IMHO, Emo Dreamboat is the epitome of a pure artist. The dude, AKA IRL Benjamin Ward, has been writing music since he was a teenager, contributing to the MNE-verse through projects such as Portland’s pop punk underdog, Hemingway, and now New York’s emo rap underdog, Emo Dreamboat. Yet, although fortune and fame has (I think?) eluded him, the dude continues to endlessly put out raw and thoughtful gems in all shapes and styles. Not only that, he even has zines of poetry and journalling that sit dusty on a shelf, and videos and narrative films that rot online with too few views. Does the guy care? Well, he has been dubbed the “Michael Jordan of burying emotions”, so who knows, but while the rest of us cry and whine for mass approval, Benny is silently dropping singles, month after month, as if the act of creating itself will always be enough to keep the Emo Dreamboat afloat.
Bracing post-hardcore meets festival-ready rock on the Tokyo band's sharp new EP, mixed and mastered by Will Yip (Turnstile, Title Fight). Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 8, 2024