Four’s Company Split Compilation: A Compilation Comprised of Four Exciting Bands

On May 24th, 2024, Philadelphia-based bands Armbite, Knuckle Deep, and Precious Little Life and DC-based band Home Remedies released “Four’s Company,” a compilation that sees each band lend two tracks to create a collection of songs spanning across genres that appeals to the pickiest of listeners. In only 8 songs and 23 minutes, this compilation leaves nothing to be desired with a diverse collection of catchy, enthusiastic, and uniquely creative songs. From songs that make you headbang to songs that calm the mood down, this compilation showcases a wide range of styles yet feels cohesive, woven together by DIY attitudes and the ability to deliver a lasting impression on each listener. Each song delivers memorable hooks and passionate vocal deliveries, showcasing each band’s impressive, cohesive instrumentals and unique sound. Just reading the names of the bands on this compilation is enough to excite longtime fans, who know what lies ahead is sure to please. 

TRACKS ONE AND TWO: ARMBITE

The compilation kicks off with dog-rockers Armbite providing listeners with two high-energy guitar riff and hook driven tracks, titled “cop dog” and “spine.” The track “cop dog” begins with a sense of urgency as guitars, bass, and drums grab the listener’s attention with a tight fist. The introduction provides listeners with catchy vocals and lively snare hits in between brief sections of guitar and bass stabs before quickly changing the pace of the song. Not letting the listener get used to any one section, the song speeds up even more and introduces a new guitar riff sure to get you moving before vocals re-enter the song. In typical fashion for this band, yet another change of pace occurs and the tempo slows down to provide listeners with a mellow portion focused on bringing the energy down before breaking into an ambient outro of guitar feedback, fading away until the next track begins. This dark and ambient outro continues into the next track, “spine.”

“Spine” begins with a single guitar riff, building suspense until the rest of the band comes in. With a wall of sound noise and moderate tempo, heavy rhythm guitars, punchy drums, and pounding bass create a deep and heavy atmosphere that is simply ear candy for the listener. Lead guitar soon enters as well, providing some melody and atmosphere to a section that already has a lot of depth and intrigue. This heavy portion lasts for only thirty seconds or so before a change of tempo occurs and a new up-tempo guitar riff enters. Lyrics such as “it feels akin to thirst, it doesn’t have a name” and “it’s okay, god forbid, you make things easy for me” along with the melodies provided and appealing vocal deliveries hook you in and hold you tight until you are left waiting for more. A spoken word, guitar, bass, and drum section then builds to the outro. This ending gives listeners everything they could ask for with vocals that cut through a heavy, dance-worthy ending that gives this song the closure it deserves before fading out. The guitar and bass tone help build a fuzzy wall of sound while the drums provide the backbone for the danceable rhythm of the section. The drums also add to the punchiness and unique sound of the part with all of the aggressiveness and technical impressiveness that they add. This three-piece band begins this compilation in such an impressive manner that is sure to make you excited for what is to come. 

TRACKS THREE AND FOUR: KNUCKLE DEEP

Continuing this journey are two tracks that consistently provide high energy and headbang-worthy sounds, titled “Gym Bro” and “The Strength of Ten Jimmies,” performed by four-piece emo band Knuckle Deep. “Gym Bro” begins with upfront and personal vocals and subdued guitar chords before tight drums and a buzzy sounding bass enter to lock down the rhythm and complement the vocals and guitar. Similar to its predecessor, “spine,” the song changes speed and builds into a high-energy, guitar riff fueled chorus-like section. Following each passage of hook-driven choruses are moments for bass and drums to shine as they continue to drive the energy of the song with force. The drums and bass also take their moment to stand out as they strip back the walls of guitars and focus on a dance-inducing groove. While drums, bass, and guitars hold down the rhythm, passionate and screaming vocals fill the space opened for them by the less aggressive instrumental, continuing to build the energy to the end of the song. The vocalists aggressively sing the lyrics “I'm just over it” as guitars, bass, and drums pick up the lively energy once again before going full speed into a blast-beat section led by furious drums followed by an abrupt end. This section also features touches of lead guitar that perfectly tie together an exciting ending. 

Picking up right where “Gym Bro” left off is the song “The Strength of Ten Jimmies,” going full speed into screaming vocals and memorable guitar and bass riffs. These guitar riffs are not only catchy but they’re bound to get you moving, get you humming along, and hold your attention throughout the rest of the song. Also of note in the introduction is the drumming, which provides rhythm to the piece while also showing the drummer’s impressive technical abilities, embracing chaos and complexity. The chorus provides a variation of the introduction riff still with the same aggressiveness and high-energy, but is played with different notes. This riff is also supported by a new drum part that is meant to continue ramping up the energy. The verse and choruses repeat, continuing to give an impressive and consistent performance before ending the short track on an outro that somehow manages to ramp up the energy even more. Prominently ending the song are not one, but two brilliant guitar solos, beginning with one that accentuates the rhythmic aspects of the other instruments before giving way to a tapping solo that ends on a few bends before the track closes out. These solos feel like a good closure to the Knuckle Deep tracks on this compilation due to the exciting energy that it gives this song. In a brief amount of time, Knuckle Deep are able to provide passages that showcase their impressive technical ability, songwriting, and high energy performance, making these songs a perfect fit for this compilation. 

