Certain People I Know - Chicago, IL. - Emo/Indie/Rock

Certain People I Know is one of many present day emo bands. What's different about them is that they feature of the guys who started it all - Bob Nanna.

This isn't quite your typical Nanna project as it features female vocals and a subtle difference in styling from Hey Mercedes and Braid.

Check out the debut S/T LP below. Watch live footage from the band's first performance even further below.

Pity Sex - Ann Arbor, MI. - Emo/Indie/Punk

If you haven't caught on to Pity Sex (the band, of course..), you've been missing out. I like to call it weepy emo with a tinge of indie jams. 

This stuff is so catchy! Listen to Dark World below. Watch a sweet live performance of the song "Cocoa Cola" even further below.

For fans of: Brave Bird, Dowsing, Old Gray

Foxing - St. Louis, Mo. - Emo/Post-punk

St. Louis based band Foxing make feel-good emo jams. Reminiscent of emotional song structures much like American Football, this band brings a modern tinge of indie and mathy elements for a nice blend of  songs worthy of singing along.

Stream their debut EP "Old Songs" below.

For fans of:  American Football, Castevet, Boyfriends

Easter - Champaign, IL. - Indie/Lo-Fi/Punk

Easter. Fun, quirky, solemn, and catchy tunes that make a perfect fit for your summer mixtape.

All recorded by a one-man-band, which seemingly took the Midwest by storm last spring.

If you haven't had a chance to check this band out, do so now!

Listen and watch below. Free download available on bandcamp.

For fans of: Neutral Milk Hotel, Wilco

[bandcamp album=2093822677 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEHqJqkwhQ0]

National Artist of the Week: Caravels - Henderson, NV - Indie/Hardcore

Photo by Chris Teti

Caravels from Las Vegas blend beautiful melodies with passionate riffs and powerful lyrics along with a tinge of modern-day post-hardcore to form the musical baby of bands such as Funeral Diner and La Dispute.

This stuff is good. Don't miss out!

Record Label: Topshelf Records

For fans of: Funeral Diner, We Were Skeletons, Former Thieves

Stream their split with Gifts From Enola here.

Listen/watch older material below.

[bandcamp album=2023789250 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXFQhT8yYKg]

Wide Angles - Chicago, IL. - Indie/Pop/Punk

Wide Angles are greater than or equal to garage pop/punk from Chicago.

Listen below.

For fans of: Rumspringer, The Measure, Dead to Me, The Riot Before

[bandcamp album=205692349 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ4elfXOzrQ]

Cut Teeth - Chicago, IL. - Indie/Punk/Rock

Photo by Nick Cavalier

Cut Teeth of Chicago introduce a chaotic blend of punk and indie with various rock elements, which all compliment each other interestingly well.

For fans of: Hot Cross, Fugazi, The Felix Culpa, Transistor Transistor

[bandcamp album=627506401 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]

[vimeo 38071697 w=500 h=281]

Brighter Arrows - Chicago, IL. - Emo/Rock/Post-Hardcore

Brighter Arrows of Chicago, Illinois bring an emotive brand of rock that everybody seems to enjoy.

Drawing influences from the likes of As Cities Burn, Pinback, and The Casket Lottery, the band takes the best of their influences and blends them together for a bold, yet beautiful sound that is sure to catch on to new listeners.

Stream their new album, Division and What It Is to Abide, below.

Order a copy here via The Ghost is Clear Records.

Pick up a pre-order package deal here via Fair Weather Records.

For fans of: Raein, Sunny Day Real Estate, Pinback, Jimmy Eat World, As Cities Burn, The Knife.

[bandcamp album=3808530706 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liOsw2M8p1M]

Droughts - Chicago, IL. - Post-Hardcore/Indie/Punk

Photo by David Summers

Nothing beats a talented up-and-coming band such as Chicago's Droughts. Filling venues with chill reverb-heavy riffs and driving beats, this band is making waves in the Midwestern  underground music scene.

Need convincing? The band's split tape with William Bonney sold out within a month.

Do yourself a favor and check them out at a show near you.

For fans of: These Arms Are Snakes, At The Drive In, Thursday, Brand New

Record Label: Error Records

[bandcamp album=895147282 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBcD0cH6-9c?rel=0]

The Revenge Society - Milwaukee, WI. - Rock/Indie

Name: The Revenge Society

Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Genre: Rock/Indie

For fans of: Fugazi, Queens of the Stone Age, Sonic Youth, The Strokes

[bandcamp track=2017099942 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]

Witch Fingers - Kalamazoo, MI. - Punk/Emo/Indie

New band featuring members of The Reptilian.

Mathy punk with an Midwestern emo twist.

Free download here.

[bandcamp album=2931850573 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]

Good Night & Good Morning - Chicago, IL. - Ambient/Pop/Indie

Champaign/Chicago based band Good Night & Good Morning deliver an instant dream-like state through waves of whispered lyrics, echoing guitars, calming vibraphones, and the subtle addition of drums to keep the music moving.

The band has recently announced the release of their first full length album, Narrowing Type, to be released digitally, as well as on limited edition 12" vinyl, on April 25 through Own Records.

"Narrowing Type, the first full length album in Good Night & Good Morning’s five year history, is an exploration of the darker side of nostalgia, texture, and delicacy. Recorded entirely in home studios between Chicago and Milwaukee, Narrowing Type retains GN&GM’s vibraphone and guitar core but uses the addition of drums while detouring into sublime realms of static and noise to leave you with deconstructed yet thickened pop music heard and felt through a haze of fog."

Pre-order the album here.

For fans of: Grouper, The American Analog Set, Stars of the Lid, Low.

Record Label: Own Records

[bandcamp album=1395527696 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_y9izH1IGU?rel=0]

Joie De Vivre - Rockford, IL. - Emo/Indie

If there's one thing the Midwest underground music scene is good for, it's the ole' fashioned brand of '90s emo.

Rockford, Illinois based band Joie De Vivre take the genre and run with it, creating their own special sound. With the clean, catchy riffs and passionate vocals, this band is hard not to love.

For fans of: Midwest emo

Record Label(s): Count Your Lucky Stars, Keep It Together, Stiff Slack (JPN), Strictly No Capital Letters (UK)

[bandcamp track=3927627224 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfF5mxk4_Fk?rel=0]

The Reptilian - Kalamazoo, MI. - Math-Rock/Emo/Indie

Inspired by lizard bodied humanoids, The Reptilian really bring on the mathy goodness.

Be sure to check them out during their April tour.

For fans of: Native, Joie De Vivre, William Bonney

Record label(s): Count Your Lucky Stars Records, The Ghost Is Clear Records, Carucage Records, Mayfly Records and Black With Sap Records

[bandcamp album=1597908156  bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLxKQrFa2_w?rel=0]