The debate between which bands are post-hardcore and which bands are nu-metal is intense enough that presidential debates have been held on the subject. After a million online debates on the topic, I decided it was time to take this to the streets. I showed up, unannounced, on a random Wednesday, at Darcy and Max of rising post-hardcore (or are they...) super group Car Underwater's Los Angeles rehearsal space while also blocking the exit of surprise guests Lil Lotus of From First to Last and Destiny of Shyeye to finally settle the score. Once and for, like, three weeks maybe.
Car Underwater
Max: No.
Darcy: No.
Lotus: Yes.
Kirk: Now you don't have any turntables…
Darcy: Yes but I do play keys and sampler.
Max: And they do forget we’re rappers outside of this.
Darcy: Stylistically though our steeze is so obviously emo. None of us are wearing shorts. You know what I mean?
Max: I do sometimes wear shorts.
Darcy: That complicates things. We do have six members… but we don’t have nine members.
Kirk: So can we go with adjacent?
Darcy: I’m saying adjacent because of how many comments people have about this could be in the Burnout 3 soundtrack, which to me is very nu metal.
Armor for Sleep
Darcy: No.
Max: No.
Destiny: No.
Kirk: Yeah, I got nothing for this one. But is it true you named yourself after the song “Car Underwater”?
Max: Everyone wants to know.
Darcy: Everyone would love to know.
From First to Last
Lotus: Heroine 100% was.
Darcy: (Former From First to Last lead singer) Sonny Moore going on to collaborate with Korn. Ross Robinson produced Heroine. They might be nu metal.
Kirk: And who played bass on that album?
Darcy: Wes Borland… Wow.
Destiny: Yeah.
Max: Tendencies. Is a cousin, a distant relative of nu metal. But as a purist, no. Even if there was some shit behind the scenes, I'm saying no.
At the Drive-In
Max: They’re freaky enough to be nu metal so I’m gonna say yes.
Kirk: Who produced Relationship of Command?
Darcy: I should know this but I don’t.
Kirk: Ross Robinson!
Lotus: That makes sense.
Max: They wouldn’t be my first pick of nu-metal.
Kirk: They’re in the conversation.
Blood Brothers
Kirk: Who produced Burn Piano Island Burn?
Max: If it was Ross Robinson I don’t wanna hear about it.
Blindside
Darcy: Don’t know them well enough.
Lotus: I love them. I think they are [nu metal].
Kirk: What's crazy about them is P.O.D. signed them to their vanity label.
Lotus: I had no idea there was any connection from POD to Blindside. “Pitiful” is so good. The amount of times I’ve walked into a venue and the front of house is tuning the room with that song is insane.
E-Town Concrete
Max: 100% nu metal.
Destiny: Fourth one in a row I haven’t heard.
Lotus: I don’t listen to them too much.
Kirk: Plays “Mandibles” from The Renaissance
Lotus: Yeah, nu metal.
Destiny: I think they invented it.
Finch
Destiny: I would say no.
Lotus: No.
Darcy: I'm saying no, because of the steeze. The lack of rapping, the lack of turntables, how high their guitars were.
Max: They had some goatees though. Multiple goatees in that band.
Darcy: That does change things.
Max: And baggy jeans.
Glassjaw
Max: Yes.
Darcy: Yeah. Nu metal.
Lotus: Yes.
Destiny: Yeah.
Kirk: Wow unanimous! I was prepared to pull out how they were covering “Blind” by Korn in New Jersey…
Darcy: He does enough rap talking that you don’t have to.
Kirk: And who produced their first two albums?
Darcy: I’m going to go with Ross Robinson.
The Used
Max: Let the record show that Darcy’s wearing a Used shirt right now.
Darcy: They’re one of my favorite bands, sonically no. Visually, they could pass for one.
Destiny: Self-titled is very nu metal.
Darcy: I want to hear the singer of Trapt singing over the “Maybe Memories” instrumental.
Underoath
Kirk: I do want to ask, “Where Ashes Lay” [by Car Underwater] are you sampling the synth from “Where the Sun Sleeps”?
Max: Sampling, no. Ripping it off subconsciously to the point of no return, yes.
Kirk: Are Underoath nu metal?
Darcy: Multiple heenies in that band at one point, however I think the heenies offset by the v-necks cancel each other out.
Kirk: Can you define the heenie for the audience?
Darcy: This might just be an Australian thing, but a heenie is a beanie that has a brim attached to it. We always call them heenie, a hat beanie. But I think if you are also wearing a v-neck, you'll no longer be categorized as a nu metal band full stop.
Kirk: Is Christianity nu metal or post hard core?
Max: It’s more post-hardcore but I want it to be nu-metal because of P.O.D.
Darcy: My best friends in elementary school, they were a family of four brothers, they all loved Tool, Mudvayne, Korn and Slipknot. They all wore the shirts constantly. They were the only Christian friends I had, and I would go to church with them and we would hang out and listen to Mudvayne afterwards. For that reason alone, Christianity, 100% new metal.
36 Crazyfists
Max: Unfamiliar.
Kirk: Plays “Turns to Ashes” from Bitterness the Star
Max: 100% nu metal, that guy is playing a Spector bass if I Google it right now I won’t be wrong.
Dagger Breaks Window by Car Underwater is Available Now on Atlantic Records.