TRACKS FIVE AND SIX: PRECIOUS LITTLE LIFE

The third band featured on this split album is noise pop and emo band Precious Little Life, giving listeners a peek into their always-impressive songwriting and love for aggressive and distorted sounds with their songs “generic” and “bag of friends.” The band’s use of distortion is a key part of their sound, and this song is no different. The song immediately grabs the attention of the listener with distorted and bitcrushed vocals, yelling the lyrics “the silence is killing me,” before equally-distorted drums and keys enter. The screaming of the vocalist continues to pull the listener in and build up the suspense before the guitars enter, creating a dense, thick, wall of distorted sound layered with a bright keyboard melody. A slow drum and guitar led buildup enters after, building the suspense and calming down the aggressiveness of the song before the energy picks up once again. A brief change of pace occurs with a drum-and-guitar led buildup leading way to the outro of the song, slowing down the energy of the song before it speeds up once again. During this outro, we get everything that earlier parts of this song have to offer with more aggressive vocals, catchy keyboard melodies, pounding drums, and a hectic and creatively colorful atmosphere created by lots and lots of distortion. At the end of the track, the three-minute runtime almost feels too short, despite packing so much into a brief package, allowing the listener to appreciate the song even more.

With little space for silence in between songs, “bag of friends” begins with an entrancing groove created by a guitar riff composed of two guitars accompanied by tight drums. The two guitars play slightly separate riffs, with one keeping to the same riff as the intro while the other plays different tags and harmonies that create an interesting sense of togetherness between the guitars. For fans of Precious Little Life wondering why their usual distorted sound hasn’t kicked in yet, the thirty second mark slams you over the head with an abrupt change into a fast-paced, distorted, punk-esque verse. The doubled vocals then introduce the first hook of the song along with a guitar solo, adding to an impressively complex layering of distorted sounds and laying on top a nice touch of brightness over a dense sounding wall of distortion. The distortion kicks up even more for a brief section that changes the energy of the song from danceable to headbang-worthy featuring pummeling drums. The lead guitar returns and vocals repeat the same lyrics a couple times through before the distorted atmosphere kicks off and the intro guitar riff and drums end the song. These distortion heavy and hook driven tracks perfectly encapsulate everything that Precious Little Life has to offer and continue to help diversify and give energy to this compilation. 

TRACKS SEVEN AND EIGHT: HOME REMEDIES

Closing out this compilation are the songs “Huh? (????)” and “Bugs on the Sill,” two songs that are different in sound and feel but equally convey a sense of emotion and passion, performed by indie and emo band Home Remedies. Beginning in full force, “Huh? (????)” provides a high energy introduction featuring a catchy lead guitar line and tight rhythm guitar, bass, and drums before transitioning to palm muted guitars and vocals for the first verse. For clarification, palm muting is a technique that sees a guitarist placing the side of their hand onto the strings while playing to give the guitar a subdued sound. Immediately, the verse gets you singing or humming along with a catchy melody, supported by punk/emo-style instrumentals comprised of punchy drums, a round, buzzing bass, and thick rhythm guitars. These sections repeat once more, featuring the same upbeat, danceable feel. A lead guitar line is then prominently featured before a bridge-like transition helps give the listener a new part to vibe along with. This time, the bass and drums lock down the groove, getting the listener to move along to the quick and upbeat feel of the hi hat and snare hits. Another bridge enters, with emphasis on aggressive drums and a slight change in the vocal melody before the outro section begins. The lead guitar returns to the forefront once again with a solo sure to make emo fans happy before a revisit of the introduction section ends the song. 

Following the exciting “Huh? (????)” is the acoustic guitar-and-vocal fronted song “Bugs on the Sill.” To start, a simple four chord acoustic guitar passage calms down the energy heading out of the previous track before subdued vocals are introduced. This simple, yet highly effective introduction catches the listener’s ear because it is a change of pace compared to the rest of the compilation, but still feels like it belongs. It isn’t aggressive in its delivery, but its focus on an acoustic guitar and a catchy vocal melody allows the minimal nature of the track to work well. The vocal delivery is especially interesting in this part as there is a back-and-forth of sorts between singing melodies and spoken-word-like singing which adds a great deal of nuance to a fairly simple vocal part. The choruses also feature just acoustic guitar and vocals, still with a similar calm, subdued, and personal feel to them. At the end, the vocals shout “friends are where you’ll find them, mine are spineless, just like me” as the acoustic guitar continues before calming down the energy to the feel of the beginning of the song. The outro sees the vocals quietly sing lyrics to signal to the listener that it has come to a close. “Bugs on the Sill” in its emotional delivery strikes a chord with the listener the same as the more aggressive “Huh? (????),” impressively showcasing the ability of Home Remedies to change styles and deliver the same punch. 

And just like that, in 23 minutes, this compilation is concluded and leaves the listener wanting more. Every song perfectly showcases each band's ability to write catchy songs that tempt their listeners to sing along, play while showcasing their impressive techniques, and create unique soundscapes that give each band their own sonic imprint. While each song and each band’s contributions are different, every song still feels like it belongs on the same album. Compilations like this prove how multiple bands contributing to one record can be incredibly effective if done correctly, as well as showing how people of different music tastes can be brought together, building a sense of community. Nothing could be better than four incredible bands coming together to create a compilation that is a reminder that emo music is alive and well, while simultaneously bringing fans of different subgenres together.