#sorry this is the realest article title I’ve ever seen

[spineless-lobster]

Y’know what guardian yeah you’re right ghosts is the only light in this bin fire of a world

(Here’s the article if you wanna read it, it’s very sweet!)

[slow-fawn]

Friends. Lovers. Favorites: A Collection of Local Music

As you all know, this was a HUGE year for me, the most obvious reason being because I came out as transgender. However, not only did I come out, but this year I made an effort to become more active in my local music scene. After meeting the guys in pulses. in 2016, befriending them more in 2017 and going to many of their shows that year, I met many other bands from inside and outside of Virginia, some small and some big. Because of that, I decided to branch out even further and support more bands in in the area, and even local bands outside of Virginia.

And holy hell, am I glad I decided to do that. In just this year alone, I’ve met so many amazing musicians, had pleasant chats with people that inspire me, and made some friends that I hope I can keep for years to come. In the past I have been very reclusive, and in many ways I still am extremely introverted and shy, but this has easily been my most social year of my life, and I’m forever thankful for the opportunities I had to open up more to a world that I’m usually very cold around.

As a thank you to the people I’ve met, the friends I’ve made, and the music that’s inspired me, I’m making this little article to shed some light on some people and some bands I’ve met and befriended this year, and I hope that through this little shout-out, I can introduce people to new music and spread the word to reach even more people, much like how these bands were introduced to me. So without rambling on even further and sounding like a broken record, let me share with you all some people, musicians, and bands that have made an impact on me this year. I’m not gonna tag any names just for the sake of not clogging peoples’ notifications lol. Also if HIRS sees this please don’t kill me for using your album name for the title of my article, I just thought it was a fitting name 😭

Starting off with some bands outside of Virginia, first I’m going to mention goner, a New York based metalcore band that gives me nice grindcore/death metal vibes, and they put out an extremely kick-ass EP this year that I highly recommend. I don’t know these guys that well, but I met Jeff on Halloween when I went to see Daughters play in Strange Matter (RIP :/ ) and he was hella fun to talk to, and I hope to see him again someday and that maybe one day Goner can play a show down here in Virginia if they ever get the chance :)

Second, we have Satyr, a band from Georgia that I had little to no knowledge of before seeing them in a house show earlier this year, but after seeing them live, they absolutely blew my mind, and even after seeing them a second time later in the year, they still continue to impress me and astound me in ways very few other bands do. For the uninformed, Satyr is a progressive hardcore band that excels in creating complex music with lots of soaring melodies, insane rhythms, and full of untapped power and potential; it’s all showcased extremely well in their EP Neutrino!, a release that is easily one of my favorites of the year. Soup, JD, Dolphin, and Brody, keep shredding and I hope to see you guys again here in VA next year ❤️ Also, Things Amazing is another great Georgia band I’ve seen and met and I recommend them as well, both bands have Brody on drums :)

Now we have The Slow-Goers, a VA indie rock/emo duo consisting of my friend Taimir and his friend Ben. Taimir is one of the realest people I know, and he has been a great friend this past year. We’ve shared many a moment together and we run into each other pretty often at shows here in VA :) The Slow-Goers put out an album titled I Have to Go this year, and I highly recommend it for fans of the indie rock/emo genre.

I don’t know any of the band members that personally, but I saw Gif From God 2 times this year, and both times were absolutely incredible. They’re easily one of my favorite bands to come out of Richmond, and I had some nice conversations with some of the members of the band, I feel honored just being in their presence and I respect them so much. PLEASE check them out if you’re into emoviolence/skramz/grindy, heavy music in general and haven’t heard of them before ❤️

This band didn’t put out an album this year, but after seeing them live, befriending them, bonding with them over our love for pulses., and talking to them constantly online, Calling Down Fire has to be one of the nicest, if not THE absolute nicest, group of people I’ve ever met in my life. They’re a metalcore band from northern VA, and I love them to death. These guys are very passionate about music, and it’s very clear if you ever get to see them live or talk to them, and I’m very excited for what the future holds for them.

They kinda slowed down things this year, but The Blue Sky Disaster is a young band from Richmond that only has one single out yet has so much potential. If you’re like me and didn’t like Underoath’s new musical direction, these guys scratch that itch pretty well, and they put on an energetic liveshow as well. I miss them lots and hope to see them again soon!

Next up is Black Matter Device, a Fredericksburg mathcore band run by some very cool and very nice dudes. They’re all extremely talented and super kind, despite also being filthy memelords (it’s all in good taste guys i love y’all), and this year they put out one of favorite records of 2018, a little ditty called Modern Frenetics. If you love chaos, noise, and fast music, definitely check them out. I’ve seen them live 4 times this year, looking forward to the new EP and more liveshows in 2019 ❤️

Now these guys didn’t put out a new album this year either, but as always I gotta shout-out pulses. anway because they DID put out a pretty tight single this year, they played plenty of shows, and they’re my best friends, so as always, if you haven’t checked them out yet, DO IT NOW!!! Caleb, Kevin, Danny, David, and Matt, I love you guys so much 💖

Last, but certainly not least, Infant Island. Where do I even begin with these guys? Well, they’re a shoegazey punk band from Fredericksburg, and this band has put out, without a doubt, my absolute favorite album of 2018. I met Infant Island at a house show earlier this year, and have since seen them play 4 more additional times, bought 2 different copies of their debut LP, and have had many a conversation with them, whether it’s about music, food, or just goofing off in general. I love these guys so much, and I will always cherish the times we’ve spent together, eating at Shawarma Shack, cackling at my Marge Simpson impressions, and more. Daniel, Alex, Kyle, Austin, and James are some of my favorite people on Earth, and I am so thankful to be able to not only see them play INCREDIBLE music live and be able to put their album on repeat, but to be able to call them my friends ❤️ Here’s to more in 2019.

Some other bands worth mentioning that I’ve seen and met are In Wolves' Clothing, 60659-c,  Eaves, Genosha, and more. Thank you for reading this if you got this far; I put in a lot of time and effort into making this, but I had to make it, I owe it to everyone to let you all know how grateful I am for all of this. Sorry if this got less consistent and detailed or I rambled too much, I’m just very tired after typing this all out lol. I also put out my Best of 2018 post recently as well, so please check that out too! Thanks again ❤️