Alas are a band from Jyväskylä, Finland who play an exquisitely pretty, majestically violent form of screamo. They formed in 2020 and immediately started churning out EPs and splits. At the end of last month they released their debut full-length, Uusi Vuosi, which today gets wider release through the great worldwide screamo hub Zegema Beach. As the label promises, this thing leans on the immaculate indie-rock side of the skramz continuum: “No chugs. No breakdowns. No metal. Just gorgeous Euro screamo with the tiniest hints of emo-violence.” That’s not to say it’s weak — those glittering guitars hit hard, and the rhythm section charges even harder. The vocals are harsh and intense and rarely if ever clean. It strikes me as the Fucked Up formula — fierce, almost grotesque howling paired with ambitious yet approachable rock — applied to screamo. Develop your own assessment below.
Related Posts
Oso Oso – “all of my love”
In 2022, Oso Oso released Sore Thumb, the album that bandleader Jade Lilitri recorded with his late cousin and bandmate Tavish Maloney just before Maloney’s passing. The record served as Lilitri’s tribute to Maloney, and it was one of our favorites of the year. Oso Oso followed that album with the stray single “De Facto” […]
Hear Three Previously Unreleased Menomena Songs From Friend And Foe (Expanded Edition)
Last month, long-dormant Portland art-rockers Menomena surprised the world with the release of an EP called The Insulation. It kicked off a lot of reunion speculation before fans pointed out that at least two of the three tracks from the EP were old B-sides. But then it turned out that Menomena actually are back together, […]
“I Wanted To Make One Of The Great Teen Angst Soundtracks”: Jane Schoenbrun On The Music Of I Saw The TV Glow
Yet if Glow might be too bizarre to present A24 with another crossover mainstream hit like Civil War or Everything Everywhere All At Once, it’s easy to imagine the soundtrack becoming a generational touchstone. Featuring over an hour’s worth of music commissioned by Schoenbrun from their favorite artists, the album plays like the best teen-drama […]