As much of a bot-riddled dumpster fire as Reddit can be, every once in a while it proves genuinely useful. Just ask Boston emoviolence band New Forms.
Guitarist Christopher Musser and bassist Travis Fitzgerald first met as members of their high school drumline, then lost touch over the years. “We randomly reconnected at our local Walmart one evening in 2018,” Musser tells No Echo. “That led to us hanging out, writing riffs, and eventually recruiting Justin through Reddit’s r/screamo in early 2019.” OK, see what I mean? But I digress.
“We’d all been in bands before but weren’t doing anything at the time and just wanted to get involved again,” Musser explains. That initial trio eventually expanded to include vocalist Mary White-Valliere and guitarist Jake Letizia, with the lineup going on to release its first LP, As Dust Collects, in the fall of 2023. Since then, New Forms have toured with Crowning, Beau Navire, and Jerome’s Dream and appeared at DIY festivals across the country, including California Kicks, New Friends Fest, ZBR Fest, and Dilly Dally Fest.
And while New Forms’ sound certainly has roots in the past, Musser says the bands surrounding them today provide some of their strongest inspiration. “More than anything, we’re inspired by our contemporaries,” he says. “There are so many incredibly talented bands putting out amazing music right now, and hearing the caliber of what’s being created constantly pushes us to be the best version of ourselves.”
That desire to keep pushing forward carries into Nothing’s Sacred Anymore, New Forms’ recently released EP on Iodine Recordings:
Engineered and mixed by Zach Weeks at GodCity Studio and mastered by Nick Townsend, the EP began when Weeks reached out to the band with a unique idea. “This EP came together after Zach Weeks approached us last summer with an offer we couldn’t refuse,” Musser says. “GodCity Studios has a near-mint Swiss tape machine that originally came from Tony Bennett’s house, and Zach wanted to try recording a single entirely to tape.”
New Forms saw an opportunity to push further. “We convinced him that an entire Mary [White-Valliere] EP is basically the equivalent of another band’s single,” Musser jokes, “and somehow managed to record the whole thing in a single weekend.”
As New Forms evolve, Musser has seen the DIY community around them shift. At times, it seemed the scene he knew was fading out. “It’s funny—we talk about this all the time,” he says. “From our perspective, it felt like the scene we grew up in had completely disappeared. Most of the venues and bands from back then have called it a day, but really, it was just a changing of the guard.”
The good news is things have trended towards the better:
“There’s a younger generation keeping everything alive, and we’re grateful to still be part of it,” Musser says. He singles out Sue as one band worth watching. “They’re booking spaces we’d never even heard of, and people always come out to support them.”
In October, New Forms will reach a milestone with their first trip to Florida for The Fest. “It’s been a dream of ours for a long time,” Musser says.
So, yeah, shout out to r/Screamo.
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Nothing’s Sacred Anymore is available on vinyl via Iodine Recordings.
New Forms on social media: Facebook | X | Instagram
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