Portland, Oregon’s Hemingway recently dropped their debut album “Pretend To Care” on 6131 Records and while we are kinda late to the party with this review, that doesn’t mean these guys come any less recommended!

The songs on “Pretend To Care” linger somewhere between modern emo and 90ies alternative rock and constantly shift between delivering punches and more introspective moments before erupting into yet another chorus that ties everything together nicely. Whatever way they choose to go, there is always room for strong melodies, with things getting downright poppy from time to time. I’m sure the production job by Jack Shirley (Joyce Manor, Deafheaven) helped make things sound this crispy and warm, but there’s no denying these guys have some decent songwriting chops! Don’t believe me? Check out “So Predictable”, one of my personal favorites!