A Brief Memoir is a gentle breeze through tougher times, encapsulating emo with gushing sentimentality at the forefront.
Release date: June 12, 2026 | Rite Field Records | Bandcamp | Instagram
Growing up is weird. It seemed like such an easy process as a kid, right? I always imagined it as evergreen as rolling down a hill, gaining experience and attainable allowances we weren’t granted at birth. Besides the fact that the rolling never stops, we were all oblivious to the trials and tribulations of maturity at one point in life. When I reflect even ten years back, it was a constant state of friction with the world and my place in it, but I continued tumbling down through life as we all do.
A decade ago also contained some of my favorite emo bands and albums to guide me through the change. I still remember spinning Harmlessness by TWIABP as I turned 20, walking aimlessly through the woods of Pennsylvania because the music captured the experience of living that I wasn’t yet able to articulate. Ten years on, A Brief Memoir has brought back those feelings in droves. Like I said, growing up is weird.
Enough about me, let’s chat about the Northern Texas group that brought these thoughts and feelings full circle. A Brief Memoir are a relatively new band with that perfect blend of Midwestern twang and gushing sentimentality. I admire the fact that their songs can be so barebones, it reminds me of the way Pretend craft their music that could unravel and fizzle out at any moment. In ABM’s case, it encapsulates a certain bravery in approach that some bands might not attempt early in their careers.
The self-titled record sees the scope of the project fully utilized as a five-piece band, as their first release in the form of a three-song demo was all the work of Joseph Adame. He now rests comfortably in the rhythm guitar and backing vocals position amongst the group, and they’re all credited with writing and performing on A Brief Memoir. I wouldn’t call this brief, though; in seven songs they display some of the longer emo tracks to date. “There Is Green Forever” is an immediate favorite as silence plays a main instrument in a song that makes slowcore seem rapid. Throughout you get the full weight of sole vocals, or spaces of post-rock guitars that expands on the feeling of absence the lyrics are wrought to describe.
It also makes the immediacy of “Shiner” hit that much harder with slamming crashes and quick triplets to rouse anyone from the crushing burden of the song before. The lyrics are as intimate as the genre should be, referencing names of specific people or experiences that band members have gone through, unknown but wholly relatable. We may never know who Noah is, but I guarantee you’ll understand why the vocals wring out ‘I’ll hold you close’ over and over by the end. “Penny” also describes the feeling of lost friends and departures in life that most have overcome by now, but still rattling in our brains and affecting our everyday living.
Even though A Brief Memoir touches upon uncomfortable topics, it does so with the warmth and gentleness that Midwestern emo embodies so well. There is remarkably a shared comfort and relation amongst those who have gone through similar adversity, and it is felt amongst the music here. I’d imagine anyone connecting to this might have to wipe away tears by the end, but you’ll be doing so with a smile and the feeling that this band just gets it. They know when to make the heavier moments count, but most of the music is a delightful, guitar-driven flair to a downtempo emo record. The vocals are another high point throughout, honest and pure that fits the vibe most listeners want from an album as sincere as this.
When I reached the end of the album, the lyrics in “Acknowledgements” stopped me dead in my tracks. ‘I’ve wanted to kill myself for so long. / It feels so strange to have someone to live for.’ I began this album like I did in my past, walking wherever my legs took me and letting the music narrate the path. I was reminded of how dumb it was to feel so sad back then, but everything had that magnetic pull to its significance, and feelings were hard to shake. Living isn’t getting any easier, but I’m thankful for the friends I share my life with, and my partner for giving me a reason to move forward. The crescendo by the end of the track is an outpouring of thanks, for everyone and everything that came before.
A Brief Memoir highlights the quintessential conundrum of approaching adulthood and finding meaning amongst one’s adversity of the past. It is a capsule to that particular time and place along with a certain flavor of the genre not always explored and appreciated in recent times. It is why it brought out the self-reflection of the version of me forever confused and contorted years ago, a feeling I wouldn’t want to live through again but I love all the same. This band is onto something, and I know anyone who loves or loved this type of sound should dive right in. Go for a walk, grab a listening device, and feel the memories long forgotten wash over you again.
