You know, the desert can drive people crazy with the isolation, and now that we think about it, it’s got to be similar, or at least comparable, to whatever environmental factors helped foster midwest emo. Maybe that’s why after all this time, states like Nevada and Arizona are starting to spawn troves of excellent new emo that sounds familiar, but also distinct.
Take for instance Loveletting, the latest Las Vegas emo band to escape the city’s inertia and develop a national following. Their debut, Arcade Photobooth, almost sounds like a record out of time, and honestly, we think that’s why people are taking to it.
It’s good on its own of course, it’s just that it sounds like it could have come out in, say, 2001, and yeah, that’s a compliment. If you listen hard enough, bits of Promise Ring and Jimmy Eat World reflect, but also bits of math rock and post rock. Check out “The Stars Fade” below:
There’s a lot of spank-y clean guitars, but they’re expertly routed and panned out, with each movement feeling purposeful. The record also brings some cinematic stuff to the table like EITS, early Covet, or even Caspian, but it also kind of stays in it’s own lane considering the emotions and haunting, Coner Oberst-style vocals being a main component here.
Midwest or southwest or anywhere in between, emo fans looking for something new will warm to this over time for sure. Eventually after a couple of listens some math rock fans might be converted as well, but time will have to tell. Either way, if you have the time, you should try to fit into the Arcade Photobooth and see for yourself.
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