Eli Enis
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Writing a big book about shoegaze | Chasing Sundays |🎙️ @EndlessScroll_ | Words @ Stereogum, Pitchfork, Fader, Billboard, Rolling Stone, etc
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Articles by Eli Enis
Chasing Fridays: Laptop twee roundup, brakence, novelty Q&A, more
First of all, I'd like to thank all the new subscribers who signed up after last week's free promotional issue of Chasing Fridays. This week's edition is back behind the paywall like usual, but I think you're getting a damn good deal. I decided to give myself a fun prompt and write about a bunch of laptop twee artists I saw grouped together in a prominent Instagram post. Then I wrote about why I think brakence sucks, and why I think the new 17sport single rules.
Chasing Fridays: Knifeplay, a gud comp, Madman Q&A, more
Madman (center) by Dan Dunn This week's Chasing Fridays dispatch is a little different. Well, not too different. I still wrote about a bunch of new releases – from Knifeplay, swallowtail, and a guy named qwizzz – and I still interviewed an artist I like for the Chasing Down Q&A. That artist this week is Michael McMahon of the Pittsburgh hardcore band Madman, who are probably my favorite hardcore band on earth right now. What's different is that that Q&A is FREE for anyone to read this week.
Chasing Fridays: Shoegaze check-in, Beach House live, Oral Q&A, more
TAGABOW (left) by Myth Dealer, Oral (center) by @floridawater4 Hello hello, this is once again a very jam-packed issue of Chasing Fridays so I'm going to get right into it. This week, I wrote about a bunch of shoegaze, my second time seeing Ninajirachi, and my first time seeing Beach House in 16 years. Then, I interviewed that band Oral who I evangelized last week, because they're absolutely fascinating to me and I truly believe that they will be an important band in the arc of music in the 2020s.
Chasing Fridays: Oral, my NYC escapades, Cicada Q&A, more
This is a very long issue of Chasing Fridays so I'm not going to belabor you with an intro. This week I wrote about an art-damaged screamo album that blows my fucking mind, a very good cloud-rock droplet, and a chain-rattling rave ripper. Then, I blogged about my adventures seeing all sorts of music in NYC over the past weekend, including in a building where I never expected to set foot in.
Everyone Gets Everything They Want
Tom Morello’s guitarwork across Rage Against the Machine’s four immortal albums landed a perfect bullseye in the rarefied nexus of radical creativity and rock’n’roll classicism. The elastic wah-wahs in “Bulls on Parade,” the valiant chords in “Know Your Enemy,” the laser beam solo in “Sleep Now in the Fire”—these are generational soundtracks for battering steering wheels and pumping fists.
Four Chord returns to Pittsburgh with big music acts and a beef with Live Nation
Tornado evacuations. Record heat waves. Last minute headliner cancellations. Four Chord Music Festival has been collecting worst-case-scenarios like they’re video game achievements, and yet the Pittsburgh pop-punk bonanza is still standing, in many ways stronger than ever. The annual fest celebrates its 12th year Sept.
Chasing Fridays: Turnstile live, 300SkullsAndCounting, Slow Pulp Q&A, more
Slow Pulp (center) by Rhys Scarabosio By the time you're reading this I will be in the center of the universe, otherwise known as Bushwick, for a weekend of frolicking and shoegazing. I'm seeing Whirr's last show for the foreseeable future this Sunday at the Brooklyn Paramount, and will be bopping around the city in the days leading up to that. Say hi if you see me out and about. This week I reviewed Rio Da Yung OG's new album for Pitchfork, which I didn't like very much, sadly.
The World Is Yours
For many years, Rio Da Yung OG was—and maybe still is—the most casually hysterical rapper alive. Beginning in 2019, the Flint, Michigan, native rapped with more or less the same flows and the same rhyme schemes on over a dozen projects straight and never grew boring. His humor, at once cartoonishly absurd and ghoulishly authentic, is the type that makes you cup your mouth and hold your breath so you don’t risk laughing over the next punchline.
Chasing Fridays: DIIV, Fine, Bassvictim, more
A few things of note before getting into this week's Chasing Fridays: 1) I reviewed the new Chat Pile album for Pitchfork. Chat Pile are a band I never really cared for, but after spending a lot of time digesting their latest offering – especially its lyrics – I came to appreciate the band's singular form of sludgy noise-rock. Check out the review if you're curious to know more.
