Our Wits - Let Me Join You

Labels: Self-Released/Fiadh Productions

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 27 Feb 2026

Tracklist:

1. A Dream, Interrupted

2. See You Later

3. Truly, A Diminishing Return

4. Why Is It That Only You Were Saved?

5. Haunt Me

6. Martyrs

7. Let Me Join You...

8. ...Until Everything Fades

I want to begin this review by apologising to Our Wits for the length of time it's taken me write this. They initially wrote to me back in January about their newest album Let Me Join You and they've been very patient (though I completely understand if that patience has been lost since!). I didn't plan for things to take this long and I make no excuses.

The New Jersey, U.S.A. post-hardcore quartet formerly known as Our Wits That Make Us Men, started out as the solo spoken-word project of vocalist Dean Scordilis. Their debut album as a full band, The Manifesto, was released in April 2017 and it was followed by an appearance on the Zegema Beach Records tribute compilation to Jeromes Dream, It's More Like An Homage To You. After a lengthy hiatus, Let Me Join You emerged as a self-released album on vinyl, cd, tape (via Fiadh Productions) and digitally.

I had a great writing rhythm last month. This month, not so much but time’s still on my side. Pressing play on opener ‘A Dream, Interrupted’ instantly resets whatever has been disrupting my rhythm. Gentle guitar and ambience coupled with spoken-word that sounds like samples but isn’t, provides an intro to the unexpected (I guess?!). ‘See You Later’ is an emotive take on post-hardcore, where the instrumentation is at times melodic and at others heavy, almost in unison with the vocals. There are a lot of similarities at play here. Comparisons to La Dispute have already been done to death, while I’m getting Refused and early Turnstile (maybe I’m way off!). 

‘Truly, A Diminishing Return’ is an art/math-rock masterpiece wrapped in emo sensibilities. Lovely instrumentation is joined by spoken-word vocals that later become harsher, and louder before retreating with the music itself, which also becomes softer. There’s a burst of energy towards the end, which shows their heavier side again briefly. I feel like ‘Why Is It That Only Your Were Saved?’ could be about anything from evangelical religious people to those who survived war,  but I guess the subject matter isn’t all that important given the musical backdrop, which is fantastic. Our Wits dial the emotion up so it’s off the charts, as gentle passages give way to raging explosiveness and vice versa.

I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t fully know what to expect with this album but the further I get into it, the more it reveals and the more engrossing it becomes. The addition of electronic beats and whispered vocals during the laid-back song ‘Haunt Me’ make for a super relaxed vibe. There’s definitely a lot to keep you guessing here and on ‘Martyrs’ you’re greeted with a whole mix of things. You’ve got math-like tempos, melodic riffs, groove, rousing vocals/gang-chants, hip-hop/funk influences and proper extreme metal too. It’s got everything!

The album’s title song ‘Let Me Join You…’ is a lot more upbeat and danceable. Lush swathes of guitar and sensitive percussion are joined by heartfelt, screamed vocals. It’s as close as you’re going to get to early-2000’s emo/post-hardcore. Closing with ‘…Until Everything Fades’, Our Wits present their most expansive track on the entire album. As is the case with lengthier screamo songs, this one is gentler and more akin to a story, and like a story it has an intro, a middle that builds slowly and a conclusion that releases tension in a way that only this type of music can.

Sometimes it takes a little while for an album to hit with me and I don’t know why in this case. Our Wits make exceptional music. Self-releasing it, especially on physical formats, goes to show how much they believe in what they’re doing. Having a DIY label like Fiadh Productions helping out does nothing but good too. 

 

You can stream the album and buy it on vinyl, and digitally from Our Wits below:-

Our Wits Instagram - @ourwitsnj

Tape copies are available to grab from Fiadh Productions here - https://fiadh.bandcamp.com/album/let-me-join-you

Fiadh Productions Instagram - @fiadhproductions

Monterey - It Always Passes Over Me...

Labels: Third House Label/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 28 Sep 2026

Tracklist:

1. Song for a Dead Bird

2. Resolve in Spring

3. Song for a Falling Bird

4. With Ease

5. Untitled

6. Portraits

7. Acts as Atonement

8. Dying with Shame

9. ...It's Always in Motion

Today, I finally filled my fourteenth Ikea Kallax cube with LPs. That means I have nowhere for my smaller records to go, until I sort out more storage. I've got to get on that over the next few days (recommendations are greatly received!). Talking of LPs, the debut 12" from Floridian metalcore/screamo band Monterey was released last month via Third House Label and Zegema Beach Records.

Containing members from Concealer and Rosemary Nods Upon The Grave, Monterey formed in 2024 and to date they've released a two song single and splits with Keep Reaching, and Self Inflicted Wound respectively.

I found metalcore through the NWOAHM. Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, Unearth and Himsa, to name but a few, I also first heard European bands like Caliban and Heaven Shall Burn around the same time. I only mention that particular sub-genre because it has been used to describe Monterey’s sound. Opening their debut album It Always Passes Over Me… with ‘Song for A Dead Bird’, Monterey build from subtle emo/screamo beginnings to flourishes of emoviolence and back again. It’s definitely emotive, with a great use of melody and truly heavy instrumentation, alongside the higher-pitched screams. 

