If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Olivia St. Arnold Boston's Bicycle Inn have a new single out off of their upcoming album, and it's emo meets alt-rock perfection. "Ordinary Hell" is a midtempo track that feels both faster and slower than it is. It's a decidedly emo track with just enough of an alt-rock edge to avoid being too poppy. It's reminding me of a band like Sunny Day Real Estate, just maybe a step or two more in the direction of mainstream emo than that. It's the kind of song that sees Bicycle Inn wearing their hearts fully on their sleeves, and "Ordinary Hell" is an oddly beautiful and highly emotional track. Bicycle Inn say of their latest single: “ ‘Ordinary Hell’ is a critique on the dead-faith culture of today. It’s a deeper look behind the curtain of evangelical emptiness — a gospel presiding over the endless push and pull of suffering, only for those deemed ‘blessed’ and ‘filled’ to realize they are empty.  It’s a reflection on the cyclical nature of rely...

Photo by Olivia St. Arnold Like many people, I have a complicated relationship with emo. It's one of those genres that I dislike the vast majority, but what I do like I absolutely adore. Bicycle Inn appear to be one of the bands that works for me, and could be my new musical obsession. The Boston band has a new single out, "Longsword (4th Place)." The song lands in this interesting space where it's both classic Midwest style emo and the more mainstream, TRL ready version. The song meanders through different points of leaning towards one or the other throughout, usually walking straight down the middle. And then there's the hardcore style screaming vocals that completely drew me in. "Longsword (4th Place)" also features some vocals from Ryan O'Rourke from Innerlove., and is one of the better punk songs of the year, nit just out of Boston but out of everything that we've covered. Bicycle Inn say of their latest single: “Longsword is about the strug...