Chasing Fridays: Sacred Holes, road trip playlist, Tommy Fleece Q&A
Hello hello, the fall season is fast approaching and I cannot wait for the oppressive humidity to end. I spent a lot of time this week holed up in my room with the A/C blasting, mostly listening to pop records for an episode of Endless Scroll where I was tasked with choosing my top 5 pop albums of the 2020s. Peep that episode when it drops next week to hear my picks, and continue reading this newsletter for my thoughts on a totally different world(s) of music.
Who Loves the Sun
Despite the fact that their music sounds nothing alike, Chat Pile are to the 2020s what Deafheaven were to the 2010s. Both groups are nominally metal bands whose breakthrough albums crossed over into indie-rock audiences by blending conventionally unassociated subgenres of extreme metal and alt-rock into audacious hybrids with class-conscious lyrics rooted in wealth inequality.
Chasing Fridays: untitled (halo), Rio Da Yung OG live, Computerwife Q&A, more
A couple things at the top. 1) I reviewed the new Living Weapon album for Pitchfork, which received the highest score of any album I've written about over there. And deservedly so. 2) You can still pre-order my book, "When the Sun Hits: The High-Volume History of Shoegaze," via most digital retailers in the U.S. (and soon in the UK, Europe, and other parts of the world as well!). Thanks to everyone who's pre-ordered thus far, it means a lot and is super helpful to my book's rollout.
Skull Fest unites old heads, leaves younger punks wanting more
Dirt-stained battlejackets. Daredevil stage-dives. Beer cans conking heads. Popcorn exploding in mosh pits. Skull Fest, Pittsburgh’s annual punk and metal gathering, celebrated its 16th year last weekend, and it certainly isn’t softening with age. Skull Fest started in 2009 as an informal birthday party for local punks Dusty Hanna and Jimmy Rose, who simply wanted to throw a concert with a bunch of their friends’ bands.
Death in the Family
In 2026, metalcore is experiencing two very different renaissances. While the rock mainstream is being polluted with some of the tamest, schlockiest breakdown-based music of all time, a far more artistically credible variant—mercilessly heavy, authentically hostile, tastefully stylized—has been permeating metalcore’s DIY underground.
Chasing Fridays: Lucy Bedroque, sevenmillion, Holidays in United States Q&A, more Original
I don't have much to say at the top of this week's newsletter other than thank you to everyone who ordered, shared, and/or messaged me about my book "When the Sun Hits: The High-Volume History of Shoegaze." I'm really heartened by the reception thus far, and I'm excited to continue promoting it in as many ways as I can.
Chasing Fridays: Discontent, god of war, Melaina Kol Q&A, more
Melaina Kol (center) by Rory Bolinger It's been a big week for Chasing Sundays, so let's start with a quick recap. 1) On Monday I announced that my first book, "When the Sun Hits: The High-Volume History of Shoegaze", will be released March 30, 2027. Pre-orders are live right now, and I'd really appreciate if you supported me by picking it up! Pre-order sales are crucial for emerging authors to get their books in stores worldwide.
Dragons, holograms, deep lore: a guide to 2hollis’s unreleased music
This article was written by Stereogum staff writer, and now the first-ever Chasing Sundays contributor, Danielle Chelosky, who I interviewed on the site last year about her book "Female Loneliness Epidemic." Danielle said she wanted to write a giant deep dive into 2hollis's trove of unofficially released singles, and although I'm not nearly as big a fan of 2hollis as she is, I knew she'd do a killer job.
Pre-order my book "When the Sun Hits: The High-Volume History of Shoegaze"
The day has finally come. I'm incredibly excited to announce that my debut book, "When the Sun Hits: The High-Volume History of Shoegaze", will be released on March 30, 2027 via St. Martin's Press. It's now available for pre-order through most major retailers, and I'd be very grateful if you bought it. The book is exactly what the title suggests: a detailed chronicling of shoegaze's entire history, from its proto years in the 1980s to its present-day renaissance in the 2020s.
Chasing Fridays: Throw Spark, Starr 67, if i was a pony Q&A, more
This week's newsletter is relatively brief because you'll be getting a more substantial dump of Chasing Sundays material next week. And also because sometimes, believe it or not, I don't actually have an overbearing amount of thoughts on new music. Sometimes it's just a normal amount. More on that in a second, but first: I have a very special announcement that I'll be revealing on Monday, so stay tuned for that. I think it will be worth the extra email in your inbox.
