Leg Day
Photo Cred 📷 : @chumpire
There's something to be said for a regional sound. A distinguishing marker that feels as inseparable from a city or area as the landscape that defines it. And when it comes to Pennsylvania there is none more distinct than the signature drive and unique energy that Punk and Emo have etched into the regions DNA. Leg Day, while another addition to the history of the sound, have managed to make their own distinguished notch in the scene, and with their “Imagination & Delusions” release this past February, they've collected and presented a fine example of why that is.
The subdued yet tangible ferocity of “Imagination & Delusion” is cast across a wide 14-track album, a sort of here-as-we-were and here-as-we-are discography, that brings with it the myriad of self-reflective and ink-splotched narratives the band has amassed over their last five years together. Somewhat a continuation of the groups previous incarnation, French in Van, Leg Day lands somewhere between Sunny Day Real Estate and You'll Live. Clattering drums undulate morosely over jangled guitars bitterly trying to break free while strained shouts pine for days that have dissolved into memories. There seems to be a distillation of held regrets, felt especially on songs like “Leg-182” or on the chorused longing for elsewhere on “No Nation” and it's in these moments that Leg Day becomes even more gripping. There's a passionate air of DC Emotive Hardcore, blended well with that Lancaster Emo energy, lending itself to be both nostalgic but aggressively present at the same time. This awareness permeates their entire body of work and makes for a very in-the-moment listening experience.
Imagination & Delusion gives the promise of a band only getting better with time, and while the ambered and autumnal lights glare at you from each track on the album, a sense of comforting despair pairs with it, like frostbite thawing in front of a warm winter fire. Leg Day have tempered an environment perfect for these soon to be short fall days, and hopefully with the subsequent rise and fall of winter, we’ll find them with something to show us once more.
Check out their Bandcamp here : Leg Day
Writer : @letsgetpivotal
Editor : @just_reidz
08/22/22
Edith Pike
Photo Cred 📷 : @artsbax
Edith Pike are a brand new group from the lush glacial passes of the Colorado area. Entering with a quick spread of influences across their first track “Tunnel Twenty-Nine”, Edith Pike harkens back to the era of scrappier, lofi tinged demo recordings from the mid to late aughts, providing noisy playback amongst gravely-throated shouts for a gritty, yet DIY as fuck effect.
“...And Then It All Comes Down” would have rested comfortably on the first Emo Annihilation comp, it's driving guitars churning out heavy chugs provide the backdrop for glowering choruses and crashing cymbals that shatter like glass. I don't know who these kids are but the way they emulate a nostalgic era for me while also providing those touches of Modern Screamo really speak to me on a deeper level.
Their third track “Rushing Into a Burning Home” has all the makings of a contemporary Funeral Diner song with the grit to match, all the way down to the old movie sample it opens with. After they close out with a track titled “Kiss Me Here Beautiful For These Are Truly Our Last Days” I found myself cycling back to track one again and giving it another play-through.
Clocking in at about 12 minutes, this self-titled EP doesn't over stay it's welcome and we’re looking forward to Edith Pike's next offering.
Check out their Bandcamp here : Edith Pike
Writer : @letsgetpivotal
Editor : @just_reidz
08/15/22