Pyre

“This is it Joel. It’s going to be gone soon.”

“I know.”
“What do we do?”
“Enjoy it.”

It is the loneliness and most crestfallen day of the year again, and with it brings bad tidings, quotes from a movie that we'll never run out of, and a screamy band capable of matching that inner despondency. Pyre are a five-piece screamo band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that formed in 2022. Following an EP and a split, they released their debut full-length This Is How We Lose Fullness last year, which is when I first heard of them. After reading the lyrics and seeing how delightfully dismal they were, this band was immediately pegged for this very post. Don't let the song titles fool you, they're just a cover for the bleeding heart drudgery behind them, accentuated by an incredible sonic blend of heavy, dissonant chaos and shrieked vocals (in the vein of Jeromes Dream, Portrait, or Loma Prieta) with melodic breaks that trade off screamed and sung vocals reminiscent of fellow V-Day alumni You And I. The drums are flooring, the guitars harshly cathartic, with melancholic lyrics and vocals that all come together as the perfect recipe for this miserable day. If you want to deepen the wound, links to all the previous V-Day entries can also be found below. Don't enjoy.

Happiness Is Hard To Find (2022)

1. Stare

2. Flies

3. I Wrote It In Guitar Pro

4. Daikatana II: John Romero Will Make You His Bitch, Again

Posted Marked Stamps #4 (2023)

1. Pyre - 3416

2. Biliardo - song3

4. Pyre - Dove Takes Flight

4. Biliardo - halt

5. Pyre - Unforgiven 7

6. Biliardo - the day the insects awaken

This Is How We Lose Fullness (2025)

1. Intro

2. Pond Lehocky Tonsil Hockey

3. How 'Bout One Of Them God Songs?

4. Good Bones, Better Teeth

5. STFUmode

6. Men Love Multi-Level Marketing

7. Flash Floods As Predicted By The Wii Forecast Channel

8. Richard Brandon Has A Hot Dog Dick

9. I Showed You To My Youtube Poop, Please Respond

10. Dove Takes Flight Pt. II

11. Beef Strogan, Seth Rogen, Joe Rogan, Hulk Hogan

12. Cowboy Shit

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple Music

Instagram

Previous Installments

 

2013: The Saddest Landscape

2014: iwrotehaikusaboutcannibalisminyouryearbook

2015: You And I

2016: Love Lost But Not Forgotten

2017: In Loving Memory

2018: Kite Flying Society

2019: The Khayembii Communiqué

2020: Harrison Bergeron

2021: The Last Forty Seconds

2022: The Apoplexy Twist Orchestra

2023: Vowel

2024: Toru Okada

Die, Emperor! Die!

Die, Emperor! Die! were a two-piece emo/screamo band from Houston, Texas that were active from approximately 2002 to 2005. In that time, the duo recorded a handful of songs split across a series of releases, most notably incredible splits with Toru Okada and Burned Out Bright, with their swan-song appearing on The Microwave Says To The Pacemaker compilation alongside the likes of Kodan Armada and La Quiete. The band played very melancholic, lo-fi, screamo with the simple pairing of guitar and drums, with visceral, strained vocals and a twangy, almost twinkly-inflected guitar. It's a sound that seems way more popular now than it was than in its blend of screamo and emo with an almost bedroom-sensibility. Their members went on to play in the likes of Punkin Pie and Treetops. Enjoy.

Demo (2002)

1. Mayday

2. December Stars Could Never Match Your Eyes

3. Another City For A Different Life

4. ...And Night's Trees Stood Up

Toru Okada/Die, Emperor! Die! (2003)

1. Toru Okada - Our Great Cities

2. Die, Emperor! Die! - Dear Friend (Never Give Up)

Die, Emperor! Die!/Burned Out Bright (2003)

1. Die, Emperor! Die! - Six Feet Beneath My Heart

2. Burned Out Bright - Gold Metal For Charlie

Acoustic (2003)

