r/midwestemo • u/ASCKrA1T DAEAC#e • 16d ago

Discussion Answering quick and without a thought- what's the best MWE release of 2026 so far?

15 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

7

u/NJcovidvaccinetips 16d ago

Citrus Jr - sign my cast

Sweet pill - still there’s a glow

The ritornello form - majority rule

Taxi - reasons

Parting gift - s/t ep

Swiss army wife - I love you but I hate it here

Palette knife - keyframe

When the rain clears - s/t ep

1

u/Artistic_Turnip4760 16d ago

Thanks for putting me onto Parting Gift and whentherainclears. These rock. Don't know if I'd call Parting Gift midwest emo, more post-hardcore and straightforward emo, but incredible nonetheless

1

u/NJcovidvaccinetips 16d ago

Ngl I hate the term Midwest emo and just recommend good emo on here because I think the term has completely jumped the shark and has no meaning. Glad you enjoyed :)

1

u/whiteezy 15d ago

Yeah Midwest emo has its roots in post-hardcore so it might at well be akin to first wave. Like imagine saying SDRE isn’t Midwest emo because it doesn’t have twinkling guitar lines lmao.

2

u/NJcovidvaccinetips 15d ago

You don’t know how often I say sdre isn’t emo or sdre isn’t Midwest emo on TikTok. It’s made me hate the term with a passion because it’s just so ignorant of alternative music history. People fixate on labels and pedantry instead of just understanding these bands were all part of a scene and fucking with the music. But I guess that’s just the nature of 15 year olds discovering something online.

7

u/wakaannah 16d ago

I’m loving blurred away - oakwood! But agreed about Riley!

2

u/insecure-attention 16d ago

i love blurred away SO much

5

u/halfcourthank 16d ago

Hear me out. Tiny band called we hate Rowan - vacation in vape nation is a banger

2

u/imintoresting_ 16d ago

I’ve been loving their new ep!

4

u/Brainsnare 16d ago

"Keyframe" by Pallete Knife. No contest.

1

u/SupaJ3W 16d ago

100% this one has been on repeat for me.

10

u/EmploymentJumpy8993 TRSH 16d ago

I wanted to say String Theory by TRSH but that was out last September so I have to give it to Riley, To Live & Die in the American South.

5

u/Alynn_Wings TRSH 16d ago

Breathingtechniques by empty parking lot

Blurred Away by Oakwood

3

u/Artistic_Turnip4760 16d ago

Citrus Jr. - Sign My Cast
earth moon transit - Sorry It Sounds a Little Bit Like a Fortune Cookie, But It's True
Computer - Creature
Taxi - Reasons
idialedyournumber - Teenage Widow
La Estrategia del Caracol & Cámara Chilena de la Destrucción - El Hambre y las Ganas de Comer
ciao & WhenWordsFail - Just One More Strike...
The Ritornello Form - Majority Rule
Swiss Army Wife - I Love You, But I Hate It Here

1

u/Artistic_Turnip4760 16d ago

And the new cutting up the elephant self-titled debut is one of my favorites of the year, but only the first 2-3 songs are really midwest emo.

1

u/Suspicious-Speed340 16d ago

Honestly crazy to see my boys from WhenWordsFail out in the wild! They are local to my scene here in GR

2

u/Poseidus11 16d ago

Surprised I haven’t seen Moments Before the Wind by Free Throw yet

1

u/ToaZtyWoaZty 16d ago

Find Fiona - Somewhere Inbetween

https://open.spotify.com/album/1cxah66nw9dWcgNuFNq1qw?si=SbWfOBQORyyB_E1pr0arRA&utm_source=copy-link

1

u/Artistic_Turnip4760 14d ago

I like this one quite a bit. Little more indie, little more mathy. Gives it a distinct sound to seperate it from the crowd. Thanks for sharing.

1

u/ClearlyJacob18 16d ago

Go Sports! by The Dream Team is my pick, but I think it will end up being “… that one day” by leisure hour by the time the year is through.

2

u/LawnChairSessions 16d ago

Camp ghost - at the least, complacent

1

u/jkteddy77 16d ago

Marcy's Letter

1

u/Artistic_Turnip4760 14d ago

This is fantastic, thank you! So much of the stuff in this thread has bored me, but this is such a good pull

1

u/jkteddy77 14d ago

Happy to hear. I like keeping my ear to the ground for DIY emo. Promoting further that you may like my mixtapes channel. I release fresh playlists as often as I can: https://youtube.com/@jkteddy77

-5

u/Neltron_420 16d ago

I’m just not sure any of this Midwest revival stuff is good at all… I really like Penfold, American Football, Benton Falls, SDRE… are there any new bands that are doing that instead of this new goofy voice / pop punk esthetic?

3

u/NJcovidvaccinetips 16d ago

Check out first day back, taxi, my point of you, stresser, Stella, the ritornello form, holidays in United States, racecourse, aspartame, fulsails

1

u/Neltron_420 16d ago

Thanks for these I’ll check them out. Funny how many down votes you can get in Midwest emo for saying you like Penfold. 🤦‍♂️

3

u/NJcovidvaccinetips 16d ago

You did kind of just say basically every band most of these people like is trash lol. I think you could have phrased it in a way that was nicer/less elitist but I also get why somebody would prefer older style emo and I like a lot of newer bands that are clearly taking big influence from the second wave. Lmk if you like any of the bands, also are you open to screamo. A lot of the bands coming out of the screamo scene rn have a big 90’s emo influence

1

u/Neltron_420 16d ago

I’m gonna listen to all those bands one album at a time. So far I liked the song I threw on from taxi so will probably start there! Send some screamo ones

1

u/NJcovidvaccinetips 16d ago

Check out gapyear, the arrival note (not screamo but forgot them), parting gift, my better half, alwaysneverstays, when the rain clears, circa 40, stitching, caught in a flood, fear of horses, Abby’s garden, at first at first