kid Who Had His Ear Slapped By The Druggiest

16. Why Thank You, Suzie

17. What Happened To You Dylan? You Used To Be Someone I Could Trust

18. You Said Your Finger Was A Gun

Note: Compilation including their LP and both EP's

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To The North

To The North Brisbane are a four-piece math rock/post-hardcore band from Brisbane, Australia that formed around 2007. They released a handful of EP's and one LP between 2007 and 2015. Members also play in Apparitions, though To The North is still technically active, continuing to play the occasional shows including a festival appearance this month with Blind Girls. Sonically, this band plays noodling, mathy, and angular riffs with clean (or semi-clean guitars) with midwest emo inflections in the vein of Braid or Minus The Bear, with an intense spoken-shouted vocal delivery that recalls Bear vs Shark. If you're new to this band, I'd suggest either Landscapes for something more emo-y or their full-length Lustre for something a little more unique and tightly refined, but ultimately everything here is solid. Enjoy.

Landscapes (2007)

1. Intro

2. Matinees And Make Believe

3. Nights Like These

4. Behind The Paranoia

5. Drift Away

6. Trapdoors

Ohana/To The North (2008)

1. Ohana - Bleed Ideals

2. To The North - Harms Way

Note: To The North track only

To Work And Not Feed (2009)

1. We Are Not Ashamed

2. Cells

3. If Knowledge Was A Rite Of Passage You Would Be A Fucking Genius

4. Pistol Kids

Indiscretion (2010)

1. Indiscretion

2. No Alibi

3. Lustre

4. This City

5. Pistol Kids (live)

Lustre (2011)

1. Release The Brakes

2. No Alibi

3. Doubt The Shadow, Not The Sun

4. Clear Signal

5. Soft Light Through Plain Glass

6. Rescue And Return

7. Indiscretion

8. Progress Broke The Saddle

9. To Question The Moment

Departure (2015)

1. Departure

2. Escape Artist

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Naiad

 Naiad were a five-piece metalcore band from Kyoto, Japan that were around from 2001 to 2006. The band's output was minimal, with just a demo and their 2003 EP Hardcore Emotion being their most definitive release, which is a severely underrated genre-bending masterpiece, with elements of ambient post-rock, intense, searing vocals and off-kilter metallic riffs a la Shai Hulud or 7 Angels 7 Plagues, and melodic, melancholic emo in the vein of Grade or Christie Front Drive, all packed into an incredible 22-minute runtime. This is an incredible release that I wish I had found sooner, so implore you to give it a listen as well for its sheer uniqueness and visceral impact. Members of this band are also now active in .islea. if you want to check them out too. Enjoy.

Demo (2001)

1. Lost & Noticed

2. ☆☆☆☆☆

Hardcore Emotion (2003)

1. Sensuous Tree

2. Believing Dreams

3. Waves Of Influence Strike Within What Truly Moves You

4. Song Of Nature

5. Hopeless Progress

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The Cardinal Sin

The Cardinal Sin were a four-piece emo/pop punk band from Minneapolis, Minnesota that were around from 2003 to 2006. In that time, they released one full-length, an EP, and a split (which I'm missing), all of which consist of a chunky, driving rhythm section, melodic lead guitar noodling, and catchy, layered vocals. If you're into bands such as Motion City Soundtrack (who they extensively toured with), Alkaline Trio, The Lawrence Arms, or Latterman, they're definitely worth your time. Hurry Up And Wait also belongs to an elite club of albums with houses on the cover, so it's got that going for it, on top of being a solidly underrated album. Enjoy.

 

Oil And Water EP (2005)

1. Where We Shine

2. Quarter-Life Crisis

3. Woke Up In Pain

4. A Call For Help

5. Bastards Of Young (The Replacements cover)

6. Oil And Water

Hurry Up And Wait (2006)

1. Eye-Opener

2. Under Your Skin

3. Rough Road

4. Saddest Song

5. Keep You Guessing

6. I'll Confess

7. Light Years Behind

8. White Light! What Light?

9. Good For Nothing

10. He's A Space Case

11. Swarm

12. Hell Of A Saint

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Apple Music

Feels Like Heaven

Feels Like Heaven are a five-piece melodic hardcore band from Stockholm, Sweden that was formed in 2022 by three members of Speedway. Their debut album Within Dreams came out on January 1st, 2026, and it is one hell of a way to kick off a year. The album features these bright, crisp guitars that intertwine between shimmering arpeggios, octave-based riffs, and full major 7th chords, giving them a melodic edge atop pounding drums reminiscent of Title Fight or Basement, hints of More Than Life, while other moments harken back to the angular, confessional intimacy of Embrace or Rites of Spring, with vocals that ride the line between gruff and airy. It's a brisk listen, between 10 songs not one of them hit the full three-minute mark, so it's well worth your time to give this a listen (the run during the first half is especially impeccable). Enjoy.

