show review: four year strong, free throw + one step closer.
november, 14th 2024 • the regent theater • los angeles, california
full gallery can be found here
One Step Closer is a straight edge hardcore band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania that formed in 2016. Their sound is along the lines of indie rock with post hardcore elements paired with shoegaze. There are big similarities between the DC emo scene and youth crew* passion from the late 90s that is seen in their music. Big inspirations for them include bands like Have Heart, Bane, Turning Point, and more. One Step Closer consists of members Ryan Savilski on vocals, Colman O’Brien on guitar, Tommy Norton on drums, Ross Thompson on guitar, and their newest member Jake (?) on bass. They have released six eps, their two eps released in 2017 titled One Step Closer and Promo were both self released. They have released two albums titled This Place You Know released in September of 2021 and All You Embrace in April 2024.
*Youth Crew is a subculture of hardcore punk that was in New York in the late 80s/early 90s. It differs from other punk categories due to its optimism and moralistic outlook on life. Fans/members are predominantly straight edge, vegetarian or vegan.
Free Throw is an emo band that formed in 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee that is currently signed to Wax Bodega. The band was formed after the members graduated high school and had met each other through the Nashville scene before they came together. They were initially inspired to start a band while listening to Topshelf Records artist together and it’s described by vocalist Cory Castro as “a couple of beers and a couple of ideas.” The group consists of members Cory Castro (vocals + guitar), Lawrence Warner (lead + rhythm guitar), Jake Hughes (lead + rhythm guitar + backing vocals), Justin Castro (bass), and Zach Hall (drums + backing vocals). They’re known for having an “energetic sound” and categorized as emo, punk rock, post-hardcore and indie rock. Their sound comes from “underground punk emo” punk bands like Snowing and Algernon Cadwallader. Cory Castro has been citied as describing emo as “taking your emotions and wearing them on your sleeve.” Their lyrics often include heavy hitting issues like alcoholism, addiction, relationship issues and body image.
The band has released three EPs and five studio albums, their most recent being Lessons That We Swear to Keep in 2023. It’s also known that the vocalist is a fan of Pokémon and have named several songs after references to Pokémon. Some examples include Lavender Town, Pallet Town, Cerulean City, Better Have Burn Heal, Cinnabar Island, and Worry Seed.
Four Year Strong is a pop-punk and hardcore punk band from Worcester, Massachusetts that formed back in 2001. They style that they made came strictly off of the idea of playing ‘exactly what they want to hear,’ or music they would listen to that wasn’t being played at the time. They are known for combining pop punk and metalcore elements, often labeled as “easycore,” and are often considered trailblazers in that field along side New Found Glory. A lot of their earlier music was more centered around a pop-punk energy with “uplifting singalong choruses.” Their sound has developed over the years and tends to be labeled more on the metalcore side with a lot more heavy elements than towards their inception. The group consists of members Alan Day (lead vocals, guitar, keyboard + programming), Dan O’Connor l(ead vocals, guitar, keyboard + programming), Jake Massucco (drums), and Joe Weiss (bass). In 2009 they released an album titled Explains It All that was only covers of other iconic songs; their cover of “She’s so High” by Tal Bachman actually became an iconic emo ballad. They have released eight studio albums, their most recent one titled Analysis Paralysis was released in August of 2024.
