The savage post hardcore machinations / existential gloom and resolve of "Zero Hour" by Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's alt rock outfit Trace Remains, centered around stalwarts singer / guitarist Joey Vesely and guitarist Joel Grimes, is unrelenting in it's alt rock drive while swimming in thoughtful, emotional places. I am feeling the quiet / loud, the genre pools blend in cross generational ways. The heaviness is impactful but so is the looks inward. In terms of the sonics I am feeling the elements of hardcore punk (and existential gloom) of 80's Hüsker Dü, I thought of the potent guitar savagery of late aughts Drive Like Jehu, and oddly or not oddly, I thought of the wailing doomy bigness of Tropical Fuck Storm. You might feel other artists that feel adjacent or inspirational and as I write these words, in fact, others come to mind too but artistic connections don't matter as much as artistic impressions anyway.
"Zero Hour" is from the bands upcoming self-titled EP set to drop in June (2026), a follow up to 2024's acclaimed debut album "Leverage the Tides" that garnered rave reviews nationally and internationally. Select press highlights include coverage in New Noise Magazine, Ladygunn, Earmilk, Grimy Goods, Rival Magazine, Germany’s Kaltblut Magazine, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and Spain’s METAL. Tastemaking indie outlet New Noise Magazine has gushed that Trace Remains sounds “if Dave Grohl took over as Fugazi’s frontman.”
Cool beans.
LINER NOTES (excerpted / bracketed):
[Anchored by anthemic songwriting and expansive arrangements, Zero Hour explores loss, reinvention, mental health, frustration, and the difficult clarity that comes with recognizing time and health as life’s most valuable assets. Recorded in Pittsburgh at Red Caiman Studios and The Church Recording Studio, the EP blends traditional rock instrumentation with synthesizers, string arrangements, and analog textures, including a Roland Space Echo. The result is a widescreen, emotionally driven sound that balances melodic immediacy with depth and atmosphere. Rather than adhering to a single sub-genre, Trace Remains embrace range, allowing each song to explore its own territory while maintaining a cohesive emotional through-line. The EP represents a natural evolution for the band's sharper songwriting, broader sonic ambition, and a continued commitment to crafting songs that linger. The five-piece melodic post-hardcore band are known for blending emotionally heavy themes with angular guitar work, atmospheric textures, and high-energy punk/hardcore elements. Although the band officially formed in 2017, the members come from nearly two decades of prior musical experience in Pittsburgh’s DIY and underground music scene. Their name is inspired by a track from the band Rites of Spring, a nod to punk lineage and emotional hardcore roots.Their sound combines post-hardcore intensity with strong melodic sensibility, often compared to the space between Fugazi, post-punk moodiness, and modern alt-rock dynamics. They emphasize catharsis, introspection, and storytelling, and are unafraid to dig into personal, existential, and social themes.]
LYRICS
fell down to my knees
got right up to feel my mouth
you wouldn’t look at me
now something’s crawling out
paid the price
paid the price you know?
you wouldn’t look at me
now something’s crawling out
paid the price
paid the price you know?
to see the end
to see the end you know?
i fell back to zero
moving along and on
all the finest waiting
and sailing
found a friend of mine
we both fell apart today
trapped inside a maze
we’re all trying to find a way
paid the price
paid the price you know?
to see the end
to see the end you know?
i fell back to zero
moving along and on
sailing
all the finest waiting
and sailing
singing
i fell back to zero
moving along and on
your name
all the finest waiting
and sailing
somewhere in the deep
it’s buried i don’t know
something to defeat
legends standalone
now suddenly it’s like real life
shaking in the trees by the light
open mouths moving in disguise
let go of your mind and take the ride
i fell back to zero
moving along and on
sailing
all the finest waiting
and sailing
singing
i fell back to zero
moving along and on
your name
all the finest waiting
and sailing
The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!
https://www.instagram.com/traceremains/
https://www.facebook.com/traceremains
https://traceremains.com/
https://traceremains.bandcamp.com/track/zero-hour
Trace Remains sonic auteur Joey Vesely has spent two decades sharpening his melodic post-hardcore vision, and recruiting the right people for the cause. In previous bands, Vesely and his bandmates have toured the country, and worked with legendary Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty. They’ve also played in beloved bands within Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s vibrant DIY scene, centered around the non-profit co-op venue The Mr. Roboto Project.
“This music is in our blood. Every opportunity we have to take the stage or have your ear is a blessing, and we make sure we throw down with maximum energy,” says Trace Remains founder/singer/guitarist Joey Vesely.
The five-piece band’s critically-acclaimed debut album, Leverage the Tides (dy/dx), is available now on vinyl, and through all streaming platforms. The 9-song record was tracked at Pittsburgh’s iconic The Church Recording Studio, and co-produced by the band with its longtime producer Dave Hidek (Paul Luc, Zao, The Clarks). In addition to its first full-length, Trace Remains has issued a pair of singles.
