Review: Emo is Still Alive with Nightlife by PlainView

A new emo band that I am really excited about is PlainView from the Detroit suburb of Sterling Heights. I get pitched dozens of albums every week, but this group really captured my interest. Clad in black attire and black eyeshadow with song titles like “How Much Break Can One Heart Take” and “Completely Lonely”, Plainview oozes emo.

At a recent music festival, a t-shirt that said “Emo’s Still Alive” caught my attention. Several thousand people were in attendance at the event which included bands like The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Story of the Year, and The Used. With bands such as My Chemical Romance, The Used, Dashboard Conventional, and Jimmy Eat World all touring this year and big events like When We Were Young and the Emo Cruise scheduled for later this year, it is indeed safe to say emo is still alive.

While millennials grew up of listening to bands like My Chemical Romance and The Used, there is a new generation of emo bands ready to lead the way for the Gen Z generation. Bands like PlainView, Call All Captains, Arcadia Grey, Midnight Skies, Watersdeep, and Dogleg are all helping to keep emo relevant.

PlainView’s debut album, Stranded in a Sober Place, was released in May 2021. Now Steven Dechausse (vocals), Aaron Rush (guitar/vocals), Andrew Momeyer (bass/vocals), Chris Parker (guitar), and Zach Schroeder (drums) are back with a new EP, Night Life, which is due out on March 11. The EP was produced by vocalist Mike Martenson from another Detroit band Boys Of Fall.

The band was just formed in 2020 but has already started to gain traction in the emo scene. Besides an album and EP, they were chosen to take part in Ghost Killer Entertainment’s reimagination of My Chemical Romance’s classic The Black Parade. Dechausse and the crew contributed a great new version of the classic MCR song “The Sharpest Lives”.

Ahead of the EP’s release, PlainView released the singles “How Much Break Can One Heart Take”, “Somehow”, and “Feed From You”. “How Much Break Can One Heart Take” reached #2 on the Mainstream Rock Most Added and #14 on the Mainstream Rock Increased Plays Billboard charts.

Nightlife is less aggressive than the band’s previous debut. The vocals are more melodic, but Dechausse still manages to dirty it up with some screamo on “How Much Break Can One Heart Take” and “Completely Lonely”. These songs are lyrically the epitome of emo expressing the emotions tearing at oneself after lost love. While the vocals and lyrics tug at your heart, the guitar work on the EP traverses between chunky tight rhythms and flowing lead melodies to fire up the listener.

“Nightlife was written through 2020 and 2021 which I think were pretty demanding years for a lot of people,” says guitarist Aaron Rush on the new EP. “I was surrounded with a lot of stress and uncertainty after a close family member passed unexpectedly. This EP deals with a lot of those feelings but also acknowledges the growth and relationships that come out of dark places.”

My Chemical Romance is the benchmark for emo in my opinion. Gerard Way and the others had a way of combining imagery, lyrics, and music in a way that was able to reach a whole generation of angry, depressed, lonely people who were missing something in their lives. I see a similar potential in PlainView to connect with a new generation. Lead singer Dechausse has the look and vocal range to seamlessly transition from melodic sensitive vocals to angry aggressive screams which reach out to the listener.

Nightlife is just a taste of hopefully what is yet to come from the band. It is certainly worth adding to your playlist and is now available on all steaming services. You can also see the band live this summer in Mansfield, OH where they will be performing at the Inkcarceration festival.

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Article by Scott Raymer (Website | Instagram | Facebook)

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