Wilkes-Barre hardcore band One Step Closer are releasing their sophomore album All You Embrace this Friday (5/17) via Run For Cover, and it marks a few changes for the group. They’ve brought in new guitarist/backing vocalist Colman O’Brien (who used to drum in Jail Socks), and they’ve got more clean vocals and shinier production. It was produced and engineered by Jon Markson (Drain, Drug Church, Koyo, etc), and they brought in Knocked Loose’s Isaac Hale and Citizen’s Mat Kerekes for two separate writing sessions while making the record. It kinda reminds me of the jump Balance and Composure made between Separation and The Things We Think We’re Missing, the way it embraces the radio-friendly alt-rock of yesteryear while remaining rooted in the punk and hardcore scene.
Ahead of the new LP’s release, guitarist Ross Thompson has made us a list of the band’s favorite songs that they discovered via skate videos. “Growing up in Pringle, Pennsylvania, which is a small town right outside of Wilkes-Barre, our main outlet for discovering new music other than going to local shows was the soundtrack to the Tony Hawk skate games, and skate videos we’d obsess over on YouTube,” he says. “Here’s a list of our favorites.” Read on for his list, with commentary on each one.
OSC recently wrapped up the melodic hardcore package tour of the year (so far), a triple co-headliner with Anxious and Koyo, which we caught in Brooklyn. All three bands are set to do it again this summer, this time with additional support from the shoegazy Prize Horse. That hits NJ’s Salty’s Beach Bar on July 30 and Long Island’s soon-to-reopen Amityville Music Hall on July 31 (sans Anxious but with From The Pawn and Submerge instead). All dates are listed below.
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OSC’s Favorite Tracks We Discovered Through Skate Videos (by Ross Thompson)
Song: “Pursuit of Happiness” – Lissie
Skate Video: Guy Mariano – Pretty Sweet
This is a live cover of the original song—personally, for me, it just hits harder. This song plays over the final part of Pretty Sweet. I remember getting the cd and binge-watching this edit on repeat for a month straight every day after school. Favorite trick: Switch tre front nose down a handrail.
Song: “Hazel” – Far Apart
Skate Video: unknown
I cannot recall what video this is from, but I’ve seen two edits with this track—I just can’t think of who used it. Far Apart is an emo band from Sweden that only ever released like three tracks before they broke up. I’ll always have to wonder what could’ve been. This song is so long and is just the ideal length for edits.
Song: “Dead Skin Mask” – Slayer
Skate Video: Jim Greco – The Deathwish
One of my favorite video parts of all time. Favorite trick is the legendary nollie backside flip down that massive set. Still think it should have been the closer. This got me to check out Slayer when I was just starting middle school. The tone of this song along with the visual makes it even more badass.
Song: “Fade to Black” – Metallica
Skate Video: Nyjah Huston – Fade to Black
I don’t consider myself to be a fan of Nyjah’s style, but this part is undeniably insane and I remember us losing our minds over it growing up. When you hear the opening chords to this song start up, you just immediately feel the energy go through the roof, and I’d say that’s a big part of what made this video so iconic. Favorite trick: Switch Big Heel Hollywood 16
Song: “Love Child” – Diana Ross & The Supremes
Skate Video: Daewon Song – Love Child
“Love Child” is such an interesting non-traditional pick for a skate part compared to the fast-paced punk or hip-hop tracks that accompanied most of the standouts of our youth, but it really works well for this part and I can’t imagine it with anything else. Schoolyard lines without stopping and hardly any edits as this song just grooves along. Super memorable because it’s different!
Song: “Outcry” – Shit Coffins
Skate Video: Cher Strauberry for Glue Skateboards’ Smut Video
This was one of my more recent finds, but I was just as stoked about it as some of the first times we’d watch iconic edits as kids. Shit Coffins is a band from California with just one album on Spotify, but really it’s all you have to hear to understand that they rip. This is one of the coolest videos I’ve seen in a minute and Cher is a true ripper. Favorite trick: Weird Fingerflip Manny then Backheel down a block. Honorable mention to her injecting estrogen.
Song: “Dead Meadow” – Sleepy Silver Door
Skate Video: Emerica – Stay Gold
I just think it’s so cool how they edited a lot of the video to be from the same album and have a similar theme spanning the whole video. My favorite part is Colin Provost, from the editing to the trick selection.
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Koyo / Anxious / One Step Closer / Prize Horse — 2024 Tour Dates
Jun 28 Fri Ace of Cups Columbus, OH, United States
Jun 29 Sat Avondale Music Hall Chicago, IL, United States
Jun 30 Sun The Duck Room St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Jul 2 Tue Reverb Lounge Omaha, NE, United States
Jul 3 Wed Marquis Theater Denver, CO, United States
Jul 6 Sat Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT, United States
Jul 7 Sun The Shredder Boise, ID, United States
Jul 8 Mon Neumos Seattle, WA, United States
Jul 9 Tue Hawthorne Theatre Portland, OR, United States
Jul 11 Thu Goldfield Trading Post Sacramento Sacramento, CA, United States
Jul 12 Fri Veterans Memorial Building Santa Cruz, CA, United States
Jul 13 Sat Sound and Fury Festival 2024 Los Angeles, CA, United States
Jul 16 Tue SOMA San Diego, CA, United States
Jul 17 Wed The Nile Theater Mesa, AZ, United States
Jul 19 Fri The Far Out Lounge & Stage Austin, TX, United States
Jul 20 Sat Dada Dallas Dallas, TX, United States
Jul 21 Sun White Oak Music Hall Houston, TX, United States
Jul 23 Tue Handlebar Pensacola, FL, United States
Jul 24 Wed The Orpheum Tampa Tampa, FL, United States
Jul 25 Thu Underbelly Jacksonville, FL, United States
Jul 26 Fri Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Jul 28 Sun Union Stage Washington, DC, United States
Jul 30 Tue Salty’s Beach Bar Lake Como, NJ, United States
Jul 31 Wed Amityville Music Hall Amityville, NY, United States #
Aug 1 Thu Phoenixville, PA, United States *
# no Anxious
* no One Step Closer