Spares

Reviews

Spares / Treasure Pains split 12″

Alright, I’ve griped about this before, so I wanna get it out of the way first—please stop halving split albums between two different Bandcamp accounts. It defeats the purpose of said split! I know it’s all together on the record, but the vast majority of people will be listening online. Keep it together, folks! SPARES play classic post-hardcore and remind me a bit of RUSSIAN CIRCLES (with vocals), and THRICE. TREASURE PAINS are in the same realm and have more of a dissonant edge like RIVAL SCHOOLS and HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE. Production for both bands is crisp and loud as hell. Really solid stuff here. I’d go as far as saying it’s worth bouncing between two Bandcamps.

Spares Spares 12″

Portland’s SPARES, formed in 2022 and featuring Mike Vera and Ryan Shanahan of Deep Elm Records band LOCK AND KEY, say their influences lie in early DC emo, ’90s Amphetamine Reptile, and San Diego’s post-hardcore scene, and it seems like the ingredients are all there. It’s well-recorded (bassist Matt Vera did the tracking and mixing) and there are moments of genuine tension and grime—”Grease Stains” being a standout to my ears—but too often, things drift into safe mid-tempo zones or suddenly get all melodic like someone slipped a WEEZER record into the wrong sleeve (“Din,” I’m looking at you). Vocalist Gabriel Matthews does a great job switching between singing and half-singing, but he sounds best when he’s screaming out those vocal chords. Look, if you’re name-dropping AmRep, I want to hear some HAMMERHEAD, not careful mood-building. There’s real potential here, but next time, less vibe, more violence. Or, you know, just play the music you love and ignore the randos who offer unsolicited advice.