"Keyes" is a band from San Diego, California. I think that most would consider them to be post-hardcore, but people can be awfully touchy with genre labeling so you can think of "Keyes" as a mellow melodic hardcore or a harder sort of indie-rock if any of those alternatives help. The name that we put to the genre isn't as important as the talent with which the band plays their music. Just know that they've got heart. A lot of bands of these genres utilize screams along with clean (non-scream) vocals and "Keyes," for the most part, continues that trend. They have a few songs that have little snippets of screaming and some that have more. For example, their EP "Therefore/Without" has much more screaming than "Wandermere," although both are fantastic.
"Keyes" has released three EPs over the course of their career. Their first EP was released in 2011, "Therefore/Without," and featured one of their most popular songs: "Cities of Fog with Nothing to Love." This was then followed by a B-Sides album the following year and then "Wandermere" in 2014. "Wandermere" utilized less screaming when compared to their prior releases but, at the same time, continued in the same direction while perhaps being slightly softer and more melodic. They did not, however, remain artistically stagnant. They gave us more of what we wanted. Their releases add up to only 11 songs, unfortunately, but it's one of those cases where it's quality over quantity for sure. By the way, they do not have a song entitled "Veins," that's another "Keyes" who, to my knowledge, took the name from the "Keyes" out of San Diego. Anyway, their entire discography is available on Bandcamp with the "name your price" option so it would be practically a crime not to check them out.
One of the many great things about "Keyes" is the passion and emotion that they convey in their songs. Most of the time you'd have to look for harsher melodic hardcore bands (with much harsher screams, I assure you) to come anywhere close to what "Keyes" makes you feel. This emotion is due to many factors, I'm sure. Their poetic lyrics alone are enough to get you thinking. However, one of the most principal items that stick out to me would be the appropriate balance of cleans and screams that they use to extol such lyrics. It feels natural that the singer sings what he sings and the screamer screams what he screams. They go soft-spoken and sweet-sounding when they need to, but also subsequently become more passionate and emotional when they need to be.
Perhaps what I like the most about "Keyes" is that, compared with some other similar bands, their songs don't make me sad or angry. More than anything they make me grateful that other people can be so passionate. So, if you're interested in "Keyes," head on over to their Bandcamp page and spread the love.
