TWIABP began as a ten-member outfit central to the early-2010s emo revival, combining twinkly Midwest emo and climactic post-rock influences. Over a decade they pared down personnel and shifted toward heavier, proggier sounds, now emphasizing metalcore aggression and expansive prog-emo textures. The opening track "Dimmed Sun" alternates burly metalcore with cleaner prog-emo passages, pairing compressed guitars and shouted vocals with harmonized riffs and more melodic singing. Drummer Steven Buttery adopts more active patterns, escaping former slow-build confines. Guitarist-producer Chris Teti has steered much of the stylistic change, bringing post-hardcore and heavier sensibilities to the band's production and songwriting.
"Dimmed Sun," which opens the band's latest album, Dreams of Being Dust, defines this new direction as it alternates between burly metalcore and cleaner, more expansive prog-emo. Gnarly, compressed guitars are paired with shouted or snarled vocals; noodly harmonized riffs accompany the more skyward-reaching singing. Throughout it all, drummer Steven Buttery gets busy, breaking free of the chains of the slow-build climaxes that once hamstrung his abilities.
So while there's a drastic gulf between Dreams of Being Dust and their ambitious debut, it's not entirely unexpected. It's due, in large part, to guitarist and producer Chris Teti, one of the band's longest-tenured members. Teti has long seemed like TWIABP's resident post-hardcore influence: headbanging in front of his massive stack amp; contributing to albums by bands like Misery Signals, Enabler, and
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