EP Review: Brackish – Rear View

Late 90’s and early 2000’s emo never needed to be revived because it never died in the first place. At least, that’s the belief that Philadelphia’s Brackish puts at the center of their music. Nine years from their basement origin as teenage friends and collaborators, the four-piece outfit returns with their three-song EP Rear View.

Recorded and produced by drummer Zach Miller and guitarist Tim Fitzpatrick, this EP embraces a true DIY spirit without cutting corners on quality. In fact, in an almost too obvious way, Rear View looks to the future for the band and acts as a nice transition from their 2022 debut. It offers a fuller, punchier production and expands on the initial emo-pop and punk-inspired sound they’ve developed since their 2015 beginning.

Rear View kicks off with “Threatening,” a high-energy, gritty song just under 2 minutes in total length. Taking pages from the more traditional hardcore punk textbook, “Threatening” has several tempo changes and melody switch-ups that stick in your ear and flex the many chops Brackish has to offer.

The hardcore, and even post-hardcore, influence carries into “Lay Down,” the first single of Rear View and the track that really turned up my excitement for this EP. There is a mesh of influence I hear in this track from a more Saves The Day-type verse to a catchy chorus reminiscent of The Get Up Kids as singer Connor Byrne belts, “I will not lay down here; I will not lay down.” I even hear a touch of late-career Saosin on this track, especially during the 1-minute mark where the production opens up a bit and lets the track breathe before the band returns for an extended, fully amplified bridge. 

The EP closes out with its title track, offering a less genre-mixed backdrop and a more straightforward emo/emo-pop influence. “Rear View” is a perfectly executed emo track. It has fluttery guitar with a bouncing melody, clean production that muddies up and explodes a bit towards the end, and is overall just a really tight song that sounds great. It’s a perfect way to round out the EP and it provides a welcoming invitation to start it right back up again.

If you need evidence that scenes never truly die, despite labels like “Nth-wave” and “revival” that seem to pop up every other year, look no further than Brackish. A true representation of the Philly/Jersey emo that’s just as alive as it’s ever been; let this EP prove it to you. 

Rear View is streaming everywhere on September 27th. Listen to the title track here: