XO Skeletons

XO Skeletons were a four-piece hardcore/electronic band from Waterbury, Connecticut that were active from around 2003 to 2008. Members were also active in a number of noteworthy bands (some of which were active at the same time, making XO Skeletons somewhat of a side project). The band included vocalist Wes Eisold (American Nightmare, Some Girls, Cold Cave), Domenic Palermo (Nothing), Sean Martin (Hatebreed), and Chauncey Johnson. They put out two EP's, the latter of which was free and self-released. Sonically, they aren't the easiest band to pin down. Though rooted in a wild and reckless hardcore base, they incorporated synths and drum machines with added elements of noise rock, especially on Bored By Heaven. It's a unique, invigorating listen that's worth checking out, especially if you're a fan of Eisold's other projects. Enjoy.

Asthmagasm (2006)

1. No Muzzles

2. Asthmagasm

3. Suburban Dust

4. XO Skeletons

Bored By Heaven (2008)

1. Town Crier

2. Spider Earth Between Spider Heaven And Hell

3. Better Babes

4. Stranger Tongues

5. Live From Planet Death

6. Birthdays

7. Under The Ice Of Hell Freezing Over

8. Lascivious Facts

9. California Needs You And Me

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Anxious

Anxious are a five-piece post-hardcore/emo band from Connecticut that began in 2015. They've been a band that's been on the radar for quite some time, with some very promising releases to date. With their recent signing to Run For Cover and their absolutely stellar debut Little Green House, they've become an absolute essential to check out. It's a fantastic and exciting album to hear, pulling from a vast array of influence to create something unique to them, with some strong performances and memorable songwriting to boot. To make a loose comparison, fans of bands like Title Fight or Basement will undoubtedly love this, as its a melting pot of hardcore, emo and pop punk, somewhat similar to what those bands were doing a decade ago. Instead of sounding like a carbon copy of those bands, Anxious are able to pull from the bands that influenced the aforementioned, like Texas Is The Reason, Jimmy Eat World, and Dinosaur Jr. to create their energetic and emotionally palatable sound. This album is incredible, and I highly recommend checking it out. Enjoy.

Carved (2017)

1. Grand Average

2. Goodbye

3. Y.M.I.

4. Here

5. Basement

6. Velvet

Promo 2019 (2019)

1. Stony Brook

2. Seeds

3. Blowin' It (Dinosaur Jr. cover)

Live on Axe To Grind (2019)

1. Grand Average

2. Goodbye

3. Basement

4. Blowin' It (Dinosaur Jr. cover)

5. Stony Brook

6. Seeds

Never Better (2019)

1. Small

2. Please Not Now

3. Seeds

4. Cold

New Shapes (2021)

1. More Than A Letter

2. Not Now, Please / Dante's Inferno

Bled White (2021)
1. Bled White (Elliott Smith cover)

Little Green House (2022)

1. Your One Way Street

2. In April

3. Growing Up Song

4. More Than A Letter

5. Wayne

6. Speechless

7. Let Me

8. Call From You

9. Afternoon

10. You When You're Gone

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Website

Run For Cover

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Foxtails - querida hija

Alright so I'm pretty late to this, but that is only because I was dead for a month and a half, but am back now (or at least at this very minute). Connecticut's greatest three-piece is back with a new LP, following up 2017's incredible full-length III and 2018's equally-amazing split with Algae Bloom. This new LP is 7 tracks demonstrating the band's incredible mesh of emo/screamo with math rock and jazz influences. It shows a growing maturity and technical prowess, with the band at the tightest they've ever been. I cannot recommend this enough, as it is so good it temporarily brought me back to life. You can stream or purchase the full album below from Emo Cat Records on vinyl/CD/cassette. They're also heading out for an East Coast tour with Let's Get Invisible next month, check out the dates below.

