Cornwall-Based Band Blasts Off With “Monstrous” New Single

To get a vibe for Cornwall-based Pop Punk band Screaming Meemies, look no further than this story:

“One day we were having practice and our drummer, Joe Syvertsen, came down into the basement like always but this time something was off. He was a little crispy and his hair was standing on end. We asked him if he was alright and throwing up his burnt hands, he exclaimed that he had been electrocuted just before practice. We asked if he was hurt and he said ‘a little, but electricity can’t stop me from jamming.’”

This is only a taste for the high energy and free-spirited nature of this Hudson Valley band, who just released their latest single “Monster (ft. Eric Dalton)” on October 29th of this year. In regards to the creation of this track, the band said that it was one of those songs that wrote itself. “The writing process was actually super fun! Johnny Lu came in with the structure, Mikey came in with some ripping leads, and Joe and Josh came in TIGHT with the rhythm… When we went in to record it with Eric Dalton, we could not stop coming up with things to add which we felt made the song even more special.” After listening to it, it is an energy-fueled joy ride that is hard not to feel invigorated after enjoying. Any fan of whaling guitars, intense pounding drums, and face-melting vocals will surely be a fan of this song. As the song was being released around Halloween, they created a number of spooky promo videos for Instagram. They gathered a number of friends, dressed them up with pumpkins on their heads and filmed them running through the woods, and chasing after them in a way reminiscent to The Blair Witch Project.

The members of Screaming Meemies met in high school growing up in Cornwall, NY. When hanging out after school, everyone’s friend groups intersected. Whether it was skating through town or going to the same parties, they were always around each other. That formed a tight friendship that lasted throughout their time away in college. After returning home, they felt it was the best time to start jamming together. That jamming soon turned into Screaming Meemies.

I was very curious as to how the band decided upon the name, and like everything else with this group, there was a good story behind it:

“When we first hung out after starting the band, it was July 4th. Cornwall has a huge Fourth of
July festival where people from all over come to celebrate with fireworks! We were messing around with these specific types called “Screaming Meemies” and after lighting off a dozen, we couldn’t get the name out of our heads.”

Just like the inspiration for their name, Screaming Meemies light up like fireworks on stage. One example of this comes from their recent show at Bar Freda in Ridgewood Queens on November 11th. The band was invited by a promoter who used to play around the New Paltz area. The band described the show as wild and had great energy. “The crowd was super receptive and we got a lot of great reviews. The scene down there is bustling and the friends we made have been great.”
As Screaming Meemies look forward to getting back and tearing up the town, they are hard at work recording a full-length record. “Right now we’re ten songs in and have quite a few more on lock.” Eric Dalton, who they collaborated with on “Monster,” is also recording their album, and has been a “treasure throughout the whole process.” Once the record is done, they said, they are looking to have some kind of DIY album release show with a bunch of good friends. They are currently scouting out venues in the area and will be sure to announce more once something becomes definite. They aim to release the record early 2022.
In the meantime, you can listen to Screaming Meemies’ other material, like “Monster (ft. Eric Dalton), and follow them for more updates on their upcoming album and shows.