15 Greatest Emo Albums Of All Time

Who says emo has to be depressing? The Delaware band’s sophomore effort is a bittersweet ray of sunshine, an album capable of hypnotising you through waves of wailing voices and insistent repetition.

Sonically, it’s a gorgeous piece of work, with piles of guitars, a deliciously ‘90s gurgly bass, and a crispness to the whole thing. Harmonies fly in and out of every deceptively simple song, adding a choral feel to a band not averse to religious content in a generally nontheistic genre (“B Is For Bethlehem” is the catchiest praise song ever written). The songs burrow into your mind through minimalist lyrics - “Is This Thing On?” and “Perfect Lines” are made up of about eight lines apiece.

This is the album to play to the emo-averse, but that’s not to say it doesn’t appeal to the emo purist. The relative cheer of the music belies a weariness and melancholy beneath the surface. The Promise Ring hide their feelings in plain sight, and the darkness hits all the harder for working its way above the glossy surface.