Pale Skies is a new step in this new wave of melodic hardcore. The split EP pairs two of the genre’s strongest acts of the past year, uniting two continents: New York City’s Square One and London/Brighton’s Turn of Phrase. Following Without Love and Time X Heist’s 2023 offering, could Pale Skies be the second great trans-Atlantic split EP of 2020s melodic hardcore?
New York City had always been an epicentre for hardcore. However, in the 2000s, the closely timed gentrification and closure of CBGB, Castle Heights and Wetlands left it a shadow of its former self. What remained of the scene instead found homes upstate and in Long Island. Square One are one of the new breed of bands rebuilding the five boroughs scene, alongside Ekulu, Combust and Fröthing Mad.
Continuing from their November 2024 debut demo, Square One’s side of this EP is a conventional melodic hardcore affair. Sam Chabert’s vocals are the old-school yelp that In My Eyes and Turning Point perfectly replicated, combined with Schreifels-esque harmonic melodies and high-string ringing. Both of their tracks spend much of their time ebbing between driving punk rhythms and two steps. Its bass grooves are a real highlight.
Square One’s tracks revive the explicit youth-crew aesthetics that are nearly inseparable from melodic hardcore. In a style as restrictive as youth crew, they do little to break out of that box, unlike bands like Speedway or Act With Empathy have done lately. However, Square One’s mission seems to be tribute rather than innovation.
Featuring two members of the UK’s hottest new hardcore band, Dynamite, Turn of Phrase built a major buzz in the UK in the past year with their February 2025 demo. They represent a meeting point of two disparate worlds, with Andy Bottaro (guitar) being a part of the ultra-raw hardcore of State Sanctioned Violence. In contrast, Joe Phillips (drums) and Alex Cheung (guitar) occupied roles in various emo, grunge and college rock bands.
Turn of Phrase develop from Square One’s style seamlessly, with their first track “Delirium”. Their rhythms are more consistently driving, not often delving into the grooves that permeated the prior tracks. While there are still youth crew tendencies, Turn of Phrase diverge with more melancholic atmospheres and emo tendencies. Their two guitars weave together to create dissonant, depressive harmonies akin to Leatherface. The song’s refrain, “Fading like a pale blue”, is the EP’s lasting hook.
Closer, “Still As a Sin” oscillates between Have Heart worship and floatier moments more reminiscent of Cheung and Philips’ soft grunge work in Muskets and Out of Love. It builds into a crescendo, but upon reaching its peak, it returns to the soft beginnings. The song subverts all the energetic hardcore expectations set by the rest of the EP, coming across more like a slow indie rock track with hardcore tendencies.
Both sides of Pale Skies meld stylistically despite their production differences. Turn of Phrase have a fuzzy, bass-heavy production that complements their more alternative rock-esque moments. Square One’s production is still raw, in a style reminiscent of old Dischord Records releases, but compared to Turn of Phrase’s, it sounds immaculate.
Pale Skies present two very different interpretations of the same base sound. Both bands work off each other, with Square One grounding the EP in a recognisable form before the more eclectic style of Turn of Phrase kicks in. It reflects the two major paths of melodic hardcore: homage and innovation.