‘Resolve in Spring’ is a fantastically off-kilter song that’s so infectious. Again, very emo centred but heavy too in all the right places. Given the bands that lend members to Monterey, this record is both familiar and unexpected (if that makes any sense at all). ‘Song for a Falling Bird’ has a panic-inducing layer of sound that radiates throughout the song, with all kinds of other elements adding suspense and release.

There’s a much more straightforward approach to ‘With Ease’, which is immediately heavier. That up-front sound withdraws during the song’s mid-section though, once again providing safety in measured melody and just as you’re feeling secure, it bites again with fury. Monterey manage to perfect the art of punch and counter-punch, where opposites collide. It’s here where the mid-point is reached, with ‘Untitled’ acting as an interlude that threatens to overspill. 

It refrains from doing so though. Instead, leaving that job to ‘Portraits’, where Monterey truly let fly. It’s the heaviest song on the album so far and it’s where I’m finally beginning to understand the metalcore comparisons. ‘Acts as Atonement’ follows suit with another barrage of intensity, coupled with the introspective melody that’s now part and parcel of grass roots screamo. I’m not talking about whatever mainstream tosh the industry thinks is screamo!

Before you know it, you’re nearing the end of the album and penultimate song ‘Dying with Shame’ is exactly the jump-start needed, showing that Monterey can write sub one-minute blasts that still sound complete. I talked about opposites earlier on and you can’t get more opposite than ‘Dying with Shame’ and the eight+ minute closer ‘…It’s Alway in Motion’. Out goes the fierce tempo (initially) and in comes a more pensive intro.

It’s an intro that picks up pace though, albeit gradually as it’s allowed the time to do so. Monterey’s instrumental prowess is allowed to build as well, especially because those instruments take centre stage for the majority of the song. It’s six minutes in before the full band bursts forth one last time, reminding us all of their explosive nature.

I think I got a bit too hung-up on the metalcore tag at the start of this review, even though I’m still looking for the current day equivalent to those bands I mentioned above. Talking about Monterey and this record in isolation though; it was definitely a cathartic experience. Heavy in all the right places but also lighter when it needed to be. Monterey show great song-writing experience, which shouldn’t come as any surprise. Epic!

You can stream It Always Passes Over Me... at Monterey's bandcamp game below, where you can also download it digitally for just $1 (total bargain!):-

Monterey Instagram - @monterey.fl

12" vinyl copies are available from the label stores below:-

Third House Label - https://thirdhouse.limitedrun.com/products/877920-th115-monterey-it-always-passes-over-me

Zegema Beach Records CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/monterey

Third House Label Instagram - @thirdhouselabel

Zegema Beach Records Instagram - @zegema_beach

Rainmaking/Senza - Split 12"

Labels: Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 24 Aug 2026

Tracklist:

1. Rainmaking - Gush

2. Senza - Purging Stone

3. Senza - Spare Not the Flock

This review might round out September for me, but then again it might not. It's been a month of "slightly" better writing momentum, which I'm happy about. Keeping up my regular focus on the 2026 releases from Zegema Beach Records has helped and one day I'll be able to revisit the discography series I started! Before that days comes though, here's the brand new split release featuring Rainmaking and Senza, who are both from Oregon, U.S.A.

Released as a single-sided 12", on two different variants of 125 copies each and with a glorious etched b-side, it contains one song from Rainmaking and two from Senza. The skramz lords keep on giving in 2026, so don't write those EOY lists just yet!

I really need to spend some time organising my record collection so it includes all of my recent arrivals, but I don’t think my back can take it. It’s far more productive to be writing about something instead. Starting this split off, Rainmaking contribute a quite expansive post-hardcore/screamo song in the form of ‘Gush’. Instrumentally, it’s dramatic and off-kilter, almost mathy. The vocals are somewhat buried amongst the instrumentation, which is by choice I think. Honestly, it still sounds great and the dynamic allows the full band to flourish musically. 

Senza deliver a more striking version of screamo with their opener ‘Purging Stone’, which is essentially emo-violence at its core. Faster percussive tempos, high-pitched screams, melodic instrumental passages and chunkier riffs make a more urgent impression. ‘Spare Not the Flock’ is no easy let up either, as Senza pick up right where they left off. They inject more mathiness into their second song, which is really engrossing. Hearing it alongside the heavier, metalcore-inspired riffs just works really well.

This is one of those splits where you hit play and then ask “what the hell just happened?” as it ends. Both Rainmaking and Senza smash it, which is the most important thing really. I said it earlier; don’t be writing those EOY lists yet, as this may well be up there.