Foxtails

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Have a Nice Life

Have a Nice Life are a two-piece experimental rock band from Middletown, Connecticut that began in 2000. The band consists of Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga. Since their formation, they have been sparsely active, but have garnered a cult following thanks to their incredibly unique style of music and magnum opus, 2008's Deathconsciousness. The band blends elements of post-punk, shoegaze, post-rock, industrial, drone, doom, and ambient music to create one of the darkest, depressing and most existential records of all time. In its near hour and a half run-time it explores a litany of expansive sounds, themes and emotions, making the final project a work of absolute genius. I consider it to be one of the most personally affecting works of art ever made, and (as cliché as it sounds) sitting alone listening to Deathconsciousness in a dark room is an experience (as pretentious as that sounds). By the culmination of the album in the final minutes of "Earthshaker", it's hard not to be truly moved, like standing on a mountain of solitude watching your life flash before your eyes. It's an album that stands on its own without any clear contemporaries, which is fitting considering the isolating nature of the music. The production and recording quality is another major contributor to the feel of this album, with it being recorded for less than $1000, giving it a lo-fi sound that still feels full, warm, and organic. It's truly cut from its own cloth, and there hasn't been a record before or since that can truly compare to it. Even the bands often cited as being its influencers (Swans, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Joy Division, My Bloody Valentine) don't really capture the same sounds that Have a Nice Life do on this album, and those are the titans of their respective genres. To cut this short and avoid further ranting, just listen to this album.

Their debut album was the sole occupant of a desolate island until 2014, when Have a Nice Life released their follow-up album, The Unnatural World. It follows a similar aesthetic to their debut, but with a significantly shorter run-time. It still reaches incredible heights, and puts the listener in a mood torn between life-affirming and death-approaching. Additionally, they have also released one EP (Time Of Land) and two compilations that contains b-sides and demos from throughout their career that were not included on their two studio albums. The two musicians comprising Have a Nice Life are also active in many other projects, most notably (and also recommended) Dan Barrett's Giles Corey, who released an incredible LP in between the two Have a Nice Life albums. Enjoy.

Deathconsciousness (2008)

Disc 1: The Plow That Broke the Plains

1. A Quick One Before the Eternal Worm Devours Connecticut

2. Bloodhail

3. The Big Gloom

4. Hunter

5. Telefony

6. Who Would Leave Their Son Out In The Sun?

7. There Is No Food

Disc 2: The Future

1. Waiting For Black Metal Records To Come In The Mail

2. Holy Fucking Shit: 40,000

3. The Future

4. Deep, Deep

5. I Don't Love

6. Earthmover

Voids (2010)

1. The Big Gloom

2. Waiting For Black Metal Records To Come In The Mail

3. The Future

4. Earthmover

5. Who Would Leave Their Son Out In The Sun?

6. Human Error

7. Trespassers W

8. Defenestration Song

9. I'm Doctor House

10. Sisyphus

11. Destinos

Time of Land (2010)

1. Wizard Of The Black Hundreds

2. Woe Unto Us

3. The Parhelic Circle

4. The Icon And The Axe

The Unnatural World (2014)

1. Guggenheim Wax Museum

2. Defenestration Song

3. Burial Society

4. Music Will Untune The Sky

5. Cropsey

6. Unholy Life

7. Dan And Tim, Reunited By Fate

8. Emptiness Will Eat The Witch

Voids II (2014)

1. Knife Throwing Contest

2. Basic

3. Death By Death

4. Swords To Plowshares

5. Telefony

6. Earthmover

7. Saving Throw vs. Paralysis

8. Quote

9. Deep, Deep

10. I Left And My House Burned Down

11. All Teeth (Afterlives cover)

12. Hunter

13. Feral Optimists

14. Stars And Air

Note: I'm not sure if this is an official release, but it contains a lot of the band's earliest material in one place, so here it is anyway

Sea Of Worry (2019)

