There’s something endlessly fascinating about watching a band evolve. Especially in hardcore, where the ethos is raw and immediate, change can feel like betrayal to fans clinging to those heavier, chaotic roots. But sometimes, that evolution isn’t just natural—it’s necessary. Hardcore, at its best, is a launchpad for something bigger. A place to build, break apart, and rebuild again.
Our guests today, SPANAWAY, gets this. Their upcoming album, Songs of Yesteryear (out December 6 on Burial Whisper Records), feels like the next chapter in that journey. Recorded by Zach Weeks at God City and mastered by Magnus Lindberg of Cult of Luna, it’s less about the brutal and more about the aftermath.
These are songs soaked in memory and loneliness, with Zack Van Why’s vocals weaving through waves of shoegazing guitars and Keith Goldoni’s steady, restrained drumming. It’s a sound that owes as much to Failure and DIIV as it does to their hardcore roots.
The band’s story—starting as Blush and morphing into SPANAWAY—is part of a longer tradition of hardcore acts stepping into new terrain. To mark this release, they’ve put together a list of ten bands that also made that leap.
From CAVE IN’s space-rock transformation to CEREMONY’s dive into new wave, these aren’t just examples—they’re milestones. Each band a reminder that change isn’t the enemy; it’s the point.
So, whether you’re still holding onto the breakdowns or ready to embrace the softer edges, SPANAWAY’s Songs of Yesteryear is worth a listen. Not because it’s rewriting the rulebook, but because it understands that the journey itself is the story.
Top 10 bands that started out in hardcore and evolved into something else
by Zack Van Why, Robby Vena, Thomas Geschardt of SPANAWAY
Cave In
“Ask any old hardcore head about ‘Until Your Heart Stops’ and they will go off. It was a massive metalcore catalyst. Arguably the best thing about this band was their incredible transformation into an out-of-this-world space rock band. I remember buying ‘Antenna’ on CD from the infamous Double Decker Records in Allentown, PA (RIP) when I was 16. I smoked some shitty weed and when I first heard ‘Seafrost’, my brain short-circuited. Their discography is extraordinary and spans so many genres, while still weaving hardcore deep in their fabric. Secretly, we all think that our Zack looks just like Stephen Brodsky… Helps me to imagine we’re living vicariously through them haha.” – Thomas
Fear Before The March Of Flames
“‘The Always Open Mouth’ is a record that changed my world when I first heard it. Nothing else sounded like them at the time. They were taking the whole metalcore/post-hardcore sound and pushing it to it’s absolute limit. It was almost psychedelic in a new way. It came out at the perfect time. I was a 15 year old kid expanding my musical tastes and beginning to experiment with drugs. That record is forever stuck in my head.” – Zack
Poison The Well
“I was a kid who grew up in south Florida. When I made it to PA in 2003, the very first album I bought was ‘You Come Before You’. I struggled with feeling like a transplant and Poison The Well was the link I still had to home. It was a comfort. These guys wrote the book on metalcore and are responsible for many of its biggest anthems. By the time they made it to ‘You Come Before You’, they took all of the conventions they were known for and absolutely turned them inside-out. The result was stark, brutal, and ethereal. No longer just a hardcore band, but a wild mutation of.” – Robby
Minus the Bear
“Minus the Bear was a band that I don’t think anyone expected given their origin. They share DNA with the legendary Botch but created a new sound all their own. Once you’re done sessioning ‘We Are the Romans’, throw on ‘Menos el Oso’ and maybe take a stroll along the beach? Also, shout out to David Knudsen for demonstrating the magic that a DL4 can produce.” – Thomas
Ceremony
“The first time I saw Ceremony was at TIHC in 2007. It was one of a handful of times that I was legitimately nervous at a show. Back then, they felt like the most volatile band on the planet. Straight-up California punks that played harder and faster than anyone else. They followed no one’s rulebook and plainly didn’t give a fuck. The synthesis from ‘Violence Violence’ to ‘The L- Shaped Man’ is an actual anomaly. From hardcore to new wave, they are still decidedly Ceremony. It’s extremely inspiring.” – Robby
Fiddlehead
“I vividly remember hearing their first record while driving down the turnpike to Philly. I was totally unaware of the credentials of any of their members. I must’ve listened through it 3 times in a row. I knew it was something special. It’s got the power of Have Heart, channeled through one of the best examples of post-hardcore right now. It’s so cool that I strangely don’t hear any vocal crossover from HH to this project. I mean that in the best way possible. Pat Flynn is a vocal chameleon. I love it. I’m still impressed every time I listen.” – Thomas
Polyenso
“Most people don’t know about this project and its roots, but if I’m going to put you onto any record, it’s going to be ‘One Big Particular Loop’. This band came from the heavier Rise Records band Oceana. As a gigantic Radiohead fan, this record exudes their influence.
‘Always Ending In You’ has an insanely infectious groove. ‘Dog Radio’ has the dreamiest instrumental mix, it still makes me scratch my head. ‘Pocket Soul’ feels like a more somber, alternate- universe version of ‘Karma Police’.” – Thomas
American Nightmare
“Indisputably the greatest Boston hardcore band of all time… Traditional in style at their inception – their darkness, that set them as outcasts among outcasts, later revolutionized their sound. ‘We’re Down ‘Til We’re Underground’ saw them beginning to explore melody, while just slightly coloring outside of the lines of hardcore. It’s a masterful balancing act that was confessional, tortured, and deeply introspective. When I first heard it as a kid, I hadn’t even thought it was possible. I’ve carried their influence ever since.” – Robby
Crime In Stereo
“Crime In Stereo are one of the most underrated bands to spawn from the hardcore scene. They sounded like an amalgamation of everything good going on at the time. Listening through from ‘The Troubled Stateside’ to ‘I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone’ is an absolute trip. They were unafraid to venture beyond the boundaries of punk/hardcore, and in my opinion, set a standard for anyone who dared do the same. My first time seeing them back in the day left a huge impression on me.” – Zack
Converge
“Do I even really need to explain this one? This bands discography is legitimately prophetic, setting the tone for all things metal/hardcore for decades to follow. At this point, it feels like a crime to try to label them as any one thing. One thing is for certain though, they’ve proven time and time again that hardcore and its ethos are absolutely limitless. ‘Jane Doe’ and ‘Axe To Fall’ became blueprints for our band. We just took their sonic-advice and chose to paint with a different brush.” – Robby