Extended Play (2022)

1. Runaway Dogs

2. Bright Angel Trail

3. When I Touch The Ground

4. Do You Feel It?

The Rest Of Me / Speed Trials (2022)

1. The Rest Of Me

2. Speed Trials

Within Dreams (2026)

1. World Clock

2. Volvo (On The Road)

3. Box Man

5. Sandra Bullock

6. All That I've Got

7. Heavenly Feeling

8. Around The Bend

9. Video Loss

10. Take The Rain

Bandcamp

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Apple Music

Northstar

 

Northstar were a four-piece emo/pop punk band from Huntsville, Alabama that formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2005. In that time, they evolved quite a bit. While starting off as a melodic hardcore band with chunky, metallic riffs, throughout their run of early demos you can gradually hear the Jawbreaker, Sunny Day Real Estate, Knapsack, and The Get Up Kids influence seep in, right up to the release of their debut LP. Is This Thing Loaded? is a rambunctious effort with driving, distorted guitars, while their sophomore album Pollyanna is a little cleaner, more reserved, and effortlessly catchy in its overlayed vocals, dual guitars, and melodic embrace. Both albums were put via Triple Crown Records before they broke up, with only a compilation release coming posthumously of various demos and acoustic stuff (including a damn good cover of Jawbreaker's "Chesterfield King"). Though contemporaneous with a little of similitude to the likes of Taking Back Sunday, Further Seems Forever, The Early November, and Hot Rod Circuit, Northstar never quite got the recognition they deserved, and if you're into the aforementioned bands, you are going to undoubtedly love this. Enjoy.

Hardcore Demo (1997)

1. Torn Between

2. What Happened?

3. Falling Stars From Your Eyes

4. Still With You

5. Realizing Tonight

6. Hope That Hurts

6 Song Demo (1999)

1. Blindcrush

2. Dying Slowly

3. Rocket City

4. Unraveled (80's Rocker)

5. For Anyone But You

6. Arrows

There's More Where This Came From Demo (2000)

1. There's No Train Hopping In Dixieland

2. Black Heart Valentine

3. My Wishing Well Disease

4. Cinderella

5. Daybreak

Is This Thing Loaded? (2002)

1. Rigged & Ready

2. Is This Thing Loaded?

3. Broken Parachute

4. My Ricochet

5. My Wishing Well Disease

6. Taker Not A Giver

7. Daybreak

8. Train Hopping in Dixieland

9. Cinderella

10. Black Heart Valentine

Pollyanna (2004)

1. For Members Only

2. Pollyanna

3. American Living

4. The Pornographer's Daughter

5. Like A.M. Radio

6. The Accident Underwater

7. Two Zero Two

8. To My Better Angel

9. Between Horns and Halos

10. Digital Me

11. Rocket City

Broken Parachute (2008)

1. Broken Parachute (Alternate Version)

2. My Ricochet (Acoustic)

3. For Members Only (Acoustic)

4. Chesterfield King (Jawbreaker cover)

5. Piano Jam

6. Taker Not a Giver (Demo)

7. Is This Thing Loaded? (Demo)

8. Broken Parachute (Demo)

9. Black Heart Valentine (Piano Version)

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Pennines

 Pennines are a four-piece emo/math rock band from Norwich, England that were initially active from 2006 to 2009, with a reunion occurring in 2023 that's still on-going. They recorded a handful of songs during their initial tenure, though didn't reach a wider audience until years later thanks to the virality of tracks such as "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Lima Oscar Lima!?" and their overall sound only starting to gain traction after their initial tenure. If you're interested in their history, there's a fantastic, in-depth retrospective interview conducted by the band here. Notably, one of their members is Henry Tremain, TTNG's vocalist/guitarist post-Animals. That's actually a good point of reference for what they sound like, as they employ similarly clean, mathy melodic guitars with reposeful vocals. You guys will undoubtedly love this if you've never heard it, so enjoy.

Demo (2008)

1. whiskey tango foxtrot? lima oscar lima!