1. Sea Of Worry

2. Dracula Bells

3. Science Beat

4. Trespassers W

5. Everything We Forget

6. Lords of Tresserhorn

7. Destinos

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Foxtails

Foxtails are a three-piece emo/screamo band from Connecticut that have been around since at least 2015. They play a very technical style of emo that borders on math rock, with some dizzying fretboard work on bright guitars, and some very athletic drumming. They've got some very impressive dynamic shifts, going from melodic, quiet passages with softly sung vocals to screamed, bombastic moments. Utilizing off-kilter rhythms, odd song structures and time signatures, as well as never shying away from dissonance to create unease in the calmer moments, Foxtails have showed that they are not only incredible musicians, but have crafted a sound that is truly their own. Their last album, III came out last year on Emo Cat Records, and is unfortunately something I've slept on until now. Highly, highly, recommended. Enjoy.

This Is Not For You (2015)

1. Random Names Always Work

2. Purge

3. Vacant Lottery

4. ccc

5. The Ten Commandments Of Ryan F.

6. Every Window In An Alcatraz Has A View Of San Francisco

7. I Can't Fucking Write Books Because I Only Write Songs Now

8. Well, Well, Well, How The Turntables...

O Tempora! O Mores! (2016)

1. Timeline

2. I'm A Sociopath

3. Pellon Upon Ossa

4. Do You Believe I'm Real, Boy Wonder?

5. De Mal En Peor

6. Welcome To Hawaii

Rare Beasts/Foxtails (2016)

1. Rare Beasts - Grendolyn

2. Rare Beasts - Let Me Tell You About The Time I Punched That Bandicoot (Live)

3. Foxtails - The Punishment Light

4. Foxtails - I Experienced Ego Death On An NDE Thread

III (2017)

1. Princess Carolyn

2. The Chicken From Outer Space

3. c.c.c.r.e.m.i.x.

4. Punishment Light

5. zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcba

6. The Revenge Of The Chicken From Outer Space

7. I Experienced Ego Death On And NDE THread

8. Every Window In An Alcatraz Has A View Of San Francisco (II)

Note: Cassette can be found here

Foxtails / Algae Bloom (2018)

1. foxtails - To Kitty, Love Bunny

2. foxtails - Cucaracho

3. algae bloom - How Are You?

4. algae bloom - Life In Brio

5. algae bloom - If I Was To Talk Meaningfully With My Friends

6. algae bloom - Understanding In Negative

querida hija (2019)

1. zzz

2. the chickening

3. prime crier

4. it was the first i remembered a saturday night i forgot about

5. lucky cat sticker pack

6. querida

7. i experienced ego death on a skramcave thread

fawn (2022)

1. ego death

2. star-crossed

3. ataque de nervios

4. gazelle

5. bbq

6. gallons of spiders went flying thru the stratosphere

7. so it goes

8. space orphan

9. life is a death scene, princess

10. catalyst

11. la belle indifférence

12. paper tiger

Home (2024)

1. Dereliction

2. Dissection

3. Deconstruction

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A Will Away

A Will Away are a four-piece pop punk/emo/indie band from Nauagatuck, Connecticut that formed in 2011. After an EP that garnered them a lot of attention (Bliss), they released their debut full-length earlier this year on Triple Crown Records. They play an energetic, catchy, yet cathartic blend of indie rock with hints of emo and pop punk influence. Fans of Transit, Have Mercy, and Boston Manor will definitely dig this. On a side note, there are some things I'm missing from them. Namely their first EP, Not Far From Home, as well as More Bliss, which contains acoustic versions of some songs from Bliss. Enjoy.

