After the breakup of the influential Long Island emo/post-hardcore band On The Might of Princes, vocalist Jason Rosenthal went on to form the Brooklyn-based post-hardcore band The Brass, alongside bassist/vocalist Mike Campbell (of Latterman), vocalist/guitarist Jon Ellis (of Splurge), and drummer Stella May Vlad. The short-lived band only existed between 2008 and 2010 and only made a handful of recordings, including a 2008 demo and 2009's Dead Broke Rekerds-released Homosapien EP, both recorded by Phil Douglas (of Iron Chic and Latterman). Now, Don Giovanni Records has just given the demo -- retitled Four Songs -- its first official release. Along with Homosapien, these are some of the last-known recordings Jason made before his untimely passing in 2013 at age 35.
These recordings have floated around unofficially over the years and two of them were also included on a 2009 split with Boston screamo two-piece Her Breath On Glass, but if you've never heard them, you're in for a treat. Similar to On the Might of Princes but rawer and heavier, The Brass sounded like a mix of Midwest-style emo, Level Plane-style screamo, and At the Drive In-style post-hardcore, and it all swirled together in a way that was unique to this band. The Brass were an underrated gem -- especially given the members' résumés -- and any fans of expansive, impassioned post-hardcore should give this a listen.