“I don’t want to be in an emo band anymore,” proclaims SORORITY NOISE frontman Cameron Boucher. “But I have no problem with people calling us that, because in the strictest of senses, we are an emotionally driven band.” That, is Sorority Noise in a nutshell: part of a movement, but also discrete and determined to break free from the pack. Truth be told, the Connecticut-based quartet—Boucher, guitarist/vocalist Adam “Scuff” Ackerman, bassist/vocalist Ryan McKenna and drummer Charlie Singer—have always operated a little differently than most of their peers. For starters, Boucher attended the University of Hartford for jazz saxophone, while guitarist Ackerman studies acoustics and upright bass. But it’s not just their unorthodox musical chops that set the band apart in the underground punk scene. With the release of their Topshelf Records debut, JOY, DEPARTED, Sorority Noise—recently named one of the 100 Bands You Need to Know in 2015 by Alternative Press—are poised to break out in a big way. Joy, Departed is more than just the best iteration of Sorority Noise to date; the album also marks a creative shift for Boucher, who draws musical influence from a diverse crop of acts spanning Regina Spektor and jazz trumpeter Chet Baker to The Smiths and Broken Social Scene—and previously spent time fronting screamo band Old Gray. In some ways, the singer says he approached the creative process like writing his very first album. Boucher started Sorority Noise in late 2013 with friends as an outlet to explore musical styles outside his work in Old Gray. The group then recruited Ackerman and issued their debut full-length, Forgettable, in May 2014. Much buzz—and tours with rising stars Modern Baseball and The Hotelier—followed, as did a split 7” with Somos and the arrivals of Singer (whom Boucher had played with in Old Gray) and McKenna. Outside of pure proficiency, one of the more gripping elements of Sorority Noise's musical direction is the band’s willingness to speak of personal hardships, including the often-taboo topic of addiction on songs like the heart-wrenching album-closer “When I See You (Timberwolf).” "There’s so many people having drug problems—and a lot of bands who play it safe and don’t want to talk about it,” Boucher explains. “I think it’s important to be shown in modern music. I like to be honest about my past and talk about things that have had me down. As a lyricist, you are responsible for the people who care about your music.” That’s ultimately what makes Joy, Departed such an important album: It’s life, warts and all, sung by someone who’s been through it firsthand. It’s not always rosy, but it’s real. Above all, it’s an album meant to be experienced as a body of work—not single songs plucked piecemeal or shuffled on a streaming service. And for Boucher, he hopes it will show critics and fans alike Sorority Noise has something to say, something he’s willing to say as loudly as they’ll let him.

Dubbing your debut full-length Greatest Hits might be a bit of a misnomer—or, at worst, signs of a serious superiority complex—but there’s no bravado when it comes to REMO DRIVE. Instead, the Minnesota-based duo’s first album for Epitaph Records serves as the pinnacle of their four-plus years as a band up until now.   Brothers Erik and Stephen Paulson formed Remo Drive in high school in 2013, inspired by “older kids who smoked weed and listened to Title Fight.” The pair of wide-eye musicians would find their legs in the emo world, but the songs on Greatest Hits—enveloped in themes of suburban malaise and self-reflection—shape-shift throughout all aspects of alternative rock, paying tribute not only to Midwestern emo heavyweights like American Football and The Promise Ring, but also to ’90s grunge and classic rock, among others.   “It’s always going to be about loud guitars and big drums,” Erik Paulson says of Remo Drive’s sound. “The best thing for us to do is not worry so much about aesthetic and focus on whatever feels natural with the overarching idea of being a rock ’n’ roll band.”   That innate honesty permeates every area of the band’s frenetic, spazzy music, from Erik’s lyrics (“I just want to be as honest and straight to the point as possible rather than trying to appear smarter than I actually am”) to the charming DIY video for “Yer Killing Me” that features the band sprinting down the streets of their hometown, instruments and all.   It’s like Remo Drive—unlike many bands under their same genre umbrella—haven’t forgotten that writing and playing music is supposed to be fun. “We try to do things with a lot of energy and gusto,” Paulson says. “I think people can tell that we care a lot. I think our best quality is that we care.”   But at the same time, the Paulson brothers share a deep passion and desire for improvement. Erik is 20, Stephen 22; they’ve got their entire musical lives ahead of them. So while the exuberance and irreverence stands as a hallmark of the music they make now, deep down they’re driven to continue progressing as musicians and songwriters.    “Intentionally not wanting to do better is dumb,” Erik says. “There was a thing for a while where emo bands didn’t try that hard. We’re trying to bring back some of the technique with it. If someone’s doing your taxes, you’d hope they know what they’re doing. If I’m making music, I think people listening want me to know what I’m doing.”   So while Greatest Hits serves as the perfect entryway to Remo Drive’s particular brand of rock, it’s ultimately a stepping stone to the Paulsons’ next evolution. But no matter how much things change, the non-negotiable aspects of Remo Drive that have turned heads until now are definitely not going to change.   “I feel like we don’t really have a voice,” Erik says. “We’re always going to end up being different every single album. Our tastes change so much. We’re not too concerned about pleasing any one group of people. The things that will be consistent are the energy and the passion. As long as it sounds awesome to us and the songs are good enough, it’ll be Remo Drive.” Expect new music from Remo Drive soon. 

Foxx Bodies represents a new direction of punk/politically-driven music—a sound which is urgent, clever, energetic, and above all, important.