Philly emo band Sweet Pill released their great debut album Where The Heart Is in 2022 on Topshelf, and 2023 was even more of a breakout year. They supported tours for The Wonder Years and Origami Angel, contributed to Foxing’s The Albatross: Ten Years, signed to Hopeless, announced the Starchild EP for March 2024, and put out two genuinely awesome singles from it. They also announced a headlining tour for 2024, with Equipment on all dates and other bands joining along the way.
With 2023 coming to a close, we asked the band what their favorite albums of the year were, and four of the five members teamed up to make us a list that ranges from Paramore to Fucked Up to SUDS to Hazing Over, with fun-to-read commentary on each pick. There’s also one older album on there, but the write-up makes the inclusion totally worth it. Check out what Sweet Pill had to say below.
Sweet Pill’s tour with Equipment hits NYC on May 9 at Music Hall of Williamsburg, and Taking Meds are on that bill too. All dates are listed at the bottom of this post.
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Sweet Pill’s Favorite Albums of 2023
Jayce Williams (guitar):
One Day by Fucked Up
I’ve known about this band for years just based off of their notable name but have never given them a proper deep dive – that is until Anthony from Gel posted the song “Cicada” on his Instagram story earlier this year. It was definitely not what I was expecting and it immediately scratched every itch. Fucked Up quickly became my next obsession after listening to their whole discography. Going back to One Day, “Cicada” is nearly a perfect song. The record is ecstatic and raw, but this track sticks out the most to me. It reminds me so much of some huge influences I had when writing Where the Heart Is including Have a Good Season, David Bazan, and Land of Talk.
Tunnel Vision by Hazing Over
I get so burnt out on heavy music when every band starts to sound the same. I’ve never had that issue with Hazing Over, or with any of their adjacent bands. This band has kept me on my toes since I booked them a show in an abandoned warehouse in my neighborhood in North Philly last year. This was my first time seeing them live and I was immediately hooked – and also desperate for new music. They did not disappoint with their most recent release Tunnel Vision. The riff at :33 in “Path Denied” makes me want to come out of mosh retirement. Hazing Over is severely underrated and has the potential to be huge in world of metallic hardcore, shout out to Ryan Veith.
Hold On by Name Taken (2004)
This last one is a treat and kind of against the rules since it didn’t come out in 2023. To be honest I did not listen to a lot of music this year since I had been eating, breathing, and sleeping music non stop as a touring musician – we played over 100 shows this year. When our dear friend Max, the sound person for Anxious, showed me the song “Control” by Name Taken on week five of our six week tour with the Wonder Years, it hit me in an unexpected way. It made me feel like I was 15 again and on my way to my first Warped Tour – it reminded me why I’m so inspired to tour until my body gives out. At the end of the day, this record is just a run of the mill old school emo classic – but it’s so fucking good and way ahead of its time. I know this came out 20 years ago but I’m grateful to have found it in one of my most vulnerable moments of 2023.
Chris Kearney (drums):
In Times New Roman… by Queens of the Stone Age
I fucking love this band. They’re the best band ever, PERIOD. Queens have done it again. Ever since my babysitter Lisa showed me them in 4th grade, I’ve been hooked and In Times New Roman… certainly does not disappoint. I was lucky enough to see them in Philly at The Mann and in DC at The Anthem over the summer, and they put on some of the most captivating live performances I’ve ever seen. Not to mention, Jon Theodore is just a beast on the drum kit. My favorite tracks are “Paper Machete” into “Negative Space” and “Time & Place” but every song is great. You can tell the band creates the music they want to create and this is something I strive to do with the music I make. None of their songs sound quite the same. Embrace the weird and strange.
Zayna Youssef (vocals):
A Place You Grew Up In by Laveda
Laveda is one of my favorite bands that we ever had the pleasure of playing with. We met in Texas a week before the historic covid shutdown of 2020. I was blown away by their live sound. It is so well produced that you forget it is even live. I can tell that they all are well studied in their craft and I’m hooked. A Place You Grew Up In is the band’s best work to date. Musically it can be mellow and floaty but that doesn’t compromise its catchiness and emotion. I heard these tracks live first and then heard the album. I can not stress enough how stellar and polished their live show is. They’re just like carbon copies of the studio tracks! Favorite tracks are “Troy Creeps”, “We’re All Screwed”, and “So Long”.
This is Why by Paramore
Can they ever disappoint? I think NOT. Paramore continually pushes their own boundaries as artists. I am a HUGE Paramore fan. I have seen them perform way more than I even see my own family (I even went on all of their cruises). Naturally, I am biased, but I have to truly be let down by them. Each new album release sounds different from their last but still has the ability to capture me in the same ways as it did when I was 12 when first listening to RIOT! I Truly loved the style and dancey-ness of the tracks in This is Why. There is a matureness to the instrumentations and to Hayley’s writing. Overall, the melodies and vocal abilities she showcased scratched every itch. Musically, it is full and vibrant and definitely thought about. And now here I am again with this same thought, “I wonder what their next sound will be?” Favorite track is “Figure 8”.
The Great Overgrowth by SUDS
Ok, I’m doing a third album, don’t be mad. I only came across this album recently because it literally just came out. It has been a minute since I have listened to a band that made me just wanna look up everything about them. This album is so catchy, so lyrically strong, and just straight to the point. I can’t skip a single track. Also, I am a sucker for multiple vocalists. Seriously some of my favorite vocal melodies that simply HIT. Production-wise, it is very well done. I am itching to see them perform these songs so I can sing along! My favorite tracks are “Terrible Thing”, “Freckle”, and “Gone for Good”.
Sean McCall (guitar):
Love Is An Action by Bike Routes
This album was pressed to vinyl this year through Counter Intuitive Records and is super well deserved. Bike Routes’ Love Is An Action is incredibly vulnerable, honest, and catchy. I think each and every song has its own purpose and unique emotions attached to the entire record that brings it all together if that makes sense. I’ve cried to quite a few of these – happy, sad, & angry tears, and I think that’s incredibly powerful. They take “singer/songwriter” tunes to the next level and I’m looking forward to their next release. Very proud of the Bike Routes crew!!
SWEET PILL: 2024 TOUR DATES
April 13, 2024: Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups @
April 14, 2024: Lakewood, OH – Mahall’s @
April 15, 2024: Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird @
April 17, 2024: Washington, DC – Songbyrd @
April 18, 2024: Durham, NC – The Pinhook @
April 19, 2024: Atlanta, GA – Masquerade (Purgatory) +
April 20, 2024: Nashville, TN – drkmttr +
April 22, 2024: Dallas, TX – Club Dada +
April 23, 2024: Austin, TX – Mohawk (Indoors) +
April 25, 2024: Mesa, AZ – The Underground +
April 26, 2024: Los Angeles, CA – The Echo + ^
April 27, 2024: San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill ^
April 29, 2024: Portland, OR – Polaris Hall ^
April 30, 2024: Seattle, WA – Barboza ^
May 1, 2024: Missoula, MT – The Show Room at ZACC ^
May 3, 2024: Minneapolis, MN – 7th St Entry #
May 4, 2024: Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall #
May 5, 2024: Grand Rapids, MI – Pyramid Scheme #
May 6, 2024: Toronto, ON – The Garrison #
May 8, 2024: Somerville, MA – Crystal Ballroom #
May 9, 2024: Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg #
May 10, 2024: Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer @ * %
Support:
Equipment (all shows)
Have a Good Season @
Zeta +
Great Time ^
Taking Meds #
Broke Body *
