This is music for the disillusioned romantic who still finds beauty in the grime. It carries the weight of a long history in the punk scene, sounding both weathered and vital. The guitars are scratchy and immediate, the drums are propulsive but never flashy, and the bass provides a melodic anchor that keeps the songs from drifting into pure noise. It is the sound of a band that has nothing left to prove but plenty left to say.
What sets them apart is the intellectual depth buried within the distortion. While the energy is undeniably punk, the structures are more patient and the lyrics more observational than your average three-chord rager. There is a specific kind of 'urban fatigue' here, a sense of navigating a world that is too loud and too fast, captured through a lens of sharp, cynical poetry and raw analog recording.
Start with their self-titled 2012 album. It captures the band's transition from a scrappy live unit to a studio project that understands how to use space and silence as effectively as volume. It is the perfect entry point for anyone who likes their rock music with a high IQ and a low-gloss finish.
Forgetters are a punk rock band from Brooklyn, New York. In August 2009, shortly after the breakup of the Thorns of Life, Blake Schwarzenbach (formerly of Jets to Brazil and Jawbreaker) announced his involvement in a new band, forgetters, with original Against Me! drummer Kevin Mahon and Caroline Paquita. In November 2009, the Village Voice remarked that "If they wanted to, probably, forgetters... could be a 'supergroup'—drummer Kevin Mahon played in the first Against Me! lineup, and bassist Caroline Paquita was in Bitchin'—but mostly they keep a low profile". The band has been described as "a lean, rough power trio" by the Chicago Reader. Their first recording, a self-titled double 7" featuring the songs "Vampire Lessons", "Too Small to Fail", "Not Funny", and "The Night Accelerates", was released on the band's own label, Too Small to Fail Records, on September 21, 2010. "Too Small to Fail" was a reference to the band's tour in late 2009 and early 2010 through the northeast and southeast United States. The EP was released to positive reviews; Willamette Week called it "a gorgeously drunken stumble through the East Bay's fog and smog". In early 2011, forgetters mounted a tour of the West Coast with Street Eaters, and in April and May 2011, the band embarked on a European tour. Paquita left the band after the European tour. There were rumors that the band had broken up, but in early 2012, a photograph emerged that indicated forgetters was still recording as a duo. On November 13, 2012, the band released its debut album, produced by J. Robbins who also played the bass guitar on the record. Following the release of their full length, the band quietly ceased operations and eventually disbanded in 2013. In 2017, Schwarzenbach reunited with Jawbreaker.
Shares lo fi, analog warmth, stripped back (production style); dive bar, urban night, basement show (atmosphere)
Shares lo fi, analog warmth, stripped back (production style); punk rock, post-punk, art rock (subgenres)
Shares punk rock, indie rock, post-punk (subgenres); lo fi, analog warmth, stripped back (production style)
Shares lo fi, analog warmth, stripped back (production style); indie rock, post-punk, art rock (subgenres)
Shares punk rock, indie rock, post-punk (subgenres); defiant, brooding, restless (moods)
Shares lo fi, analog warmth, stripped back (production style); defiant, brooding, restless (moods)
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