Chasing Fridays: First Day Back, Tommy Fleece, Worldpeace DMT Q&A, more
Worldpeace DMT (center) photo by Thomas Connelly First, in case you're wondering why I'm not dissecting the new Charli XCX album in this week's newsletter, that's because I already did in a lengthy review of Music, Fashion, Film for the good folks at Pigeons and Planes. As always, Charli is a fascinating popstar to think and write about, and I'm pretty pleased with what I cooked up about her strangest album yet.
Punk venue 222 Ormsby hit with mosh pit lawsuit
A Pittsburgh punk institution is facing an uncertain future. The long-running concert venue 222 Ormsby is currently being sued by someone who was injured during a hardcore punk show there in February. The bare-bones event space, located on Ormsby Avenue in Mt. Oliver, is one of the city’s only remaining DIY music venues that’s all-ages, volunteer-run, not-for-profit, and specializes in punk, metal, and other alternative sub-genres.
Charli xcx Is a Creature of Contradictions
Pigeons & Planes is all about music discovery, supporting new artists, and delivering the best music curation online and IRL. We're always listening. Pigeons & Planes is all about music discovery, supporting new artists, and delivering the best music curation online and IRL. We're always listening. Pigeons & Planes is all about music discovery, supporting new artists, and delivering the best music curation online and IRL. We're always listening.
Chasing Fridays: Pain of Truth, sixth-wave emo, Caden Clinton Q&A, more
I've got announcements! The first is that I reviewed the highly disappointing new Menzingers album for Pitchfork. I think the piece speaks for itself, so go read that if you're so inclined. The second, much more exciting, announcement is that Chasing Sundays has received a facelift! I hired the immensely talented graphic artist Molly Soda to redesign a few elements of my site: a new homepage banner, a new orb logo, and some snazzy new templates for my posts on the Chasing Sundays Instagram.
Everything I Ever Saw
Within the pantheon of millennial punk, the Menzingers are our dive bar poet laureates. The Pennsylvania band’s beer-battered anthems are less loquacious and more crowdsurfable than the comparably earnest the Hold Steady, but a little too weathered and wise to resonate with the average Neck Deep skater bro.
Chasing Fridays: Guilt, twentythree, Greg Mendez Q&A, more
Greg Mendez (center) by Anthony Pezzotti Whattup! I was out last week vacationing with my family at Keuka Lake in Upstate, NY, so I decided to take a rare absence from the weekly newsletter grind. That doesn't mean I wasn't busy writing. In that time, I reviewed the new Ken Carson and Show Me the Body albums for Pitchfork, and an interview I did with the newsletter How I Make Money Writing was published.
Show Me the Body: Alone Together
“I hate ‘em, there’s no love in the world for me,” Julian Pratt moaned in “Arcanum,” the embittered climax to Show Me the Body’s 2019 album, Dog Whistle. For the majority of its 17-year existence, Pratt’s experimental punk band has been an outlet for that sort of negativity: the pained outbursts of a New York City native who spent most of his youth “guided by fear, hate, and aggression,” as Pratt admitted in a recent interview.
Ken Carson: xperiment
What’s a Rick Owens hypebeast to do this side of Playboi Carti’s MUSIC? The gloriously messy rage-rap capstone could’ve brought a graceful conclusion to the era-defining breed of metallurgic trap that Carti popularized with 2020’s Whole Lotta Red. It was a full-circle finale that simultaneously celebrated and snuffed out its own generational sound.
Chasing Fridays: EsDeeKid, georgie, katmoji Q&A, more
Allow me to begin with a couple programming notes: 1) I'm going on vacation with my family next week and will be taking a rare week off from publishing an edition of Chasing Fridays. I only miss one or two weeks a year, and this is one of those weeks. I'll be back with a new issue on July 17th. 2) In case you missed it, earlier this week I published my list of the 25 best albums of 2026 (so far). The first 15 albums in the list are organized alphabetically, while my top 10 are ranked from 10 to 1.
The 25 best albums of 2026 (so far)
Music writers live for an excuse to make a list, and I'm no exception to that stereotype. The year is halfway over, so I rounded up my 25 favorite albums of 2026 thus far – including EPs and mixtapes, because I don't see a point in distinguishing between those formats in the streaming age. The first 15 albums in this list are arranged alphabetically, but my top 10 are ranked numerically from 10 to 1. That portion of the list is for paid subscribers only.
Chasing Fridays: This Is Lorelei, $quib, b7lanket Q&A, more
In case you missed it, I published my latest 100-song playlist, "Shit I Like 35.0," on the site earlier this week. I've been making these playlists for 10 years now as a means to organize my favorite discoveries on streaming, and I've been publishing them for subscribers on Chasing Sundays for the last couple years.