Trace Remains mine the frenetic artiness of post-hardcore; the moodiness of post-punk; and the tunefulness of alt-rock and indie-rock. Theirs is a melange of lacerating guitars, discordant melodies, and cathartic song arrangements which sometimes yield to stately string or piano-lavished passages. “There is an intensity and aggression in our music, but there are always earworms lurking about—we’re Beatles fans,” Vesely reveals.
Vesely’s elliptical lyrics are multi-layered, teeming with nature imagery, poetic turns of phrases, stark introspection, and a melancholy optimism. “The pain of a breakup, the elation of a new relationship, and non sexy things like frustrations with over-consumption of resources and climate change interest me as a writer,” Vesely says. “But I’m not pessimistic, and I’m not trying to get political. I’m just a student of life—I write observationally.
The group’s latest album, Leverage the Tides, has garnered rave reviews nationally and internationally. Select press highlights include coverage in New Noise Magazine, Ladygunn, Earmilk, Grimy Goods, Rival Magazine, Germany’s Kaltblut Magazine, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and Spain’s METAL. Tastemaking indie outlet New Noise Magazine has gushed that Trace Remains sounds “if Dave Grohl took over as Fugazi’s frontman.”
Trace Remains formed in 2017. The band’s name has archeological and detective work connotations, loosely referencing the practice of piecing together past debris to study lost ancient empires or make sense of crime scenes. As an added layer of coolness not lost on the guys, the words “trace remains” appear in the song “All Through A Life,” by Fugazi co-founder Guy Picciotto’s emotive hardcore band, Rites of Spring. In addition to Vesely, Trace Remains is rounded out by guitarists Joel Grimes and John Perry, bassist Anton DeFade, and drummer Chris Hawthorne. Previously, the group has issued a pair of singles.
Standout tracks on Leverage the Tides include “Sold My Soul,” “Silent Bell,” “Over The Dying,” and title track.“Sold My Soul” is a flag-planting gesture, introducing the group’s balance of aggression, abrasion, and anthemic hooks. The song fuses self-reflection with evocative imagery, and it offers an antidote to regret. Vesely sings: Thin lines over the mist/Sold myself my devil/Looked into the river of mirrors/Chewed out glass and concrete creatures. “‘Sold My Soul’ is about trade-offs and decision-making in life. Sometimes we reap what we sow and we get it wrong, but our mistakes don’t have to define us,” Vesely says.
Vesely and Grimes have been playing guitar together since the early 2000s, and their telepathic interplay is spotlighted on the urgently catchy, “Silent Bell.” Here, the guitarists cover a lot of stylistic real estate, including pent-up palm muting, strangled lead guitar passages, soaring lyrical solo passages, and huge walls of ringing chords.
“Over The Dying” reveals a more delicate side to Trace Remains with its string section accompaniment. It’s a multi-dimensional song of loss with achingly beautiful lyrics such as: Straight towards our dying home/Holding the dying arms/It’s over/Look through the dying eyes/All through the dying heart/It’s over.
The lean and tightly-wound, “Leverage the Tides,” rips through atonal post-hardcore, scrubbed-raw post-punk, hooky alt-rock, and it features a stately string section passage. Nestled within its artfully abstract lyrics is stay-in-the-moment uplift.
Trace Remains has a six song EP scheduled for release in June 2026, and the group will be working on more new material in the coming months. “Even though we’ve been grinding it out for a long time, I still have a lot more to give,” Vesely states. “I don’t have a choice in the matter—I just have to play this music.”
Trace Remains, Pittsburgh, altrock, progressive rock, post hardcore, 2024 debut album "Leverage the Tides", upcoming EP "Trace Remains", "Zero Hour" (Official Video), centered around singer Joey Vesely & Joel Grimes,
to see the end you know?
i fell back to zero
moving along and on
all the finest waiting
and sailing
found a friend of mine
we both fell apart today
trapped inside a maze
we’re all trying to find a way
paid the price
paid the price you know?
to see the end
to see the end you know?
i fell back to zero
moving along and on
sailing
all the finest waiting
and sailing
singing
i fell back to zero
moving along and on
your name
all the finest waiting
and sailing
somewhere in the deep
it’s buried i don’t know
something to defeat
legends standalone
now suddenly it’s like real life
shaking in the trees by the light
open mouths moving in disguise
let go of your mind and take the ride
i fell back to zero
moving along and on
sailing
all the finest waiting
and sailing
singing
i fell back to zero
moving along and on
your name
all the finest waiting
and sailing
The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.instagram.com/traceremains/
https://www.facebook.com/traceremains
https://traceremains.com/
https://traceremains.bandcamp.com/track/zero-hour
Trace Remains sonic auteur Joey Vesely has spent two decades sharpening his melodic post-hardcore vision, and recruiting the right people for the cause. In previous bands, Vesely and his bandmates have toured the country, and worked with legendary Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty. They’ve also played in beloved bands within Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s vibrant DIY scene, centered around the non-profit co-op venue The Mr. Roboto Project.
