Toasted Plastic- 2013 - June Highs

Toasted Plastic is a three piece punk band from Ridgewood, New Jersey, America. June Highs is their third release. Toasted Plastic plays a brand of punk rock that infuses math rock into their songwriting. These songs have a noodly tendency but not the in the twinkly form that seems to have overtaken emo as of late, there is lots of melody in the guitars and the singer has a gruff shout that he puts to great use. Highlights include Repair, Looming, Last Rites and Greater Thinking, If you like your emo punked up and mathy Toasted Plastic's June Highs will serve well.

Perfect Future - 2013 - Irrational, Malleable, Inevitable

Perfect Future are a four piece emo band from Frostburg, MD / Annandale, VA. Irrational, Malleable, Inevitable is their new EP, courtesy of Count Your Lucky Stars Records. They have put out splits with bands like Reaching Away, List and Wits. They play a brand of emo that Count Your Lucky Stars seems to specialize in but aren't afraid of throwing in some punk influences to liven things up and give the songs some kick. If you like your emo unafraid of crossing genre barriers, Perfect Future's Irrational, Malleable, Inevitable will serve well.

Locktender - 2013 - Kafka

Locktender is a four piece screamo band from Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Kafka is their fifth release under this name. Previously the band was known as Men As Trees. They have put out splits with bands like Oaken, Wounded Knee, Coma Regalia,  Brighter Arrows and Cassilis. Locktender plays screamo but is unafraid of bringing elements of sludge and post-hardcore into their sound. Aphorism #17 starts off as a brutally heavy frontal attack that slows to a glacial crawl before building their hardcore fury again and then infusing melody and some calm. Not being familiar with Franz Kafka I'm not qualified to say if these songs properly represent the The Zürau Aphorisms they are based on but these are amazing songs nonetheless. Locktender's Kafka is highly recommended.

Father Figure - 2013 - Jumping Off A Building

Father Figure is a three piece screamo band from Denton, Texas, America. Jumping Off A Building is their new EP. Members also play in Innards and Two Knights. They play a brand of screamo that isn't afraid to pull its punches There are moments of calm and melody, offset by desperate, throat ripping screams and then moments of all out attack and aggression. Highlights include: what the hell is on jonny's head?, death is my way out (d.i.m.w.o.), mean girls ripoff, maybe i'm upset, no, wait, definitely., and  this is my attempt at an apology . Highly recommended. Via Via Chug Life

Paint It Black - 2013 - Invisible EP

Paint It Black is a four piece hardcore band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Invisible is their ninth release. They play an emotionally charged brand of melodic hardcore with some gruff vocals. Paint It Black is associated with record labels like No Idea, Fat Wreck Chords, Bridge Nine and Jade Tree and feature members from bands like Lifetime and Kid Dynamite. Highlights include Little Fists and Greetings, Fellow Insomniacs. If you like your hardcore with just a driving sense of melody and a refusal to give anything less than 110% Paint It Black's Invisible will serve well.

Kilgore Trout - 2013 - Immemorial

Kilgore Trout is a four piece screamo band from Annandale, Virginia, USA. Immemorial is their third release. They play a straight ahead brand of screamo citing Jeromes Dream and Usurp Synapse as influences. There is a hint of melody in the guitars at times but otherwise this is a chaotic, all out attack on your senses. These songs come hurtling at full speed and if they let up its only slam back into full speed once again. If you like you screamo desperate and chaotic, Kilgore Trout's Immemorial will do well.

Neo Cons - 2013 - Idiot Circus

Neo Cons is a four piece hardcore punk band from San Francisco, California, USA. Idiot Circus is their latest and final EP. They play a straight ahead brand of hardcore punk. No frills, no extras, just fast, pissed off hardcore punk that knows how lay the beatdown. Features ex members of 86 Mentality and Streetwalkers. They throw in a little garage and some street punk for flavour but otherwise this is no frills straight ahead hardcore punk. If you like hardcore punk in any capacity, Neo Cons' Idiot Circus is well worth checking out.

