It’s no secret that the Long Island hardcore scene is experiencing a renaissance which could be considered LI’s “revolution summer;” bands like Private Mind, Koyo, Stand Still, Rule Them All and Somerset Thrower are moving the spotlight away from straightforward hardcore which has dominated the scene over the past decade into more melodic and brooding territory of a post-hardcore nature–drawing influence from an abundance of influential LI bands of 20 or so years ago (Silent Majority, The Movielife, Taking Back Sunday, Glassjaw, etc.). A parallel nostalgia-driven phenomenon has been occurring in the scene at large, with bands like Wristmeetrazor, Seeyouspacecowboy and For Your Health channeling 2000s post-hardcore and screamo into fusion genres that sound modern and fresh yet evoke a distinct memory of pyramid-studded belts and Hot Topic CD racks. 

Ennui brings something slightly different to the table while still fitting neatly into both these metanarratives:

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Consisting of current and former members of Private Mind, High Reach, Warehouse, Annulment, Detriment and Regulate; Ennui was conceptualized by Mike Varley (guitar) and John Anthony Czerwinski (vocals) in 2019 during the dissolution of their previous band Annulment. After recruiting Jason Jenkins (bass), Chris Lundquist (drums) and Dan Alivio (guitar) Ennui began writing, recording and performing locally. In May 2022 they released a demo tape on Day Zero Collective titled “Two Songs;” a split 7-inch with Richmond Virginia's Apostles of Eris followed shortly thereafter. 

Ennui has strived to embody the DIY ethics and aesthetic of 90s and early 00s screamo–drawing influence from Yaphet Kotto, Joshua Fit for Battle, Saetia and others. The music and lyrics are powerful and cathartic, the recordings are raw and unpolished and imperfections are embraced. The live sets are short bursts of intensity; there is an essence of volatility in their music which keeps the listener on the edge of their seat. 

Call it a revival if you want, but this approach isn’t particularly novel and this brand of emotional hardcore had never disappeared–it flourished in the underground, all while the buzzwords “screamo” and “emo” were being loosely applied to anything and everything the music industry churned out. At times screamo felt like the last bastion of punk rock; subversive in its DIY ethos, uncorrupted and, frankly, unpalatable to most. Over the past decade or so the smoke has cleared from the scene kid/emo boom and bands like Touche Amore, Pianos Become the Teeth and La Dispute emerged from the ashes–signaling a renewed interest in a genre that was thought to be dead and overshadowed the commercialized, bastardized sounds that had dominated the previous epoch of alternative airwaves. Perhaps it had been but that never truly mattered to those making the music. 

Ennui occupies a unique space in the Long Island scene; the screamo genre has episodically made its appearance on the island–most notably with On The Might of Princes, more recently with bands like Peoples Temple Project–but LI has lacked its own screamo scene and has lived in the shadow of NYC, the greater tri-state area and the hardcore punk scene at large. Ennui serves to populate this void and act as the catalyst for any like-minded bands that may emerge and contribute to a future Long Island skramz micro-climate within the already thriving hardcore and emo scenes.

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Bio (short)

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Ennui strives to embody the DIY ethics and aesthetic of 90s and early 00s screamo–drawing influence from Yaphet Kotto, Joshua Fit for Battle, Saetia and others. The music and lyrics are powerful and cathartic, the recordings are raw and unpolished–imperfections are embraced. The live sets are short bursts of intense energy; there is an essence of volatility in their music which keeps the listener on the edge of their seat.

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Consisting of current and former members of Private Mind, High Reach, Warehouse, Annulment, Detriment and Regulate; Ennui was conceptualized by Mike Varley (guitar) and John Anthony Czerwinski (vocals) in 2019 during the dissolution of their band Annulment. After recruiting Jason Jenkins (bass), Chris Lundquist (drums) and Dan Alivio (guitar) Ennui began writing, recording and performing locally. In May 2022 they released a demo tape on Day Zero Collective titled “Two Songs,” a split 7-inch with Richmond's Apostles of Eris followed shortly thereafter.