Cold Weather (2013)

1. Carousel

2. Livin'

3. True North

4. Lines In The Sand

5. The Masochist's Daughter

A Will Away/Head North (2014)

1. A Will Away - Dusk

2. A Will Away - Transparent People

3. A Will Away - Home

4. Head North - In The Water

5. Head North - Poor Posture

Bliss (2015)

1. Play Dead

2. My Sitter

3. Cheap Wine

4. 10 Or 11

5. Be Easy

Here Again (2017)

1. Here Again

2. Pay Raise

3. Agoraphobia

4. Chemicals

5. Crochet

6. Well-Adjusted

7. Caroline

8. Better Reluctant

9. Summer Your Savior

10. The Shakes

11. Gravity

12. Into The Light

13. Something Special

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Giles Corey

Giles Corey is a project created by Dan Barrett, a Connecticut musician who is also known for another project of his, Have A Nice Life. This particular project, Giles Corey, has been active since 2011 with the release of a self-titled album. It's garnered nothing but acclaim over the years, and for good reason. It's difficult to figure out a place to begin in describing this album (and all his work, for that matter). For one, and this is going to sound incredibly pretentious, but Barrett creates more than music, he crafts an experience. The atmospheres he creates are lonely, desolate, and most of all, engaging. From the artwork, to the book that accompanies this album, Giles Corey is a project that requires one's full immersion in. There is a clear, personal emotional intensity here, which simultaneously explores Barrett's own psyche, while also creating something for any listener to relate and indulge in. This kind of music is for the lowest points in life, and in exploring the darkest recesses of the mind, somehow a light at the end of the tunnel is found. Or something like that. Though though certainly are philosophical and emotional elements in his work, to quickly speak on the music alone here, it's absolutely fantastic. These atmospheres created with just an acoustic guitar, layers of breathy vocals, light percussion, and some background orchestral swelling reflects the depressive nature of this music alone, without even having to explore the book or lyrical accompaniments. Just by listening, this album still takes the listener on a conceptual journey through a person's depression and brink of suicide. I honestly can't recommend this enough.

What's essential here is the self-titled album, which also includes a booklet only included if you buy it on Bandcamp (which I highly recommend doing, but I've provided just the musical portion of it here). The follow-up Deconstructionist is technically not an album, but is described as a "philosophical tool". Again, I recommend reading more into it on Bandcamp, which also includes another booklet in its download. Hinterkaifeck is a fairly straight-forward EP, and Live in the Middle of Nowhere a fairly straight-forward live album (he even does some Have A Nice Life songs). Enjoy.

Giles Corey (2011)

1. The Haunting Presence

2. Blackest Bile

3. Grave Filled With Books

4. Empty Churches

5. I'm Going To Do It

6. Spectral Bride

7. Nobody's Ever Going To Want Me

8. A Sleeping Heart

9. Buried Above Ground

Deconstructionist (2012)

1. Awake Now

2. Infinite Death

3. Epsilon

Hinterkaifeck (2013)

1. Winter's House

2. Guilt Is My Boyfriend

3. Wounded Wolf

Live in the Middle of Nowhere (2013)

1. Blackest Bile

2. Grave Filled With Books

3. Guilt Is My Boyfriend

4. The Icon And The Axe

5. Deep, Deep

6. Earthmover

7. Wounded Wolf

8. Spectral Bride

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Youth Of Today

Here's an early Christmas present, the long-awaited Youth Of Today!

Youth Of Today are a four-piece hardcore punk band from Danbury, Connecticut that were originally around from 1985 to 1990. Despite being from Connecticut, their impact was really felt in New York. Without a doubt, they're easily one of the most important and influential bands in hardcore history. They were integral in the original Youth Crew scene, as well as furthering straight edge to incorporate vegetarianism. They only released material in their original five-year run together, which included putting out classics like Break Down The Walls and We're Not In This Alone, which are both monumental records in hardcore punk.

In addition to the obvious influence Youth Of Today had, their members were also active in a ton of other burgeoning punk bands at the time, including Gorilla Biscuits, Side By Side, Project X, Judge, Shelter, CIV, and Quicksand, to name just a few. Youth Of Today have reunited numerous times since their original run. Like I said before, their only recorded material is from their first five years, though they still ended up being fairly active over the next few decades through tours and festivals and such. The first two reunions were one-off shows in 1994 and 1999, then a European tour in 2003. Since 2010, they've played shows fairly frequently each year, mostly making festival appearances. This year particularly, their classic line-up that recorded We're Not In This Alone has reunited. Enjoy.

