Don’t Miss Braid w/ Beach Slang & Free Throw | TONIGHT @ Exit/In

Despite how you feel about the term “emo revival,” it’s undeniable that there’s been a recent resurgence of interest in the scene that seminal ’90s acts like Sunny Day Real Estate, The Get Up Kids, The Promise Ring, and Jimmy Eat World helped shape and popularize. Not only have a number of young, new band been mining that era of emo for influence (to pretty stellar results), but the last few years have seen the return of many of the somewhat smaller bands that never made it far into the ’00s (American Football, Mineral, etc). Slightly ahead of the curve, emo/indie/post-hardcore outfit Braid have actually been back since 2011, but have only toured intermittently, and haven’t made it back to Music City since reforming. Out in support of their first album in 16 years, No Coast, the seminal group are set to play Exit/In tonight, Aug. 7, their first Nashville date in over 10 years, backed by buzzworthy up and comers Beach Slang and local emo revivalists Free Throw! Needless to say, this is an absolute can’t-miss for underground punk and indie fans, and tickets are still available for purchase right here! Read on for more about the lineup!

BRAID

Like many of their peers, midwest rockers Braid managed to gain more critical appreciation and cult-like popularity in their absence then during their prolific, six year run the ’90s which produced three fantastic albums, most significantly 1998’s Frame & Canvas. Like Mineral, American Football, and countless other bands who never quite escalated to the heights of Jimmy Eat World and Sunny Day Real Estate (and, to a lesser but not insignificant degree,  Saves The Day and The Get Up Kids), Braid faded away in 1999, just before the mainstream rise of emo-influenced pop punk, reuniting only briefly in 2004. Like so many other fantastic acts that the mainstream music world forgot, they seemed destined to never return, much to the dismay of 20-something music fans like me who missed out what we now look back on as the golden era of emo. However, in 2011, several years removed from popular post-Braid endeavor Hey Mercedes, the band reformed for a proper, full-time return, predating (though in all likelihood, in some part helping spark) the buzzy “emo revival” the music world has been discussion for the last several years. Renewed interest in the scene they helped cement has given way to a whole new generation of Braid fans, and the band seem to be experiencing a proper second wind, dropping their first album in 16 years, No Coast, just last year; spoiler: it’s fantastic. It’s been at least a decade since the seminal band last played Music City, and, while they are no signs of them slowing down for the foreseeable future, this is likely the first chance for many to see them in person; don’t waste it.

BEACH SLANG

With only a couple of tracks to their name, Philadelphia trio Beach Slang exploded onto the scene last year, fueled by an impossible array of buzz. An interesting choice to support Braid, simply because, while a new project, their sound is largely informed by the scene Braid helped innovate (plus frontman James Snyder has played in various bands in the pop punk world for a number of years), Beach Slang co-opt elements of emo and indie rock, playing with an energetic earnestness that feels like a loveletter to indie punk without entering the territory for full-blown nostalgia. The band just announced their long-awaited debut album, The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us, which is slated to drop in October. Check out a new track below!

FREE THROW

If the name Free Throw sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve told you about these local fellas on numerous occasions in the past. Doing their best, along with acts like Daisyhead, Nest, and Courtesy Drop, to bring a sincerity and legitimacy to Nashville’s underground emo/pop punk scene, Free Throw found a sleeper hit in last year’s Those Days Are Gone, and, lately, have been picking up a lot of steam as one of the scene’s most talented up and coming acts.

Braid, Beach Slang, and Free Throw will perform tonight, Aug. 7 at Exit/In. The show is 18+, begins at 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), and tickets are available for $15.