Brace Cove Records Benefit Show

            Look, I’ll be honest, I was there because my therapist said I had to go out more. I heeded his warning and it was a great decision. I would like to start this article out with a diatribe. The Twin Cities has one of the most positive and friendly scenes I have ever been apart of; I’m also biased because I’m 18 and have never lived anywhere else. The building was full of friends supporting friends and strangers becoming friends, which is what we all really need now.
            The Brace Cove Records showcase/EP release show at Moon Palace Books was held as a benefit for JustUs Health, an organization that helps provide better access to medical services. If you didn’t know Brace Cove is a local Minneapolis-via-Chicago DIY label that specializes in releasing emo/emo-influenced music and is home to notable bands such as Granddad, Marmalade, Niiice., and Window Window. Their newest release, Brace Cove Presents Vol 1, was released on December 18th, and honestly is already on my personal top 10 EPs of the year. Featuring tracks from Niiice. (“Sweaty Hands”), Pretty Still (“Not For You”), Marmalade (“Gross”), and Granddad (“Do You Still Think About Me?”), this 4 track EP clocks in a little bit under 11 minutes, ideal for the emo on the go, but has some of the catchiest emo hooks I’ve heard in a long time. This EP has 3 high-energy songs and one slow-burner for a nice palate cleanser, to be honest it’s actually a really great beginner EP for people trying to get into emo. While not showcasing every type of emo sub-genre, it does a good job of showing the softer (“Gross” by Marmalade) and harsher sides (“Sweaty Hands” by Niiice.) of this varied genre.
            The music kicked off at roughly 8:00pm with Pretty Still who played an absolutely killer set. They sound like American Football, which is never a bad thing, and had some of my favorite harmonies of the whole night. Second up was With Iowa In Between, a band from the non-Iowan city of Minneapolis (sorry for being that person). To be honest, With Iowa In Between is one of the few bands that I actually like the screaming in. Two highlights of their set were 1. Everyone singing happy birthday to their bass-player and 2. The bass-player dedicating a song they wrote to their mother who was in the crowd. Niiice. was third and got that pit wide open. Their style is a blend of the usual emotionally honest and raw lyrics with heavy punk guitars. So what I’m saying is that they are perfect to mosh to when you are having an emotional crash like yours truly. Doggy made their debut 4th and this is where I’m going to complain. Every band played about 5 songs or so and I was honestly so entranced by Doggy that I could’ve sat through them playing their set 20 times over. I think the best moment came when they used a sample of “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)” by Nine Days. They played a very energetic and very catchy set, sorry for showing my bias. Granddad was the penultimate act and blew everyone away with their tuneful and masterfully crafted songs. If you haven’t listened to Granddad, you need to.
            I’ll be honest, I was kind of dissociating the whole night so my descriptions maybe vague at best. Unfortunately, at this point I got a migraine and decided to get Taco Bell and head home. Marmalade went last and I am so sad I missed them. Like every other band, they are amazing and 100% worth checking out. This show was a perfectly crafted and wonderful exploration into why the local music scene is so great. Wonderful and friendly people getting together to play their songs in hopes that everyone will enjoy them, which everyone did. If there is one take away, let it be that Minneapolis has/is/will always be one of the best hubs for amazing music.

Listen to the “Brace Cove Presents (Vol. 1)” here: https://open .spotify.com/album/3Hu6HKnicRyuLNefll4Tas

Review by: G Blu