1. Another City For A Different Life

2. Julias Wish

3. Telephone Road

4. Long Gone Lonesome Blues

5. For Want Of (Rites of Spring cover)

6. Mayday

7. Filler (Minor Threat cover)

8. Postscript

9. Goodnight Irene (Lead Belly cover)

Live At Burned Out Bright's Last Show [Oct. 25, 2003] (2003)

1. Intro

2. December Stars

3. Interlude 1

4. Rachel, I'm A Wretched Idealist

5. Interlude 2

6. Filler (Minor Threat cover)

7. Postscript

8. Interlude 3

9. Mayday, Misunderstandings and Promises Not Kept

10. Six Feet Beneath My Heart

11. Goodnight Irene, Goodnight (Lead Belly cover)

The Microwave Says To The Pacemaker (2004)

8. Die, Emperor! Die! - The Way She Disappeared into the Vanishing Rows of Street Lights, Headup, Singing to the Night Sky

Burned Out Bright

Burned Out Bright were a three-piece hardcore/emo band from Houston, Texas that were active approximately from 2000 to 2003. They harnessed a handful of styles in their short tenure together, mixing the skippy, noodly elements of emo with the rise-and-fall and syncopated dynamics of post-hardcore, all conveyed through the passionate, raw delivery of screamo with interspersed sung/screamed vocals. Their output was minimal but certainly impactful, with a split, a posthumous EP, their final live set, and a demo. Members of this band went on to form Fire Team Charlie (highly recommended) and The Walls You've Built. Enjoy.

Demo (2003)

1. The Coin Lied

2. In Memory

3. Rise Over Run

4. We Awake Disheartened

Die, Emperor! Die!/Burned Out Bright (2003)

1. Die, Emperor! Die! - Six Feet Beneath My Heart

2. Burned Out Bright - Gold Metal For Charlie

10+25+03 The End. (2003)

1. Rise Over Run

2. Gold Medal For Charlie

3. Untitled

4. The Coin Lied

5. In Memory

6. This Isn't The Tenka-Ichi-Budokai (I Hate Myself cover)

7. We Awake Disheartened

Burned Out Bright (2004)

1. Crossing The Fine Line

2. Unit: 01

3. Finally At Ease

4. Sunrise, And The Day To Come

5. House Of Dust

Stop It!!

Stop It!! were a four-piece post-hardcore/emo band from Richmond, Virginia that were around from 2001 to 2003 (approximately), putting out one demo and one LP (via Robotic Empire) and included former members of City of Caterpillar and Municipal Waste. The band played winding, discordant rhythms with angular lead melodies and shouted vocals, dynamically shifting not unlike City of Caterpillar with influence from the likes of Shotmaker, Twelve Hour Turn, Navio Forge, Sleepytime Trio, and Jawbox. Their sole full-length is worth your time, as is virtually anything Robotic Empire was putting out around this time, the consistency and creativity was absolutely insane. Enjoy.

Demo (2002)

1. When Doves Cry

2. My Prerogative

3. Theme Song To Beverly Hills, 90210

4. When A Man Loves A Woman

5. Paradise City

6. Exile On Main St.

7. Mr. Roboto

Self Made Maps (2003)

1. Maybe She's Born With It

2. Name And Number

3. Amen And Boys

4. A Clever Play On Words

5. Remove Your Teeth

6. S.S. Betrayal

7. Captain Roboto

8. Here's To New Shortcuts

9. Beethoven's Funeral

Wayfarers All (2004)

11. Not Mentioned On Maps

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple Music

Osceola

Osceola were a four-piece screamo/hardcore band from Washington, DC and Baltimore, Maryland,  that were around from approximately 2007 to 2009. This name might be slightly familiar because they put out a fantastic split with Suis La Lune in 2009 and were part of a great four-way split including Lautrec, Boy Problems, and The Reptilian the year prior. They released a few other splits and an EP in their brief few years, but it wasn't until now that I've really given their full body of work a proper listen with this discography release that dropped in 2023. It's got all their recorded material in one convenient place, and thus makes the best starting point if you're new to them. They're pretty raw, with a chaotic attack that blends melody, dissonance and syncopation behind shouted/screamed vocals, like a weepier At The Drive-In. If you're into L'Antietam or Age Sixteen, this will be up your alley for sure. Enjoy.

