I never thought that I would review a Houston-based band. It seems Football, Etc is my first. The band just put out this new EP this year which is a surprise, as the band is focusing on Overo now (which includes 2/3 members of Football, Etc).
The last thing the band put out was 2017's LP Corner, taking 5 years for the band to put out a new record. To be honest, while this fifth wave emo band was rising on the scene, Football, Etc's new EP was a new oasis to me. The band seems to go nowhere fast for their sound signature.
When asked, Mercy Harper said that Football, Etc itself would be inactive after a West Coast tour in 2018, and by the blessing of emo god these three lovely humans regrouped in 2021 and, voila, they came up with 4 new songs recorded at the Magpie Cage. And guess what? The band had the legendary J Robbins on board as the recording engineer. Yes, the name, J Robbins sets the tone, as he as worked with several bands like Lemuria, Pohgoh, Hey Mercedes, and many others. And I actually would think that the mood and the guy behind the soundboard for this album might become the reason why this album is really good stuff.
You know, it's 2022 and it's not like in the 2010s where the revival emocore bands were piling up the scene. This record is different: the band still fits in with the quiet-loud formula despite that the scene has gone through some changes. I might assume that taking a little break for the band would bring a positive cause toward its creative catharsis and this is proven by the Visions EP.
Visions is self-released, though the band has worked with notable labels like Count Your Lucky Stars and Community Records in the past. And to be noted as well, this EP is not available physically and it is available in digital format only (Bandcamp, Spotify, Deezer). Anyway, this album is really good that I would take it into my yearly list.
