“My lungs are screaming to breathe you in.”
Don’t you just love when an absolute banger finds you out of nowhere? Merseyside based band Monroe. have only dropped two songs as of 2025 and have made it clear they are here to stay. Obviously, they are part of the top 25 bands to watch in 2026 for a reason. Drawing inspiration from the emo style of chorus while keeping that strain of hardcore edge, they are keeping the listener conflicted – you won’t know whether to burst into tears or beat the shit out of someone.
Their debut EP, To Dwell on Dreams and Live in Memories, kicks off on a glitchy track that would make Bring Me The Horizon’s Next Gen era proud. Immediately we are intrigued by the distorted vocals and apocalyptic audio style, setting the tone and building tension. “Take a Seat” works perfectly, telling us we should be seated for this joyride. This is followed by the already released single and second track, “Strip Your Teeth”, whichopensin an intense post-hardcore drum style that grabs attention. Monroe. keep the introduction aggressive before slipping into a melancholic vocal delivery blending emo with screamo. Aurally, the song is painting a heart-wrenching picture. Before even acknowledging the lyrics, instrumentally the song makes the heart hurt. Establishing a strong foundation for the EP and setting a cohesive standard for the rest to come.
Izabel Lavin – known as the vocalist of baddiecore band rozemary and violent dance music band Demeanour, makes an appearance on “So Long, Boulder City” together with the guitarist Samuel Rowe on vocals. The duo start off with a carnal vocal delivery that’ll get you hot and heavy, you’ll be swooning. Together their vocals melt together to create a furiously electric atmosphere. Lavin adds another layer of depth to the song, imparting a metaphorical second point of view and the perfect amount of destruction with her vocal fry delivery.
Track four, “Just because you shot Jesse James, Doesn’t make you Jesse James” might be a future fan favorite, and not simply thanks to its name. It wastes absolutely no time by belting a scream and pounding the drums as if it will knock their enemy down a peg. The guitar matches the lyrical vibe infallibly, shredding intensely without overpowering the mix. There is nothing more cathartic than a song starting viscerally angry, progressing into an emotional singing verse, and ending exactly how it began: aggressively sad.
Do you need a track that reminds you of getting out of your lowest points in life and coming out of the other side thriving? Give “To Name a City After You” a listen, although the lyrics might suggest you give that toxic ex a call again… The song feels more pleading in nature, contrasting the previously heavy tracks nicely that were more demanding. The soft singing alongside the buttery drumming and bouncy guitar really gives the song a warm feeling. It’s a great song to reconsider your life choices before closing on an acoustic number, ensuring the heart is well and truly broken. “On dreams, in memories” is short but sweet, charming in its simplicity, just a humble guy expressing feelings via guitar. If this track had a defining word, it would be acceptance. In this story, the listener has spent the first half of the EP in the early stages of grief: denial, anger and bargaining. Now as the EP comes to a close, depression and acceptance begins to seep in.
“Drawing you from memory” concludes this EP on a phone call. Unlike the other tracks which went through numerous tweaks over the last three years, “Drawing you from memory” felt fully formed from the beginning. Textured guitar riffs set the scene alongside a moody bass line. Harmonising high pitched vocals to contrast the lower backing growls. Keeping this epilogue atmospheric as the vocalist reaches a realisation that he can’t go on like this anymore. Extending the outro to create a figurative void. Songs like these can remind the listener of a time when they were fourteen and their biggest problem was having braces. Or is that too niche?
There is no denying this is a solid introduction piece for Monroe. They have managed to lay solid groundwork to evolve their sound going forward, with their cohesive tone paired with a consistently powerful performance. However, you can’t help but feel left wanting for more when it comes to the mixes. While the composition is exceptional, the music would have benefitted from more separation between instruments to give it that extra level of polish to really elevate the listening experience. By the time you finish this powerful EP, it leaves a long-lasting impression, in part due to its effectiveness to hold space next to other post hardcore and emo artists. While it may seem evident that this is their early work, it doesn’t feel out of place being followed on a playlist of early work by bands such as The Used. who also had a similar level of quality to their work at that time in their career. It is clear Monroe. are heading in an upward trajectory, and if this level of quality is anything to go by so early on, they’re well worth paying attention to.
7/10
To Dwell on Dreams and Live in Memories releases independently on the 14th of February 2026.