Discography (2023)

1. Smile

2. A Place To Die

3. Dendrophilia

4. Overlooked

5. Untitled

6. Intro

7. Drone

8. Don't Taste Me Bro

9. Malax

10. Experiencing

11. Human Frustration

12. Translucent

13. Temporary

14. Deadbeat

15. Final Attempt

16. Unfinished

Bandcamp

The Cable Car Theory

The Cable Car Theory were a four-piece post-hardcore/emo/screamo band from Staten Island, New York that were active from 1997 to 2003. They only released one album, 2001's The Deconstruction, but recorded a good chunk of material that appeared across an array of splits, EP's, and compilations. Most of their material was compiled in 2020, but it is missing a few things (most notably a track from The Deconstruction and Something New respectively), but it's also the best entry way to get into them as it covers the full length of their tenure and evolution. Sonically, they encompass all the great hardcore offshoots you'd expect to find on this blog really; the winding and syncopated rhythms of post-hardcore, melodic, arpeggiated melancholy of emo, with driving energy and throttling vocals. They're versatile, vitalized, and will appeal to fans of bands as disparate as Hot Water Music, Split Lip, Avail, Gray Matter, Falling Forward, By A Thread, or Twelve Hour Turn. Definitely give them a listen if you haven't, they will more than likely be up your alley. Enjoy.

 

Something New (1999)

1. Something New

2. 700

3. Mediocre

4. A Song For Alexie

Whispers In The Wind (2000)

1. Tears For Broken Toys

2. 2000 Years

3. Fire Away/If You Only Knew

4. Something New

5. 22 (feat. Matt "Baby Jesus" Grande)

6. Thought, Feeling, Action

7. Whispers

8. Fingerpaint

Note: Previously unreleased material recorded between 1997-1999

Realign/The Cable Car Theory (2000)

1. Second Guessing

2. Analysis

3. Fatal Flaw

Note: Cable Car Theory tracks only

The Cable Car Theory/I, Robot (2001)

1. I, Robot - The Answer

2. I, Robot - Call Me "Killer"

3. The Cable Car Theory - Touch The Sky

4. The Cable Car Theory - Without Armor

The Deconstruction (2001)

1. Nakama

2. I Left My Heart In New Brunswick

3. Redress of Grievances

4. Analysis (feat. Nick Gambacorta)

5. Caffeine Battle Cry

6. Spit Happens

7. Fix The Pipe Or Hide The Puddle (feat. Todd Currier)

8. Without Armor

9. Munchausen's Syndrome By Proxy

10. 10 Minute Wrinkle Release Program (feat. Bricks Avalon

11. Eyes Of The Ibad

12. Whispers (feat. Christian Lopez)

13.  Tears For Broken Toys (feat. Tommy Schlatter)

Fables And Fictions Of The Human Condition (2003)

1. Green Eyed Aphrodite

2. The Mahdi And The Masses

3. Threads (feat. Cynthia Acerra)

4. The Litany

5. How To Break Orbit And Thwart A Muse

6. The Sayyadina

An Incomplete Retrospective (2020)

1. Green Eyed Aphrodite

2. The Mahdi and the Masses

3. Threads (feat. Cynthia Acerra)

4. The Litany

5. How To Break Orbit And Thwart A Muse

6. The Sayyadina

7. Nakama

8. I Left My Heart In New Brunswick

9. Redress Of Grievance

10. Analysis (feat. Nick Gambacorta)

11. Caffeine Battle Cry

12. Spit Happens

13. Fix The Pipe Or Hide The Puddle (feat. Todd Currier)

14. Without Armor

15. Munchausen's Syndrome By Proxy

16. 10 Minute Wrinkle Release Program (feat. Bricks Avalon)

