Indie Legends Cursive Bring ‘Devourer’ Tour to The Basement East Tonight, Oct. 21

It’s been nearly 30 years since emo-tinged indie and post-hardcore outfit Cursive first emerged from the Omaha scene, forged by the same communal, musical upbringing that gave birth to acts like Bright Eyes, The Faint, and many, many other related, interconnected, and lesser-known projects. Though their early years showed promise and achieved regional acclaim, it wasn’t until a short break and return in the late ’90s, after which the band cemented their sound and penchant for crafting concept albums with third LP and critical breakthrough Domestica in 2000, that the Cursive of the past 25years really found their voice. By 2003’s The Ugly Organ, arguably their best and most-beloved work, the band had attained broad, commercial success, landing in a golden era of smart, substantive, and edgy emo and indie that propelled them to enduring success. While subsequent years have seen intermittent periods of slow-down, side projects (notably, frontman Tim Kasher also crafted a few modern classics with other band The Good Life, along with some solo work, and the rest of the band have similarly ventured off to great affect), and other business ventures (the group launched their own indie label a few years ago, and jointly own a bar and venue in Omaha), for the bulk of their run, the band returned, like clockwork, with a new LP every three years throughout the ’00s, all with a unique concept and focus, maintaining their sound while exploring new territory, and still largely garnering praise from fans and critics alike.

Cursive’s latest and tenth album, last month’s Devourer, arrives five years after their last, Get Fixed, and is notably the group’s first post-pandemic LP and first on new label home Run for Cover. Like much of the band’s best work, Devourer is a resonant, hard-hitting, emotionally charged indie mesh of heady, self-reflective themes and sociopolitical commentary, and feels just as fresh, inspired, and propulsive as their 2000s heydey. In support, Cursive return to Nashville tonight, Oct. 21 to headline The Basement East with Philly indie rockers Gladie. Though they seem to make it to Nashville every record cycle, their output has been a but more intermittent in recent years, so if you’re a fan of indie, emo, and post-hardcore, we encourage you to grab tickets right here while they last, and don’t miss out on one of the absolute best bands in the scene!

Cursive and Gladie perform tonight, Oct. 21 at The Basement East. The show is 18+, begins at 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), and tickets are available for $35.96.