Since the beginning of 2023, Mississauga, Canada’s Jenafur have been teasing something special. Initially releasing their first single “Arms Bent Back” on February 5, 2023, almost a year later fans can fully experience what this alternative quartet have to offer with their debut EP Sometime, Thereafter. With influence from the alt scene’s best acts of the last twenty years or so, there seem to be a ton of bands releasing nostalgia inducing tunes lately but none do it quite like Jenafur. Combining emo, Midwest emo, and post-hardcore; Sometime, Thereafter draws on the best of the genre to form one incredible piece of art.
Opening up the record is the aforementioned “Arms Bent Back”. It’s a perfect example of what Jenafur has to offer, blending the harsher vocals of post hardcore with the emo melodies of the early 2000s. At the same time, instrumentals swap seamlessly between classic Midwest emo and post-hardcore. Bouncing between an Alexisonfire track to sounding like Modern Baseball in a matter of two and a half minutes, “Arms Bent Back” couldn’t be a better track to open up this stellar debut. And let’s not forget to mention the amazing mix and mastering job done by the one and only Nick Ginn of School House Studios based out of Dundas, ON, bringing not only this track, but every track on the record to life.
Taking some time to slow things down is third track, “Pillar”. Displaying the range this Canadian foursome is willing to go, melodies carry the majority of the song with strings riffing out a beautiful tune throughout the entire track. A catchy yet thumping rhythm section backs the entire song and is nearly impossible to miss with catchy bass and percussion sections that couldn’t be more in the pocket. Arguably the best part of the entire track are the vocals provided by the ever talented Tom Riddle. Nailing each and every melody with finesse while complimenting each verse with a raw and emotional screamed chorus section. “Pillar” feels like what Blink-182‘s self-titled album would sound like if it was a post-hardcore record.
Following “Pillar” is the fourth and heaviest track of the record, ‘Sand Coffin’. The only track on the EP to contain a guest spot, as they team up with Kole Frank of the popular Cambridge, Ontario metalcore outfit Single Wound. If you’re paying attention to anything in the Ontario metal scene right now, you’ll know who Single Wound are, which means you also know how much of an absolute monster Kole Frank is behind the microphone. “Sand Coffin” leans more into the post-hardcore side of the group’s sound giving this song quite the classic Silverstein vibe to it. With the addition of Kole Frank, the blend gives off perfect hints of early melodic hardcore like Being As An Ocean.
Closing out the record is second single “Knell”. Another song full of melodic guitars and catchy bass, drums compliment the guitars perfectly, setting the tone and keeping the quality high throughout. Vocalist Tom Riddle not only displays some amazing talent on this track but the entire record as a whole. Providing the perfect grit to this closer, however, Riddle puts all raw emotion on display proving you do not need crazy technical drums and down tuned guitars to still be heavy. Bands like Jenafur are carrying the torch for screamo bands coming out of Ontario right now, helping keep the flame alive for the next generation of emo children after us. Plenty of bands are trying to pull off the nostalgic sounds of the early 2000’s alternative scene; none pulling it off quite like Jenafur has with “Knell” and the rest of ‘Sometime, Thereafter’. If you happen to be a fan of anything emo, Midwest emo, post-hardcore, or screamo ‘Sometime, Thereafter’ is the perfect record for you.