Flycatcher have been working toward this moment, and this sound, for a long time.

Formed in 2017, the New Jersey band have been touring nationally for the past few years, supporting bands like Say Anything, Oso Oso , Slow Joy, Foxing, and Casey. In early 2023, they released their EP Stunt, their first on Will Yip’s Memory Music; it followed their 2018 release Other Things, and another project the following year, Songs for Strangers. Now, Flycatcher—vocalist/guitarist Greg Pease, lead guitarist Justin VanNiekerk, bassist Jack Delle Cava, and drummer Matteo DeBenedetti—are ready to release their debut LP, Wrench, October 24th on Memory Music.

Wrench is a 10-track collection that came together over a year of writing, demoing, and recording, both on the band’s own and with Yip, between stints of intense touring and working other jobs. When they began writing, Pease says the band intentionally left some space in the songs while heading into Yip’s Studio 4; they wanted him to imprint on the songs, breathing his signature weight and drama into them. “I didn’t want to overwrite things and be too married to stuff because I wanted to leave room for that studio magic, ” grins Pease. He and Yip wrote the bridge for the single “Dissolve,” which dropped in March 2025, on the fly at Studio 4. (The band previously collaborated with Yip for their 2023 live album, Live at Studio 4.)

The anthemic, loose emo-twang of lead single “Brother,” released last year, was one of the first demos that set the tone for the record. After tracking two singles in early 2024, Flycatcher knew they had found a sound: “Dissolve” has straight-ahead, rolling-boil alt-punk energy à la Microwave, and “Brother” brings country drawl and roots-grunge to the table. The two songs ended up serving as sonic bookends for the record, setting the stage for the rest of Wrench.

With this release, Flycatcher have established a sonic perspective that strips parts from the most exciting sounds of late ’90s/early 2000s emo, grunge, pop punk, radio rock, folk, and countryfied indie rock—Pease’s reedy, rustic croon could sit overtop a banjo and acoustic guitar, but here, it’s put to better, more thrilling use. Many of Wrench’s sounds land somewhere in a field bordered by Built to Spill, MJ Lenderman, and fellow Jersey acts Pinegrove and Gates (maybe even, in all the right ways, Nickelback on the chorus of “Brother”).

Wrench is colored throughout by the specific regional reality of coming up in New Jersey, but it’s also about the universal rollercoaster of your late 20s and early 30s, and the endless mire of thinking about what your life should have been or what it could be. Do you abandon those aspirations, or do you keep white-knuckling it, fighting to bring them to fruition? “Life just moves,” says Pease, “and you have to move with it.”

The record is also driven by the flawed nature of memories, and what happens when we hold on too tightly to them—or let them go altogether. “We’re all just misremembering things all the time,” says Pease. “Everything’s whatever we want it to be.”

Pease, who grew up in New Jersey out near the Delaware Water Gap, is proud that Flycatcher isn’t a New York band, or a Brooklyn band, or a Philly band. They’re from New Jersey. They formed as a college basement band in New Brunswick, and now most members live in Jersey City. The state, says Pease, has morphed them into “whatever the hell we are.” “We’re a New Jersey band, and for some people that might mean nothing, but for us and for the people that we came up with, that’s kind of everything. There’s a reverence that we all have of our upbringing, and there’s a reason we haven’t left. This place is fucking weird and special and interesting, and it’s worth taking a closer look at.”

Wrench is out October 24 on Memory Music.

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Negative Zen is a nu-grunge / grungegaze band formed in 2022 in Youngstown, Ohio, by vocalist and guitarist David Van Pelt at just 16 years old. Now based in Cleveland, the band continues to call Northeast Ohio home. As of 2026, the lineup strictly features Van Pelt on vocals and guitar alongside Joseph Langley on bass.

Rooted in the sound of ’90s grunge and 2000s alternative rock, Negative Zen draws influence from Superheaven, Braid, Deftones, Chevelle, Shinedown, and Alice In Chains. Their music blends grunge and shoegaze with elements of post-hardcore, while subtle shades of blues and country find their way into the songwriting. The result is a modern rock sound that remains authentic.

Since forming, Negative Zen has steadily built a name within the Northeast Ohio rock scene. On April 14, 2023, the band broke the all-time attendance record at The Wickyards in Youngstown, marking one of their earliest major milestones. They have since shared the stage with multi-platinum rock band Fuel at Ribs-N-Rock Festival, along with Ultra Q, Flaw, King Parrot, and many others.

The band has also taken their music beyond Northeast Ohio, gaining touring experience through performances in Brooklyn, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago, and other cities. Along the way, Negative Zen has continued to see rapid growth across social media and online engagement, expanding their reach and connecting with new listeners.

With a DIY approach, an authentic presence, and a steadily growing following, Negative Zen has established themselves as part of a rising generation of rock bands while continuing to develop a sound distinctly their own. As they expand beyond their hometown and reach new cities and listeners, the band is laying the groundwork for the next chapter. Negative Zen will release their debut album in 2027.

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