Can't Close My Eyes (1985)

1. Expectations

2. Crucial Times

3. I Have Faith

4. Youth Of Today

5. Take A Stand

6. Positive Outlook

7. Can't Close My Eyes

8. We Just Might

9. Youth Crew

Break Down The Walls (1986)

1. Make A Change

2. Thinking Straight

3. Stabbed In The Back

4. Take A Stand

5. Honesty

6. One Family

7. Break Down The Walls

8. Shout It

9. Time To Forgive

10. Positive Outlook

11. Standing Hard

12. Free At Last

13. Youth Of Today

We're Not In This Alone (1988)

1. Flame Still Burns

2. Slow Down

3. Choose To Be

4. Put It Aside

5. Wake Up And Live

6. No More

7. What Goes Around

8. Potential Friends

9. A Time We'll Remember

10. Live Free

11. Understand

12. Prejudice

13. Keep It Up

Youth Of Today (1990)

1. Disengage

2. Modern Love Story

3. Envy

Take A Stand (1992)

1. Slow Down

2. Malfunction (Cro-Mags)

3. Can't Close My Eyes

4. Potential Friends

5. I Have Faith

6. Stabbed In The Back

7. Keep It Up

8. Better Than You (Gorilla Biscuits)
9. Put It Aside

10. Youth Crew

11. Break Down The Walls

12. Anarchy In... (Sex Pistols)

13. Make A Change

14. Flame Still Burns

15. Take A Stand

16. Pushed Too Far (Sick Of It All)

17. A Time We Will Remember

18. Shout It

19. Choose To Be

20. One Night Stand

21. No More

22. Can't You See (Crippled Youth)

23 Prejudice

24. Wake Up And Live

25. Honesty

26. Talk Is Cheap (Bold)

27. Positive Outlook

28. Together

29. Youth Of Today

30. Understand

Live At Van Hall, Amsterdam, 1989 (1996)

1. A Time We'll Remember

2. No More

3. Break Down The Walls

4. Can't Close My Eyes

5. Malfunction (Cro-Mags)

6. Minor Threat (Minor Threat)

7. Standing Hard

Chalk Talk

Man, I haven't heard this band in years. While I was digging through the vaults looking for new shit to post, I stumbled back on to these guys, and holy shit is this still some fantastic stuff. Chalk Talk are a three-piece emo/punk band that were from both  Connecticut and Massachusetts that got started back in 2009, and have since broken up, though I'm not sure when. They put out these fun, jangly jams with some hilarious lyrics, anthemic vocals, and bright guitars. In terms of upbeat emo, Chalk Talk are no doubt one of the best bands to come out in years. Though this post is years past due, it's still just as good now as it was then. NUTELLA! NUTELLA! NUTELLA! NUTELLAAAAAA! Enjoy.

Killing Spree (2009)

1. Laundry

2. Horny

3. Killing Spree

4. Food Chain

5. Sacred Burial Ground

6. Misquamicut Has Bigger Waves Though 

Penny On Heads (2010)

1. Chalk Talk - Everybody's Doing It

2. Chalk Talk - Horny

3. Black Churches - Bottom Feeder/Won't Find Solace In A Woman

The Food Chain (2010)

1. Laundry

2. Marco Polo

3. Pine Cone

4. Food Chain

5. Spare A Few

6. Two Balls And A Paddle

BVVVVVVV (2010)

1. Chalk Talk - Wouldn't It Be Nice? (Beach Boys cover)

2. Chalk Talk - Misquamicut Has Bigger Waves Though

3. Sirs - Numero 7

3. Sirs - Beaver Fever

Bad Influences (2012)

1. Outro

2. You're In

3. Orchard Tunes

4. Bad Influences

5. Babe Paralysis

6. Memo: Sploof

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