There is a certain chemistry that only comes with time. The kind that develops after years of shared experiences, countless miles on the road, and an instinctive understanding of one another’s creative language. Richmond, Virginia’s Ostraca, are no different. One of modern screamo’s most persistent and consistent bands, Ostraca recently released their fifth full length, Thread. A melding of gutwrenching, emotionally tumultuous screamo, paired seamlessly with post-rock’s wondrous atmosphere building, Thread might very well be my favourite release so far this year. But to the guys in Ostraca, this seems to be one more album to be proud of, while working effortlessly together, as they seemingly always have done for nearly twenty years.
Gus Caldwell (bassist and vocalist), Brian Russo (guitarist), and John Crogan (drummer) have been making music together since their high school years. ‘We’ve been playing music together for a long time – we started a band together in high school in like 2008, and Ostraca‘s first show was in 2015. I think the three of us have a pretty similar vision for the band and for what this type of music should feel like, and all three of us are super grateful for the experiences we’ve had as a band and some of the places we’ve gotten to to play.‘
That shared vision has become one of Ostraca‘s defining strengths. Across the last decade, the trio have quietly carved out a niche sound within a niche genre. Quietly hailed as one of screamo’s most compelling voices, Ostraca have built upon the genre, taking it and emoviolence’s harshest features and pairing them with serene post-rock soundscaping. In 11 years of releasing music, every release has felt like a natural progression, building upon the emotional intensity and dynamic songwriting of the last. Thread continues that trajectory. It isn’t an album interested in shocking listeners with a radical stylistic shift. Rather, it feels like the logical culmination of years spent refining their sound.
Ostraca has settled into a writing process that allows ideas to evolve naturally rather than forcing them into predetermined shapes. Songs arrive with a clear direction, but they are never considered finished until all three members have left their fingerprints on them.
‘Writing for this album started probably in the lead up to the release of our last record, Eventualities – we probably really started in after we got back from our Asian tour last summer. Generally we try to really lock in on practicing material for a tour or recording, but after something like that we’re generally ready to start working on new stuff pretty much right away. Typically I bring a song to Brian and John when it’s about 80% done and then a song will naturally take shape and come together based on how things feel in the room, how long it feels natural to play a riff or a section, and transitions between different sections.‘
Thread already feels like a career peak for Ostraca, even after just a few listens. The arrangements feel broader, the quieter passages more patient, and the harsh peaks all the more emotionally devastating. However, for all the songwriting polish that seems to have gone into the creation of this album, this is still fundamentally a screamo album loaded up with weighty riffs and screeched vocals. Caldwell says, of the writing process:
‘I wouldn’t necessarily say that any of our records was written from a particular point of view or from wanting to push things in one direction or the other. Maybe I’ll hear a particular song or see a set that makes me want to capture something in our music, but I wouldn’t say there’s ever a conversation of, ‘Let’s make this new record sound more like _______.’ We really try to embrace letting the recording take its own course and expand into what it can be on the album as opposed to just what we can do with the three of us in a room. It’s great to hear these songs we’ve been practicing getting more fleshed out with extra layers of guitar, synthesizer, organ, whatever.‘
The result of five days of tracking with Danny Gibney at his studio, Soundcheck Infinity in Harrisonburg, VA, has led to Ostraca‘s most immersive record to date. While having some truly beautiful post-rocky soundscapes, there is also a particularly dour feel across the record. From the quieter moments on “Greater Darkness (Something Worse)” feeling like the soundtrack to a funeral procession, through to the contrasting melancholy of “Ganymede” and ferality of “Freedom from Pain”, there does seem to be a lot of anguish and pain driving this album. Although those songs feel deeply personal, Caldwell explains that many of the ideas behind them originate more from the philosophical concepts.
‘In general, I think we all prefer screamo that tends toward being dark, intense, and abrasive, and definitely a lot of the bands that inspire our sound are post metal or post rock – having a strong sense of dynamics in our music is really essential, but that’s been a focus since the start. A lot of times my inspirations are based on what I’m reading or feeling inspired by conceptually—I fairly often will jot down a note or the germ of an idea I find interesting that later ends up getting fleshed out into a full song. Two major inspirations for some of the lyrics on this album are Thomas Ligotti (perhaps my favorite living author) and Emil Cioran.‘
Thread was released through Persistent Vision on June 26, 2026 and is available for purchase through the band’s Bandcamp page. You can keep up to date with all their goings-on by following them on Instagram! The band paired the release with a special launch show in their hometown and have plenty of plans to tour in support of the new album. In Gus’ own words:
‘We’re doing a release show for this album on July 3 here in Richmond that we’re all super excited for – that’s not something we’ve ever really done before, and we’ll be having Danny come run sound for the show as well as having our friend David Rzeszutko come out to play additional guitars and synthesizer for the show. The downside of pushing the music into new directions in the studio is that sometimes we end up with a song that’s kind of unplayable with three people live, so this will likely be the only time some of the songs on the new record ever get played live, and we’re definitely all looking forward to it. Shortly after that, we’re going to Europe and playing some new places there, as well as returning to the UK, which we haven’t done since our first European tour almost ten years ago. After that I think the only thing we have officially on the books is New Friends Fest in Toronto this August, which is always a great time.‘
If you get a chance to catch Ostraca at one of their shows, be sure to do so and support the band by picking up their newest album!
