Dave, the force behind Zegema Beach Records and a figure widely respected in the global screamo community, has started another band of his own. Mourn Recif, menitoned in our recent interview with Coma Of Eris and this special mega feature on Zampler #24 compilation, began as his personal project on Vancouver Island in early 2024—an answer to the realization that just being a vocalist made it hard to launch a screamo band. So he picked up a guitar, and the rest followed.
After a chance meeting with Branden, the two began jamming. Within weeks, they brought in Branden’s brother Jason on drums and mutual friend Ron on bass. The lineup clicked quickly, and by April 2024, Mourn Recif had already started playing shows.
View this post on Instagram
Seven tracks were recorded that December, with three of them forming the self-titled debut EP. The band’s name and logo were designed by Yuri from Bok Suna, the release was recorded by Kyle West, and mixed and mastered by Ron Bass, who also created the artwork.
“Slow Reign,” premiering right here in this article, is the band’s first officially released song—described by the band as “pinball skramz,” but sonically it leans into something slower, more meditative at first, almost mantra-like, until it breaks open with chaotic precision. Of course there’s a raw, organic texture to the sound—unpolished in the best possible way, dense with tension and shift, but as the track progresses, it accelerates into urgency. The dynamics turn even more chaotic and violent. The restraint of the previous 3 minutes becomes a false promise. It unravels.
“This was the first song we wrote as a band,” the group shares. “It’s been played every show we’ve done thus far—it’s a crowd favourite and really fun to play.”
Lyrically, “Slow Reign” deals in bleak, uncompromising imagery. A harbinger and a death knell, a call to recognize the failures of systems and the rot within permanence. The closing lines are a clear provocation: “The time is nigh, this ain’t no fucking birthrite. Are you ready to fight? Incompetencide.”
Full set from the final Linden House show April 5th, 2025:
The lineup of Mourn Recif has shifted since those early rehearsals. In January 2025, Branden had to leave the band due to nerve damage in his hand and arm. After briefly performing as a trio, the band brought in Josh from Hose and A Recorded Dawn as a permanent replacement. With the new lineup, the sound has evolved—heavier, with a focus on breakdowns and panic chords. ). All four members now contribute vocals: Dave (guitar/vox), Josh (guitar/vox), Ron (bass/vox), and Jay Jay (drums/vox).
The debut EP Mourn Recif will be released on cassette via Zegema Beach Records on June 25th, 2025—100 copies in total, split evenly between the label and the band. “Slow Reign” is one of the three tracks on it. Later this year, three more songs from the same session will appear on a split with A Recorded Dawn (and possibly All That Decays), and another stray track may end up on a compilation before being re-recorded.
Live take of “Slow Reign” from June 2024:
The EP release show will take place on July 5th at the Oaklands Community Centre in Victoria, sharing the bill with Emma Goldman, Androgyne, and Internal Dialogue. It’s a local but crucial event—marking not only the debut release of Mourn Recif, but also the next chapter of what Zegema Beach continues to shape within the screamo community.
For those who’ve been following the label for years, this isn’t something to miss. As far as new bands go, this one is already plugged into the lifeblood of the genre—with Dave at the center, pushing forward not just as a documentarian and label head, but also as a guitarist and frontman.
“Slow Reign” lyrics:
On one side I see myself, on the other permanence.
This shrine enables murder.
Their hands are intolerance, as they go for the neck.
Are you ready to fight? Incompetencide.