2. open closed open

Fair D'os (2009)

1. billie jeans

2. collapsing new buildings

3. does not want

TTNG/Pennines (2009)

1. Pennines - Pilot Holes

Bandcamp

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Instagram

Website

State Route 522

State Route 522 were a five-piece post-hardcore/emo band from Seattle, Washington that were active from 1995 to 1997. They released two EP's, a split, and appeared on a handful of compilations during that time, and are notable for being Jake Snider's first band, who later went on to form Sharks Keep Moving and Minus The Bear. Sonically, this scratches a few itches, as they bridge the gap between the tremolo-picked octaves and dynamic angularity of post-hardcore a la Lync or Fugazi with the melodic, noodley arpeggios that would come to define midwest emo, making them also reminiscent of early pioneers like Gauge, Dahlia Seed, and Braid. They've kind of flown under the radar, but this is some really solid stuff that is absolutely worth your time to check out.

This is one of those instances where your best bet is to just get the anthology release (Retrospective), as that contains all their recorded material with better audio quality than the individual releases (which are only useful if you want smaller doses or completionism). Everything below is included on it with the exception of the four tracks on the Forecast compilation. I'm also missing another compilation-exclusive song "Worse For The Wear" and a demo they apparently recorded in 1995, so if anyone has those let me know! Enjoy.

State Route 552 (1995)

1. Find

2. Ten Years

3. Waste Of Skin

4. Hit

State Route 552/Lying On Loot (1996)

1. State Route 552 - Toy Cow

2. Lying On Loot - Skies Of Stars

3. Lying On Loot - Defeatist

Forecast (1996)

9. Standards

10. Sorry

11. Sunday

12. Away Game

Note: Compilation release, State Route 522 tracks only

Samson Is Apollo (1997)

1. I.V.

2. 1910

3. Solid State

4. Avenue Of Giants

All About Friends (1997)

10. Jumpin' Someone Else's Train

Note: Compilation release, State Route 522 track only

Retrospective (2001)

1. I.V.

2. 1910

3. Solid State

4. Avenue Of The Giants

5. Jumping Someone Else's Train (The Cure cover)

6. Toy Cow

7. Find

8. 10 Years

9. Waste Of Skin

10. Unlisted

Beefeater

Beefeater were a four-piece post-hardcore band from Washington, DC that were active between 1984 and 1986. As such, they were a vital part of the "Revolution Summer" movement that saw DC punk bands move into more innovative and melodic territory, with an emphasis on pointedly political and introspective lyricism. As such, it (unintentionally) became the birthplace of "emo" with bands like Rites Of Spring and Embrace. I don't think Beefeater are quite in the same sonic category as them, but this boundary-pushing ideology is certainly shared, as they injected a variety of genre influences from funk, dub, and jazz into the raw attack of a hardcore band heavily inspired by Bad Brains and Minutemen. Their riffs are windingly discordant, their rhythms frenetically off-kilter, and Squip's vocal delivery is as manically dynamic as they come. They released one EP and two albums, with the two LP's both put out by Dischord and later compiled onto one release (along with bonus compilation songs). I say this a lot but it is astounding that I missed putting here until now; they're one of the most under-appreciated and radical bands to come out of the 80's DC scene, and returning to them now after so many years has been joyous to say the least. Enjoy.

Plays For Lovers (1985)

1. Trash Funk

2. Reagonomix

3. Song For Lucky

4. 4 3 2 1

5. Mr. Silverbird

6. Manic D.

7. Mourning

8. Satyagraha

9. A Dog Day

10. Red Carpet

11. Assholes Among Us

12. Beefeater

13. Fred's Song (Slam Dancing)

14. I Miss You

15. Out Of The Woods

Need A Job (1986)

1. In America

2. Need A Job

3. Laurel Grove

4. Apartheid

5. Gov't Worker

6. Better'n Me

House Burning Down (1987)

1. Introlude

2. Just Things

3. Bedlam Rainforest

4. Interlude

5. Move Me Strong

6. Interlude

7. One Soul Down

8. Ain't Got No Time (Kenny's Piece)

9. Interlude

10. Sinking Me

11. Dover Beach (Tomas' Piece)

12. Insurrection Chant

13. 40 Sonnets On Plants (Dug's Piece)

14. With You Always

15. Fredittude (Fred's Piece)

16. Live The Life

Plays For Lovers & House Burning Down (1992)

