Everything Seems Better Now

The debut album by Midwest Emo, Screamo band, Vs Self, was released in early 2020 and encapsulates all the emotion and passion you want to hear from the aforementioned genres. The explosive two piece from Southern California formed the band in 2018 and released their first demo that would showcase songs, like “Worthless,” “Leave Everything,” “Ti Esrever,” and “Wake;” all of which appear on this album with more pronounced production following.

Between the slinky guitar melodies and lyrics both native to Midwest Emo and the intricate, agile drum parts that perfectly, yet unexpectedly complement those guitar parts you have a stellar album by confident and accomplished musicians that play and perform from the heart. The brass-tacks approach production accents and expands upon the raw sentiments set forth by the band in their songs; there are a few double tracks for the vocals on a couple of the songs, but other than that, everything is played as if you’d hear them live and that brings such energy to the record. The lyrics are poetry delivered through the means of screaming, which works in tandem with the lyrics to convey the strong emotional core at the center of this album. Kyle Schlenker’s, the vocalist/guitarist, screams are some of my favorite in the genre and especially, on this album; there is a richness with harmonics and deep sense of yearning found when they scream. Their clean vocals are just as powerful and impactful as their screams, which is often pretty hard to achieve, but is done seamlessly here. The drum parts, by Greg Mendez, are so creative and play an integral part in the overall sound of the record and the songs themselves. Instead of “holding it down” and playing simple parts, the drums play an equally electric and active role along with the guitar parts; the band doubles down on the use of two instruments playing their own complex parts, which adds a lot of interest and really pulls you into the songs. Some of the highlights of the album, in my opinion, include, “Heartache,” and “Yesterday by The Beatles or Imagine By Yoko Ono As Sung by John Lennon.” All of the songs on this album are fantastic, a no-skip album, but those two are my personal favorites as I feel they encapsulate the overall vibe of the record really well.



An essential album for those looking for an intro to Midwest-Emo and Screamo. Between the lyrics that detail the struggles of life, which everyone can relate to, and superb musicianship that perfectly accents the lyrics, “Everything Seems Better Now,” is a prime example of the duality between emotion and music and the crossroads where they meet.