Archipiélagos

From: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Genre: Emo, Math Rock, Instrumental

For Fans Of: American Football, Sharks Keep Moving, The Mercury Program

I know what you're thinking, "How can an instrumental band ever be tr00 emo? Without those puberty ridden, voice cracking, whiny vocals, how can I get sad to this?!?!" Well, rest assured, because Archipiélagos prove that you can convey emotion as powerfully only using instruments just as well as a vocalist can. And oh boy, do they ever pull it off. Each track makes me want to ride a bike or take a long drive on one of those movie-esque windy, sunny days and stare dramatically at things, rethinking every life decision I've ever made. I'm positive that movie would be a sad movie, or at least one of those weird happy-sad indie movies that causes you to wonder whether you're supposed to smile or cry. Basically, tangent aside, this record is really, really good at what it sets out to do. The lack of lyrics actually works better for me on some emotional level due to the fact that it leaves a lot of the emotion generated up to listener interpretation, making this a record that everybody should be able to connect with in one way or another. I was also blown away by Archipiélagos's ability to transition from more crowded, math rock oriented sections, to much more cut back, minimalist sections akin to American Football (There's even some horn on track 2!). Overall this record is one small emotional trip for those who wish to avoid lyrics and just vibe with the music a bit.

Free Tunes: https://archipielagos.bandcamp.com/

Beds

From: Sterling, Virginia

Genre: Emo, Twinkle

For Fans Of: Texas is the Reason, Algernon Cadwallader, Snowing

Let me start by saying that I do enjoy a significant amount of emo, and twinkly emo a very large amount. However, like many bands in many genres, a lot of bands within the "twinkly emo" style of emo fall into a rut where they don't strike their own path, but rather, follow the formula of other bands that are already successful within the style. Essentially, far too many of the bands get lost in a crowd of other bands that sound exactly like Snowing. Luckily, Beds is not one of those bands, and consistently delivers some grade A, top notch emo. This band understands that their guitar parts have to be damn noodly, but also carry a level of melody that retains the listeners attention and makes the songs instantly memorable and a bit more connectable, as the emotion isn't hidden behind layers of "Oh look what I can do" noodle-ieness. This is where Beds is similar to bands that helped to sort of pioneer and expand the style, such as Snowing and Algernon Cadwallader, as they never get too caught up in being a "twinkle" band. If you're looking for some mega rad emo to get sad to, don't look much farther than Beds, as they're your guys.

(P.S. They just put out a super rad split with Flowers Taped to Pens/Bread Club/Skull kid, a few of my other favorite bands going right now.)

Michael Jordan EP: https://bedz.bandcamp.com/album/michael-jordan-ep

Flowers Taped to Pens/Bread Club/Skull Kid split: h
ttps://bedz.bandcamp.com/album/7-split-w-flowers-taped-to-pens-skull-kid-and-bread-club