17. Whispers (feat. Christian Lopez)

18. Tears For Broken Toys (feat. Tommy Schlatter

19. Tears For Broken Toys (Demo)

20. 2000 Years

21. Fire Away/If You Only Knew

22. Something New

23. 22 (feat. Matt "Baby Jesus" Grande)

24. Thought, Feeling, Action

25. Whispers

26. Fingerpaint

27. 700

28. Mediocre

29. A Song For Alexis (feat. Frank Stapes)

30. Touch The Sky

31. Without Armor (Demo)

32. Second Guessing

33. Analysis

34. A Fatal Flaw

Spotify

Apple Music 

Facebook

I Never Knew You

I Never Knew You were a two-piece screamo band from Orange County, California that were around from 2010 to 2013. They only put out one release, which came out in December 2010 which is why it's sometimes listed as a 2011 release online. There's possibly also a demo floating around, but I unfortunately don't have that. End Of Seasons is absolutely fantastic and I wish I found it sooner. Impassioned and cathartic, the band melds melancholic arpeggios and crushing metalcore-ish chords and riffs into something seethingly chaotic, cleanly melodic, and remorseful. For a loose comparison, if you're into Funeral Diner, Sed Non Satiata, You And I, We Were Skeletons, L'Antietam, Xerxes, check this out. Enjoy.

 End Of Seasons (2010)

1. Beads

2. Null

3. A Frown For You

4. A Void In Hearts

5. Far

6. This Shadow Needs Me

7. Seasons Come To An End

Bandcamp

Facebook

Versera

"The perfect ending to this piece of shit story" For the unininitiated, since 2013 this is a day to celebrate forlorn discontment, a day where yearning gives way to utter despondence. Every living creature dies alone, and you're no different. There's links to previous entries at the end of all this if you choose to deepen that wound while turning your tears into lube. Cry alone, die alone. Happy Valentine's Day.

Versera was a four-piece screamo band from Southern California that formed in 2022, played a final show in Deecember 2023 and then a "reunion" show in December 2024, who can keep up with any of it anymore. Anyway, this is another band whose name has been floating around for a while, but took me until recently to finally give them a listen (thanks again Jack for the rec). Especially since after All the poems I wrote about you ended, I knew I had my next V-Day entry selection. This is cathartic and dynamic, with highly distorted melancholic frenzies giving way to clean and lean arpeggios. Their LP from last year is also fantastic, amping up the lo-fi chaotic qualities of their debut EP. I still prefer said EP, but really both are worth your time, as is the split with the also-great onewaymirror. For a point of reference, if you're into iwrotehaikus..., Beau Navire, The Spirit Of Versailles, Orchid, or мища, check this out. You'll still be and feel alone, but maybe slightly less so. Don't enjoy.

All the poems I wrote about you (2023)

1. Je Déteste Ton Abscence

2. We Met At A Place We Both Hate

3. Rome Wasn't Built In A Day, But Maybe If They Had Cofee

4. Just Wait Till Summer

5. We Were Oblivious

onewaymirror/Versera (2023)

1. onewaymirror - Pirate Songs/Milo Joins The Army

2. onewaymirror - Frontlines: And The Stories I'll Take To My Grave

3. onewaymirror - Love Is All That Their Weary Hands Could Hold

4. onewaymirror - (Bonus Track) Feels Like A Change

5. Versera - Anakin vs Fogel

6. Versera - Yea Yea Whatever

7. Versera - How's Life In Oaxaca

8. Versera - Shirtless

Calliope (2024)

1. S.F.Y.R.J.E.C.H.E.D

2. Dried Up Flower Bouquets

3. Interlude

4. Full Circle Moments Will Lead Us Back Into Each Other's Lives Sooner Or Later

5. "Chiavlry is not dead..." Prince Rios Remarks

6. Skip To 0:33 If You Hate The Blues

7. Sorry Lincoln

Spotify

Apple Music

Instagram

Previous Installments

 