You can stream the split and get it as a name-your-price download below:-

You can buy physical copies of the split from Zegema Beach Records below:-

Zegema Beach Records CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/rainza

Zegema Beach Records U.S.A - https://persistentvisionrecords.com/products/senza-rainmaking-split-12

Rainmaking Instagram - @rainmaking.biz

Senza Instagram - @senza.pnw

Zegema Beach Records Instagram - @zegema_beach

Empathetic - The Room Collapses Quietly

Labels: Zegema Beach Records

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 07 Aug 2026

Tracklist:

1. Intro

2. Culminate

3. Volatile

4. Yield

5. Interlude

6. Fracture Point

I feel like I'm in one of those periods where the day job is going really well. Things have been productive, opportunities are opening up, though that could mean less time and more stress. Anyway, corporate pep talk over, it's time for some Canadian emoviolence.

Vancouver's Empathetic released their new EP The Room Collapses Quietly via Zegema Beach Records in August, on a limited run of CDs, and also digitally. Empathetic are a pretty new group that features members from Thank You Driver and I think this is their debut release, apart from appearing on ZBR's latest Zampler cd comp. Heck, they've already shared stages with State Faults, Frail Body and Coup D'etat!

It’s a great feeling knowing that I’ve already written more than I did last month. It follows the work trend I was talking about in the intro bit. It’s also great being able to listen to Empathetic. Their ‘Intro’ to The Room Collapses Quietly is just glorious and unassuming. Classy instrumentation that leads into ‘Culminate’, which is a great mix of emoviolence, screamo and mathy sections. The vocals are the most violent instrument here, while the rest of the band deliver controlled, and not so controlled chaos.

I guess ‘Volatile’ would be an apt way to describe this release, as it progresses between the beautiful and the beastly. As a song, it threatens to spill over into crazed breakdowns at times but Empathetic show enough musical empathy (sorry!), to not let that happen. They do furious-grind well later on though! ‘Yield’ once again majors on their mathy-side, adding complex time-signatures and majestic melodies that compliment each other really well.

Those vocals cut deep too and you’d be forgiven for thinking that ‘Interlude’ would be exactly that, and you’d be correct to some extent. It’s gentler on the aggression and more forward on the melody, but the harsh vocals are never too far away. It works really well like this, especially as it’s the EP’s penultimate song. Closing with ‘Fracture Point’, Empathetic really throw caution to the wind and give the craziest account of themselves. Listen to it to understand what I mean.

It’s short, heavy, emotive and wondrous all at the same time. What an impact Empathetic have made here. We’re racing towards the end of 2026 faster than we realise (I’m already receiving 2027 release promos!) and no doubt people will be forming their EOY lists already. This has to be a contender of EPOTY.

You can stream and purchase this EP digitally from Zegema Beach Records below:-

Limited CD copies are also available from ZBR here:-

CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/empathetic

USA - https://persistentvisionrecords.com/products/empathetic-the-room-collapses-quietly-cd

Empathetic Instagram - @empathetic.bc

Zegema Beach Records - @zegema_beach

The Names Of Our Friends/Poetry Of Torch - Split

Labels: Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 24 Jul 2026

Tracklist:

1. The Names Of Our Friends - All For You

2. The Names Of Ours Friends - Just For Us

3. Poetry Of Torch - 泥濘

4. Poetry Of Torch - 呼んでいる

What a difference a couple of days make! Honestly, I was floundering a bit towards the end of last month but after a couple of reviews already this month, I feel the excitement again. July was the month that Zegema Beach Records released this split between US band The Names Of Our Friends and Japan's Poetry Of Torch, on tape and also digitally.

Both bands play post-hardcore/screamo. If you were following the blog back in 2025, you might have read my review of Poetry Of Torch's split with Gil Cerrone. The Names Of Our Friends are once again another new band to me (I must get round to finishing that list of every band featured here!).

Today has been a day to forget work-wise. I’m drained and all I yearn for is some kind of escape. Nothing screams “escape” like screamo and The Names Of Our Friends, who provide such a blistering performance on their first track ‘All For You’. Piercing vocals that almost leap into emoviolence territory, alongside blistering percussion, off-kilter tempos and dramatic guitar work. Obviously, it’s over pretty quickly but it leads into their second track ‘Just For Us’ instantly, which is more introspective, while showing different sides to the band. Melodic vocals, chugging riffs and nods to The Mars Volta are all present. It’s a real treat and a great way to round out their side of this split.

Poetry Of Torch start their side with ‘泥濘’, which is short and sharp. Starting with a mix of warped noise and samples before exploding into the kind of crazed emoviolence that Japanese bands do so well. It’s short, so getting a true feel is hard but it’s not long before their second song ‘呼んでいる’ begins. It’s longer, so might be a better representation of their sound overall, which is fast, quite raw but also post-hardcore leaning. The vocals are shouted, the percussion sits deeper in the mix and the guitars provide a cacophony of different styles. Another example of Japan’s unique and brilliant approach to heavier music.

Even just listening to these four songs has reset my brain and I’m grateful for it. I wish this release had gone on longer though as both The Names Of Our Friends and Poetry Of Torch are fantastic song-writers/performers.

You can stream and purchase this split digitally from ZBR below:-

You can buy physical tape copies from ZBR here - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/tnoofxpot

The Names Of Our Friends Instagram - @the.names.of.our.friends

Poetry Of Torch Instagram - @poetry_of_torch

Zegema Beach Records Instagram - @zegema_beach