100-song playlist: Seefeel, Salem, Namasenda, more
Looky here: another "Shit I Like" playlist. I've been making 100-song playlists of new-to-me songs I enjoy since 2016, and this is my 35th installment in that series, bearing the title "Shit I Like 35.0." It contains 100 songs spanning a multitude of genres and eras that are bound together based on a very simple criteria: I like them, and before they were added to this playlist, I either hadn't heard them or hadn't realized I liked them. "Shit I like 35.0" is not sequenced in any rational order.
Chasing Fridays: YHWH Nailgun, truegaze, Chanel Beads Q&A, more
In case you missed it earlier this week, I published a very in-depth conversation with the band ear, who I've written about extensively since discovering them roughly a little over a year ago. What's wild about ear is that their two members, Jonah Paz and Yaelle Avtan, barely knew one another when the band started, and within a year they were one of the hypest indie acts in the world – but still not really proper friends.
ear are still getting to know one another
I've known about ear for nearly as long as the band's own members have known each other. My friend Madeline Frino sent me their EP Fetish / Valley Serpentlast May, describing them as "art school kids who have played a single show." Six months prior to that, ear had dropped their first single, "Nerves," which they recorded on an iPhone in their university library.
Chasing Fridays: Single Print Index, cleo walks through glass, RIP Magic Q&A, more
A few notes before I get into the meat of this week's newsletter. 1) I wrote a profile on the Pittsburgh hardcore band Pain Clinic for the Pittsburgh City Paper, which recently relaunched after tragically shutting down earlier this year. A lot of my favorite stories I've ever written have been for City Paper because I get to do in-depth profiles about local artists who don't have a national media platform, but are absolutely deserving of a thoughtful feature on their music.
Pittsburgh hardcore stalwarts Pain Clinic come out swinging on debut LP Love Hurts
Ty Dawson looks tough. He’s the frontman of a Pittsburgh hardcore band called Pain Clinic. In their song “Lead Core,” a cheerful ditty about busting skulls with a modified baseball bat, Dawson yells the line “I wanna hear your head crack” with maniacal glee.
Chasing Fridays: fakemink, Feeble Little Horse, Slide Away L.A. recap, more
Chasing Fridays: fakemink, Feeble Little Horse, Slide Away L.A. recap, more Some reviews, an epiphany, and a glimpse into the near future of heavy hardcore.
Chasing Fridays: Slide Away Chicago recap, Smerz, coolant Q&A, more
Slide Away (left) by Luke Ivanovich, coolant (center) by Jay Leiby I continue to be busy as fuck trekking around the country for Slide Away festival, which began in Brooklyn, then hit Chicago, and is currently wrapping up its 2026 edition in L.A. I'm in L.A. right now, probably jetlagged as hell, but if you're at either of the gigs this weekend and see me running amok, come say what's up.
Chasing Fridays: Slide Away NYC recap, nasty hardcore, Bellows Q&A
Slide Away (right) by Alice Hirsch, Bellows (center) by Felix Walworth I had an insanely busy week (by my standards) and the next two are going to be even busier. That's because I'm in the middle of my Slide Away tour, where I'm attending all six nights of the annual shoegaze festival in NYC, Chicago, and L.A. Last weekend I was in Brooklyn interviewing bands, Hum fans, and many other shoegaze-curious zoomers for a silly video series I'm doing in collaboration with Slide Away.
Salem: Red Dragon
In so many ways, the mid-2020s have just been a speedrun of the late aughts. A looming recession, neon pop-punk in the mainstream, the word “electroclash” appearing in press releases, and now Salem once again inching out of the shadows. Except this time around, the Michigan witch house sorcerers might actually claim the limelight.
Chasing Fridays: ear, easterlin, Clarion Q&A, more
By the time you're reading this, I'll be in New York City seeing Chapterhouse, Hum, Nothing, Swirlies, Lovesliescrushing, and a half-dozen other awesome shoegaze bands at this year's Slide Away festival. Next week, I'll be at both dates of Slide Away Chicago, and then the following week I'll be documenting the fest's L.A. edition. The next couple weeks of this newsletter will probably be pretty heavy on Slide Away-related happenings.
Charli XCX's "Rock Music" Must Be a Joke
I like it. I can't stop listening to it. It sounds unfinished in a way that makes you want to replay it enough times to fill in what's missing. The lyrics are stupid in a way that belies its melodic shrewdness. It makes sense that Charli XCX would want to deconstruct after a towering edifice like Brat. The only way forward was down – off the stage and into the crowd, where hopefully her fans catch her. But if not, oh well. Charli's no stranger to crashes.
