As Cities Burn creates music that feels like a series of controlled collapses. They occupy the jagged space between the raw aggression of early 2000s screamo and the sophisticated, textural depth of indie rock. Their sound is defined by a restless energy that can pivot from a delicate, whispered guitar melody to a wall of distorted sound and guttural vocals in a single heartbeat. It is music that feels lived-in, honest, and occasionally uncomfortable in its transparency.
What truly sets them apart is the vocal and creative interplay between brothers Cody and T.J. Bonnette. While T.J. provides the visceral, high-stakes screams that anchored their debut, Cody’s melodic sensibilities and increasingly experimental guitar work pushed the band into avant-garde territories. Their later work leans heavily into southern-gothic atmospheres and bluesy, syncopated rhythms that you rarely find in the post-hardcore scene, making them a 'musician's band' within their genre.
To understand their evolution, start with 'Son, I Loved You At Your Darkest' for the definitive post-hardcore experience, then move to 'Come Now Sleep' to hear them dismantle those foundations. It is the perfect soundtrack for moments of high emotional stakes or quiet existential reckoning, offering a catharsis that feels earned rather than performative.
As Cities Burn is an American post-hardcore band from Mandeville, Louisiana, that formed in 2002 and has released four studio albums. Their debut, Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest, was released in 2005. Two years later, they released Come Now Sleep. Then, in 2009, As Cities Burn released their third album, Hell or High Water. The band had performed from 2011 through 2016, but drummer Aaron Lunsford announced, on August 16, 2016, that the group disbanded. In December 2017, As Cities Burn reunited and went on tour to open up for Emery, and announced that they were staying together and writing new music.
Shares intense, vulnerable, cathartic (moods); layered dense, analog warmth, reverb heavy (production style)
Shares post-hardcore, progressive rock, indie rock (subgenres); dynamic range, analog warmth, layered dense (production style)
Shares post-hardcore, indie rock, art rock (subgenres); dynamic range, analog warmth, layered dense (production style)
Shares post-hardcore, indie rock, art rock (subgenres); dynamic range, analog warmth, layered dense (production style)
Shares dynamic range, analog warmth, layered dense (production style); vulnerable, cathartic, brooding (moods)
Shares dynamic range, analog warmth, reverb heavy (production style); screaming, breathy, intense (vocal style)
Shares dynamic range, analog warmth, layered dense (production style); rainy day, solitude, basement show (atmosphere)
Shares dynamic range, analog warmth, layered dense (production style); post-hardcore, indie rock, screamo (subgenres)
Shares dynamic range, layered dense, analog warmth (production style); cathartic, brooding, vulnerable (moods)
Shares dynamic peaks, screamo, post-hardcore, raw (signature)
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