2013: The Saddest Landscape

2014: iwrotehaikusaboutcannibalisminyouryearbook

2015: You And I

2016: Love Lost But Not Forgotten

2017: In Loving Memory

2018: Kite Flying Society

2019: The Khayembii Communiqué

2020: Harrison Bergeron

2021: The Last Forty Seconds

2022: The Apoplexy Twist Orchestra

2023: Vowel

2024: Toru Okada

onewaymirror

onewaymirror are a four-piece screamo/emoviolence band from Los Angeles, California that formed in 2022. This band's name has been cropping up a lot over the past few years, which is unsurprising given how prolific they've been. I finally took the time to give them a listen and they did not disappoint. At their most ferocious this is dark, chaotic, surging, and abrasive stuff, the kind of music that always sounds on the brink of collapse, with enough breathing room to allow for more melodic, dynamic moments. To give you a loose idea, if you're into Jeromes Dream, Love Lost But Not Forgotten, Reversal Of Man, Letters To Catalonia, or In/Humanity, this might be up your alley. I'd suggest starting with the self-titled album, but their most recent EP (released via the ever-reliable Zegema Beach) is also incredibly solid. They've gained an insane amount of traction as frontrunners of the genre this decade, and I look forward to what they have in store for 2025. Enjoy. 

Retrospect (Demo) (2023)

1. Retrospect (Demo)

Demo EP (2023)

1. But Once The Snow

2. For Those We Scream

3. you could try...

4. See You Soon

onewaymirror/Versera (2023)

1. onewaymirror - Pirate Songs/Milo Joins The Army

2. onewaymirror - Frontlines: And The Stories I'll Take To My Grave

3. onewaymirror - Love Is All That Their Weary Hands Could Hold

4. onewaymirror - (Bonus Track) Feels Like A Change

5. Versera - Anakin vs Fogel

6. Versera - Yea Yea Whatever

7. Versera - How's Life In Oaxaca

8. Versera - Shirtless

A Tale Of Two Cities (2023)

1. Burial Etiquette - Hyperviolent Ballet

2. Burial Etiquette - Safe Haven

3. onewaymirror - As I Lay Dying

 4. onewaymirror - Forever Fell Short

onewaymirror (2023)

1. Rock Bottom Has A Basement

2. Better Read Than Dead

3. Biting The Hand That Feeds Me

4. Letters Write The Stories, Paper Sets The Stage

5. The People, The Internet

6. No I'm Not A Thief, I'm A Goddamn Minister!

7. If You're Me, Then Who's This Asshole?

8. There's Only Two Things Certain In Life, Death And Taxis?

Live Songs (2023)

1. Rock Bottom Has A Basement (10/7 at Back To The Grind Cafe)

2. Better Read Than Dead (10/13 at The Haven)

3. Biting The Hand That Feeds Me (8/11 at The Dogpark VFW)

4. Letters Write The Stories, Paper Sets The Stage (8/12 at M.O.M.S.)

5. The People, The Internet (10/7 at Back To The Grind Cafe)

6. No I'm Not A Thief, I'm A Goddamn Minister! (9/23 at The Eagle Rock Community Center)

7. If You're Me, Then Who's This Asshole? (10/13 at The Haven)

8. There's Only Two Things Certain In Life, Death And Taxis? (9/23 at The Eagle Rock Community Center)

onewaymirror/Gxllium (2024)

1. onewaymirror - Let's Make The Most Of This

2. onewaymirror - She's Only Yours For A Minute

3. Gxllium - Who Pooped?

4. Gxllium - If Hector Was  Beaver

5. Gxllium - The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs

Two Songs CD (2024)

1. Fendi "Fuck You" Glasses

2. Untitled

Everything Wants Me To Write In Cursive (2024)

1. Everything Wants Me To Write In Cursive

2. This Is My Way Of Saying Hello

3. Fourth Song

4. First Song

5. The Difference Between Said And Done

The Snowball Effect (2025)

1. onewaymirror - An Ocean Forms

2. onewaymirror - Untitled Number 1

3. Kiowa - From Me To You, Always

4. Kiowa - What's The Message Sent

5. I Promised The World - Lost At Sea

6. I Promised The World - Future Worth Dying For

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple Music

Instagram