I Kill Giants - 2013 - I Kill Giants

I Kill Giants is a four piece emo post-hardcore band from Boston, Massachusets. I Kill Giants is their fifth release. They play a brand of punk that pulls from the noodly, all most off key shouting brand of emo and run it through math rock filters. I Kill Giants have put out splits with bands like Sinatra, My First Castle, Empire! Empire! and The Greek Favourites These songs are catchy, energetic and unafraid of a little noodling to get their melodic point across. Highlights include Collector, Lucky Shirt, Traveler, Larry Jr, Calender and Boys Of Bummer.  If you like your punk with a dosing of emo and math I Kill Giant's I Kill Giants will serve well.

Moaded - 2013 - Coyote Nerd Demo

Moaded is a four piece screamo band from Milwaukee, USA. Coyote Nerd is their debut EP. They play a straight forward brand of screamo that takes no prisoners. Moaded has members of Khandu, Treehouse, Swear Words, and My Cat Died Where The Sidewalk Ends. The singer has a great rough shout and the band pumps out ramshackle yet pummelling hardcore screamo underneath him. If you like Beau Navire, Loma Prieta or Merchant Ships there will almost certainly be something here for you. If you like your screamo unrelenting and thrashy Moaded's Coyote Nerd will do nicely.

For the Kid in the Back - 2013 - Coffee On An Empty Stomach

For the Kid in the Back is Justin Passino from Plattsburgh, NY, USA. Coffee On An Empty Stomach is his third LP. Throw together The Weakerthans, Mike Kinsella and Trunks & Tales into an acoustic blender and you'll be in the right neighborhood.




Highlights include Bite My Tongue, I See The Worst In Everything, More Than I Deserve, The Sheep Eats The Flower and A Stair Worn Hollow, Some of these songs have driving rhythms, some put multi tracked vocals to great use, and some swell to sad, majestic heights while others just settle into their melancholy. If you like your emo acoustic and unabashedly sad, For The Kid In The Back's Coffee On An Empty Stomach will serve well.

Oswald - 2013 - Blunders

Oswald are a two piece emo band from New Paltz, NY, USA. Blunders is their debut EP. They play a scrappy, noodly brand of emo. If you liked Topbunk from a little while back, you should be into this. These are wiry, indie rock songs infused with emo from the Nai Harvest or 1994! school of thinking. The singer has a desperate shout and they can get a pretty full sound with just the two piece. Highlights include It's Better Than Cannibalism, I Suppose and Number One Feel Good Movie Of The Summer. If you like your emo with some twinkle in the mix Oswald's Blunders will serve nicely.

Elesh Norn - 2013 - All The Pain I Built Up

Elesh Norn is a four piece screamo band from Denton, Texas, America. All The Pain I Built Up is their debut EP. They play a chaotic brand of screamo with a bit of post-hardcore in the songwriting. The singer has a screachy, high pitched voice while the band pumps out a pummelling brand of screamo. Elesh Norm is unafraid of a stop/start dynamic and these songs refuse to die quietly ). Sometimes there is a moment of calm or melody before the chaos ensues but it is only a mirage in the storm Highlights include: Simultaneously Slamming Doors And Screaming, A Pathetic Way to Say I Need You, Hopeless and An Exerices In Breathing. If you like your screamo screachy with a hardcore thump, Elesh Norn's All The Pain I Built Up

Crude Drawings Of Dicks - 2013 - Führerbunker

Crude Drawings Of Dicks are a five piece screamo band from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Führerbunker is their new EP. They play a straight ahead brand of screamo that isn't afraid of pulling their punches. Crude Drawings Of Dicks cite La Dispute, Toru Okada, and Pianos Become the Teeth among others as influences. Reminds me of a more raggedy, screamo version of The Whoopass Girls. The singer has a desperate shout that he puts to good use and the band churns out quality screamo for him and the rest of the band to shout over. Highlights include Roach Killer, Eyluh, and Watching Roman Holiday Alone. If you like your screamo rough and tumble with some post-hardcore influences, Crude Drawings Of Dicks' Führerbunker will do well. 

Guillemet - 2013 - Guillemet

Guillement are a five piece screamo band from Chicago, Illinois, America. Guillement is their new LP. They play a chaotic brand of screamo that rarely comes down from shear aggression. Their style of screamo constantly shifts around but never backs away from aggression. Reminds me of Loma Prieta and Kaoru Nagis. If you like your screamo with some powerviolence and some post-hardcore, Guillemet will serve quite well.