By: Lauren Textor
What defines Midwestern culture? Apologetic “ope”s, Culver’s concrete mixers and cheese curds, “salads” made with mayonnaise, being forced to wear layers with your Halloween costume…and Midwest emo.
St. Louis’s Dialogue builds on the classic emo hallmarks of its predecessors with introspective and emotional lyrics, alternating soft and hard chords, and angsty, high-pitched vocals.
Imagine a 2010s basement band showcase with a homemade stage, cheap beer and a crowd wearing a surplus of eyeliner. Up on stage, you’ve got Daniel Bradbury on guitar and vocals, Matt Chapin on guitar, Derek Read on bass, and Kyle Cooper on drums. They’re the type of guys you might run into at the gas station or the supermarket—unpretentious Midwest emo rockers who you can yak with about the upcoming tornado season.
The band’s latest release is the EP Everyone is Waiting for You, which features three tracks: “Fix Bayonets,” “Cutthroat” and “All Work, No Play.”
The first is a complex, folksy story about a man who leaves his family to go to battle, promising that he “will not go quietly into the night.” Its vivid imagery becomes even more haunting as the folksy tune shifts to proper shrieking emo, with the singer cursing the circumstances that have sent him into danger.
“Cutthroat” is more of a headbanger. Cooper sets a taut rhythm to match the resentful lyrics. “It’s not like I care,” Bradbury sings. “But you weren’t there.” Both the guitar and bass reverberate, underscoring Bradbury’s vitriol at his abandonment.
“All Work, No Play” rounds out the EP by contemplating failed romance. All four instruments—voice, guitar, bass and drums—work in a tight harmony. The instrumental section on this track is masterful. Even if emo isn’t your genre, it’s worth checking out as an example of skillful layering. No one instrument outshines another. Bradbury’s scorned wails aren’t elevated above anything else. The bass doesn’t steal the spotlight. Everything functions in tandem.
Shrieky vocals often characterize Midwest emo, but this EP is a conversation, not a screaming match.