1. Trash Funk

2. Reagonomix

3. Song For Lucky

4. 4 3 2 1

5. Mr. Silverbird

6. Manic D.

7. Mourning

8. Satyagraha

9. A Dog Day

10. Red Carpet

11. Assholes Among Us

12. Beefeater

13. Fred's Song (Slam Dancing)

14. I Miss You

15. Out Of The Woods

16. Wars In Space

17. Just Things

18. Bedlam Rainforest

19. Move Me Strong

20. One Soul Down

21. Ain't Got No Time

22. Sinking Me

23. Dover Beach

24. Insurrection Chant

25. 40 Sonnets On Plants

26. With You Always

27. Freditude

28. Live The Life

29. Blind Leads Blind

Note: Compilation including both LPs and compilation tracks "Wars In Space" and "Blind Leads Blind"

Dischord Records

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Honor Role

Honor Role were a four-piece hardcore/post-punk band from Richmond, Virginia that formed in 1982 and disbanded in 1989. During that time they essentially went through an entire reinvention, beginning as a by-the-numbers fast-paced and scrappy hardcore band, before evidently discovering Joy Division and Bauhaus in 1985, which marked their course-correction to a transfixingly winding and melodic sound that proved influential to emo in a similar way that Moss Icon did, with drivingly dark bass lines, tight-knit drum patterns, and ringing, reverberated guitars wrapped around, with an expressive vocal delivery that's reminiscent of T.S.O.L.'s Jack Grisham. Thought never given quite the credit they deserved, they put out a steady stream of solid albums that pushed the envelope of punk rock's possibilities in the late 80's, with all that recorded material eventually ending up on the 1997 compilation Album. 

Album contains everything from 1985 on, which includes 1985's Judgement Day single, 1986's Purgatory single, the 1986 LP The Pretty Song, 1988's Craig Olive single, and the 1989 LP Rictus (both albums are included on their own as well here). Their early stuff is decent, but it's nothing ground-breaking, so I suggest starting with Album and then try It Bled Like A Stuck Pig or 1982 (which contains the same songs as the Your Skull Is My Bowl split with better quality) if you're interested in hearing their actual origins. Enjoy.

Your Skull Is My Bowl (1983)

1. Graven Image - Child Abuse

2. Graven Image - Fascist State

3. Graven Image - Uncomfortable Environment

4. Graven Image - My World

5. Graven Image - Double Life

6. Graven Image - Trigger Happy

7. Honor Role - Living In The 60's

8. Honor Role - Bowling For Bibles

9. Honor Role - War

10. Honor Role - Southern Lifestyle

11. Honor Role - I'm A Nerd

12. Honor Role - Uptown

13. Honor Role - Infanticide

14. Honor Role - Profit Prophets

15. Honor Role - Cap And Gown

It Bled Like A Stuck Pig (1984)

1. An Hour Behind

2. New Hope

3. Bowling For Bibles

4. Chocolate Milk

5. I'm A Nerd

6. Vance Picked Up Dot Over A Bush By The Tail

7. Early Grave

8. B.D.K.O.

9. Dot Is In Your Car & Boy Does She Smell Bad

The Pretty Song (1986)

1. Throwing Rocks

2. Early Grave

3. My Place

4. Go Places

5. Shuffle

6. Six
7. Anonymous Cave

8. Purgatory

9. Clockwork

10. Observation

11. Present Conditions

12. Care Taker

Rictus (1989)

1. Listening To Sally

2. Absolve

3. Following Footprints

4. Swing It / Interlude

5. Skippy

6. Salty Tears

7. So Anyway

8. Thankless Job

9. Familiar And Plain

10. Break The Ice

Album (1997)

1. Listening To Sally

2. Absolve

3. Following Footprints

4. Skippy

5. Salty Tears

6. So Anyway

7. Thankless Job

8. Familiar And Plain

9. Break The Ice

10. Twist

11. Lives Of The Saints #135 (Naked Wife)

12. Throwing Rocks

13. Early Grave

14. My Place

15. Go Places

16. Shuffle

17. Six

18. Anonymous Cave

19. Purgatory

20. Clockwork

21. Observation

22. Present Conditions

23. Care Taker

24. Jank

25. Judgement Day

26. Anonymous Cave

1982 (2006)

1. Livin' In The 60's

2. Bowling For Bibles

3. War

4. Southern Lifestyle

5. I'm A Nerd

6. Uptown

7. Infanticide

8. Profit Prophets

9. Cap And Gown

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Bandcamp