SeeYouSpaceCowboy & If I Die First bring the Hot Topic era back to life with new song & video
San Diego post-hardcore/metalcore band SeeYouSpaceCowboy‘s not-yet-announced sophomore album is one of our most anticipated albums of 2021, and while we wait for more info on that, the band did just announce a split with If I Die First, the new metalcore band of Epitaph-signed emo-trap artist Lil Lotus with From First To Last members Travis Richter and Derek Bloom, and fellow emo-trap artists Nedarb and Zubin. The split, titled A Sure Disaster, is due May 14 via Pure Noise (pre-order) and it features two songs by each band, as well as the collaborative song “bloodstainedeyes.”
“We are happy to finally let this project surface, two bands, one group of friends,” says SeeYouSpaceCowboy vocalist Connie Sgarbossa. “It was a lot of fun working with IIDF on this and putting this together, we both take influence from the same era of metalcore/post hardcore but with us each having our own personal spin on it. so I hope it serves as an engaging listen.”
About the collaborative “bloodstainedeyes,” Connie adds, “When we first came up with the idea of doing this split I really wanted to do a collaborative song. It was something I couldn’t really cite many bands doing, if any, that came to my mind in this sub-genre. I wanted to take it farther than just featuring on each other’s tracks – a song that combined and took crucial elements of each band and made it something that represented both of us and was cohesive. So we are all got together and fucked my apartment up but wrote this song and recorded it and shot a music video and somehow made it work.”
Zubin adds, “This became so much more than just a split for me. During such dark and uncertain times it was hard to find a light to stay inspired, and this project sparked that. Getting together, feeding off each other’s energies, laughing, the whole process kept me sane. We wrote songs that I am extremely proud of and we also gained life long friends.” And Nedarb adds, “This split means a lot to me. It’s two bands that share the same passion and everyone’s energy vibes off each other perfectly. I hope everyone enjoys the project as much as we do.”
“bloodstainedeyes” and its Cameron Nunez-directed video is out now, and it’s just about everything you want from this kind of music. The two bands are playing together in a room, which is painted half white and half red, and SYSC are all in white button-downs while IIDF are all in maroon. Obviously some white belts are involved, and there’s tons of blood. It’s the most late 2000s Myspace/Hot Topic-looking thing in the world, but it goes way beyond nostalgia. This feels like something new and exciting and I can’t recommend it enough.
Tracklist
1. A Clear Picture from an Unreliable Narrator – SeeYouSpaceCowboy
2. Modernizing the Myth of Sisyphus – SeeYouSpaceCowboy
3. bloodstainedeyes – SeeYouSpaceCowboy x If I Die First
4. Mirror, Mirror This Is Nothing Like You Promised – If I Die First
5. My Nightmares Would Do Numbers As Horror Movies – If I Die First
—