…it’s who i am
Okay so first off: let’s not call this an emo playlist. I can already hear the elitists among us babbling about how “real emo is derivative of the hardcore punk scene blah blah blah”, we get it, you subscribe to Pitchfork. Instead, let’s call this a catharsis playlist. Catharsis is defined as “The process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions”. It’s when you scream in your car after getting the call that it’s over. It's banging your head back and forth to that song on your playlist because at that moment, you need to. We all have an angst-ridden teenager locked up inside, and for when you need that moment of bittersweet release, these songs will have you repeating that oft-used (and memed) phrase: “It’s not a phase, it’s WHO I AM!!!”
The playlist starts with Modern Baseball’s “Your Graduation”. This song is a certified classic, and is considered so because it just rips. The song flirts with both hardcore punk and pop-punk in a way that compliments both styles, and the themes of youthful angst still resonate long after those years have gone. To be honest, to not include this one would have been flat out criminal. Fair warning though, you might want a neck brace when it’s done.
Now full disclosure here, I am a biased individual. Biased how? Well looking at this playlist you may notice a particular geographic region has a fair amount of representation. It takes a grand total of three songs before I include an artist by the name of Mitchell Matthews, who fuses the themes and songwriting of Midwest Emo with the lo-fi production of Elliott Smith. His recently recorded live album is earnest and beautifully written, and the song “3 Months” showcases that melding perfectly. Remo Drive also makes an appearance on this playlist as a band not widely known outside of specifically Midwest Emo circles. Taking much more inspiration from the early hardcore days of the genre’s roots, songs like “Art School” assault your ears with extremely uptempo drums and heavy guitars but still have the sincere and earnest songwriting that touches the listener. I also felt compelled to include two tracks that are the work of one of the genre’s founders Mark Kinsella. One is, of course, American Football and the other is Cap’n Jazz. If both of these songs are unfamiliar to you, do yourself the favor and listen to them (preferably driving on a warm night. You’ll thank me later).
Perhaps the most left-field track is Reflection by UK outfit Balance and Composure. This song, far from being in the traditional punk vein of emo, is almost metal, with heavy guitar and anthemic drumming. Nonetheless, I cannot count the number of times this song has almost blown out my speakers (and my vocal chords). While a different type of catharsis, it is, categorically, a banger.
As the playlist comes to an end, there are two songs back to back that are devastating to listen to and do a great job of summing up the theme of the playlist. The first is “I’m So Tired” from D.C. post-hardcore statesmen Fugazi. This somber and resigned track is bare and eerie. It’s one man and a piano, singing with heartbreaking intensity of the hopelessness he feels. It’s perfect. Finally, we end with a band that has probably been responsible for what might be called a “fourth wave” emo revival, Mom Jeans. “Scott Pilgrim vs My GPA” is a heartbreaking epic. The acoustic guitar, the horns, the immediacy of the lyrics and the slow build into the crescendoing bridge does something that I think no other song on this playlist does. It defines catharsis. It is the release that so many of us needed at one time or another. No matter your age, at some point we all need to crank the volume and scream the mantra that the band so beautifully crafts: “I sleep well alone now”.
SONGS TO LOOK FOR: “One With The Tambourine” - American Football, “Two Beers In” - Free Throw, “Scottie Spliffin” - Dikembe, “Avocado” - The Obsessives