“This music is in our blood. Every opportunity we have to take the stage or have your ear is a blessing, and we make sure we throw down with maximum energy,” says Trace Remains founder/singer/guitarist Joey Vesely.
The five-piece band’s critically-acclaimed debut album, Leverage the Tides (dy/dx), is available now on vinyl, and through all streaming platforms. The 9-song record was tracked at Pittsburgh’s iconic The Church Recording Studio, and co-produced by the band with its longtime producer Dave Hidek (Paul Luc, Zao, The Clarks). In addition to its first full-length, Trace Remains has issued a pair of singles.
Trace Remains mine the frenetic artiness of post-hardcore; the moodiness of post-punk; and the tunefulness of alt-rock and indie-rock. Theirs is a melange of lacerating guitars, discordant melodies, and cathartic song arrangements which sometimes yield to stately string or piano-lavished passages. “There is an intensity and aggression in our music, but there are always earworms lurking about—we’re Beatles fans,” Vesely reveals.
Vesely’s elliptical lyrics are multi-layered, teeming with nature imagery, poetic turns of phrases, stark introspection, and a melancholy optimism. “The pain of a breakup, the elation of a new relationship, and non sexy things like frustrations with over-consumption of resources and climate change interest me as a writer,” Vesely says. “But I’m not pessimistic, and I’m not trying to get political. I’m just a student of life—I write observationally.
The group’s latest album, Leverage the Tides, has garnered rave reviews nationally and internationally. Select press highlights include coverage in New Noise Magazine, Ladygunn, Earmilk, Grimy Goods, Rival Magazine, Germany’s Kaltblut Magazine, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and Spain’s METAL. Tastemaking indie outlet New Noise Magazine has gushed that Trace Remains sounds “if Dave Grohl took over as Fugazi’s frontman.”
Trace Remains formed in 2017. The band’s name has archeological and detective work connotations, loosely referencing the practice of piecing together past debris to study lost ancient empires or make sense of crime scenes. As an added layer of coolness not lost on the guys, the words “trace remains” appear in the song “All Through A Life,” by Fugazi co-founder Guy Picciotto’s emotive hardcore band, Rites of Spring. In addition to Vesely, Trace Remains is rounded out by guitarists Joel Grimes and John Perry, bassist Anton DeFade, and drummer Chris Hawthorne. Previously, the group has issued a pair of singles.
Standout tracks on Leverage the Tides include “Sold My Soul,” “Silent Bell,” “Over The Dying,” and title track.“Sold My Soul” is a flag-planting gesture, introducing the group’s balance of aggression, abrasion, and anthemic hooks. The song fuses self-reflection with evocative imagery, and it offers an antidote to regret. Vesely sings: Thin lines over the mist/Sold myself my devil/Looked into the river of mirrors/Chewed out glass and concrete creatures. “‘Sold My Soul’ is about trade-offs and decision-making in life. Sometimes we reap what we sow and we get it wrong, but our mistakes don’t have to define us,” Vesely says.
Vesely and Grimes have been playing guitar together since the early 2000s, and their telepathic interplay is spotlighted on the urgently catchy, “Silent Bell.” Here, the guitarists cover a lot of stylistic real estate, including pent-up palm muting, strangled lead guitar passages, soaring lyrical solo passages, and huge walls of ringing chords.
“Over The Dying” reveals a more delicate side to Trace Remains with its string section accompaniment. It’s a multi-dimensional song of loss with achingly beautiful lyrics such as: Straight towards our dying home/Holding the dying arms/It’s over/Look through the dying eyes/All through the dying heart/It’s over.
The lean and tightly-wound, “Leverage the Tides,” rips through atonal post-hardcore, scrubbed-raw post-punk, hooky alt-rock, and it features a stately string section passage. Nestled within its artfully abstract lyrics is stay-in-the-moment uplift.
Trace Remains has a six song EP scheduled for release in June 2026, and the group will be working on more new material in the coming months. “Even though we’ve been grinding it out for a long time, I still have a lot more to give,” Vesely states. “I don’t have a choice in the matter—I just have to play this music.”
Trace Remains, Pittsburgh, altrock, progressive rock, post hardcore, 2024 debut album "Leverage the Tides", upcoming EP "Trace Remains", "Zero Hour" (Official Video), centered around singer Joey Vesely & Joel Grimes,
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