Chasing Fridays: RIP Magic, Bring Me the Horizon live, Grace Ives Q&A
Grace Ives (center) by Maddy Rottman I'll start out by giving a thank you to music journo GOAT Leor Galil for kindly including me in this amazing Chicago Readerpiece about Midwestern shoegaze and the genre's growth in the 2020s. It's an incredibly well-sourced and thorough article that centers around the Slide Away festival that's going down in Chicago later this month, which I will be attending both days of.
Chasing Fridays: Tiffany Day, Poison Ruïn live, Hooky Q&A, more
I was crazy busy this week – and will be for the next two – grinding out the last few chapters of my shoegaze book, so I haven't had much time to sit and ponder on new music. That doesn't mean I haven't been listening. I just don't have any trend-watchy reports or thorough unpackings to deliver this week. Instead, I decided to just write about what I've been enjoying, whether it's new or old, with the goal of recommending some cool shit to the loyal citizens of Chasing Sundays nation.
Chasing Fridays: b7lanket + Luko M, Cleaver Blue, Ivy Knight Q&A, more
I had a busy week! I saw five shows in seven days and only decided to write about one of them below. The others, for those interested, were: theyhungusfrompowerlines (screamo mosh), Verity Den (YLT-core), Dead Butteflies (melodic screamo cry-mosh), and Reek Minds/Yambag/Illiterates (ballistic side-to-side hc). When I wasn't at those gigs I was writing my book. And when I wasn't writing my book I was listening to obscure internet music, some of which I catalogued below.
Chasing Fridays: concealer, Car Underwater, Betty Hammerschlag Q&A
Sometimes I look at the headlines of my Chasing Fridays roundups and think, "Welp, hopefully this is for...someone." Is there anybody else out there besides me who's equally invested in the minutia of modern metalcore and the progression of outsider internet pop? Considering my subscriber count climbs each week, I suppose there is, and for that I am thankful. Because it would feel inauthentic to narrow my scope of coverage.
Chasing Fridays: Slayyyter, She's Green, This House Is Creaking Q&A, more
This House Is Creaking (center) by David Williams, She's Green (right) by Wendy Rosales I'll start this week by plugging my podcast Endless Scroll, which is now up and running again on a weekly basis. I've been having a lot of fun discussing new and old music on the show with my wonderful cohosts, and I'm trying to be intentional about not double-dipping too much between what I say on there and write in Chasing Sundays.
Chasing Fridays: Balmora, smokedope2016, Quiet Light Q&A, more
Balmora (left) by Max Holsbeke, Quiet Light (center) by Leah Blom No preamble this week, let's just get into it. I wrote about smokedope2016's long-awaited new album The Comedown, which dropped in conjunction with a U.S. tour announcement that's already almost entirely sold-out. Which means this is a guy rap fans have to think about, for better or worse. Then, I weighed in on Balmora's lineup change and the first taste of the metalcore revivalist's new record.
Chasing Fridays: kuru, mishmish, World I Hate Q&A, more
Nothing of my own to promote at the top this week, but I will promote something by someone else: my dad, who now has a weekly radio show on WFMU's Give the Drummer Radio stream. My father, a.k.a. DJ Cal Zone, is as obsessed with music as I am, as evidenced by a record collection that far surpasses 10,000 discs at this point – and that doesn't even include all the CD's, cassettes, 8-tracks, and phonograph cylinders that line my parent's living room walls.
Chasing Fridays: EsDeeKid, KMRU, ideasforconversations Q&A, more
Alright, this week I do have one thing to plug at the top. My podcast Endless Scroll, which I co-host with my four wonderful friends Eric Bennett, Miranda Reinert, Michael Brooks, and Grace Robins-Somerville, is back! We were on hiatus for the first couple months of this year, and I haven't been a regular host on the show for basically a full year now, as I was taking time off to work on my book.
Chasing Fridays: Bassvictim, Mori, Operelly Q&A
This is the most concise Chasing Fridays I've published in a while. I simply didn't listen to very much new music this week. I've been grinding away in the shoegaze mines as I near the conclusion of my forthcoming book, and most of my energy for the last month has been (and for the next couple months, will be) put toward that. But don't get it twisted: if Bassvictim drop not one but two amazing new projects in a single week, you know I'm rinsing that shit in every spare minute I got.
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