By Amahli Vivian 2nd wave emo is a special thing. Perhaps it's a combination of twinkling guitar tones, wistfulness and introspective lyricism, nostalgia for the 1990s music scene, and the unabashed heart-on-sleeve-ness that has allowed this particular subgenre to skyrocket…
Since their debut album in June 2025, First Day Back has shot into emo stardom. Pulling from 1990s second-wave emo influences (think of Braid, Algernon Caldawalder, Jejune, and Cap’n Jazz) reveals First Day Back’s revival of—and listeners’ interest in—this specific…
By Amahli Vivian Back in June this year, I interviewed Abbeys Garden, an alternative emo band based in Las Vegas. As they prepare for an upcoming record release, we talked about preparing for live shows, skateboarding, music influences and more! Abbeys…
By Amahli Vivian and Peyton K. On June 5th, Caught in a Flood played at Subrosa in Santa Cruz during their mini-West Coast tour with Dahlia Cross. During their brief time in town Peyton K. and Amahli Vivian were lucky…
By Amahli Vivian About a week before their show at SubRosa Community Space on June 5, I interviewed Sex Ed, an electroskramz band based in the North Bay Area. Sex Ed creates a sound entirely their own, pulling influences from…
By Amahli Vivian Last week, I interviewed the San Francisco based emocore band Junipero. We chatted about music influences, band name origins, upcoming music plans, the live music scene in the Bay Area + San Francisco, and what defines emo…
By Amahli Vivian SPY has become one of my favorite hardcore punk bands since seeing them support Gel nearly two years ago. I was lucky to see SPY as the headliner at their SF show at Neck of the Woods…
By Amahli Vivian March 7, 2025, was not the first time The Garden had come to Santa Cruz. They had played at the Catalyst back in 2022, although I was unable to attend. Their most recent “Nine Desperate Dates” tour…
By Amahli Vivian On December 4th, I was lucky enough to interview Tom Katsaras, the frontman and vocalist of Twine. Initially a solo project formed in 2021 by Katsaras, Twine later solidified into a full band. The South Australian band’s…
By Amahli Vivian Hometown shows tend to be more lively compared to other shows. Scowl, a local hardcore punk band took over the Santa Cruz Catalyst stage on November 30 for their "Annual Dance Party 2024." I was lucky enough…
By Amahli Vivian Only nine months ago in June 2023, Orange County-based Slater (Nichlaus Beaty) visited Santa Cruz to promote his mixtape Beneath the Motel. Earlier this year on March 14, he returned to the Catalyst Atrium for the ongoing Still…
By Amahli Vivian Still reveling in the Spotify Wrapped afterglow of Indigo de Souza being my most-played artist of the year, being able to see her live was a more than enjoyable experience. Following the release of her album All…
By Amahli Vivian On October 13, the post-hardcore/emo revival band Movements came to Santa Cruz with their three opening bands to perform their sold-out show at the main stage at the Catalyst. Movements’ new album RUKUS! was released in August…
By Amahli Vivian Almost two months into the academic year and I’ve completed my first NACC charts! This week of the international/world charts was as diverse as the “genre” name implies. Standout of the week: Elisapie’s Inuktitut. Rearranging, translating and…
