Whether you choose to label it screamo, emo-violence or skramz, one thing we can agree on is that many bands live by the mantra of “here today, gone today”. Whether intentional or simply burning brightly before running out ideas, it's somewhat uncommon for acts to make it past the three year mark. Since their formation in 2016, Milwaukee trio Snag have quietly carved out their own unique space in the DIY underground, quickly becoming a favorite of listeners hungry for emotional hardcore that delivered more than just aimless chaos. On All The Cages Holding Us Will One Day Turn To Dust, the band's third LP and first for Deathwish Inc, Snag continue to develop their brand of heavy emo, expanding melodically and texturally without losing their edge. “Musically, the album is punishing at moments; fast and heavy but also soft and beautiful” says guitarist and vocalist Samm Szymborski. “We wanted to write something that spans all things musically that we are interested in. We wanted to write an album that goes straight to the point and represents Snag as a whole.”
Working with engineer Nick Elert, the album was tracked live over the course of three days in July 2025, adding vocals a month later after experiencing an unexpected power outage at the studio. Compared to the band's prior output, All the Cages is a little more spacious in its production, with Elert introducing a touch of ambiance into the Snag sonic world that’s a welcome addition. The frantic start and stop tempos, the panic-stricken screams and melancholic chord progressions are all still there, but the album displays plenty of growth as well. Throughout its 11 tracks, Snag exhibit the expansion of their sound in both directions-at times more melodic and others more aggressive than their previous releases.
Snag’s lyrical approach has often been more universal, focusing on broader themes like climate anxiety and apocalyptic dread. Many of the lyrics on All the Cages show the band looking inward, drawing on the band members’ personal experiences with chronic illness and mental health obstacles. “After going through some mental health struggles this past year, and being in a relationship with someone who is chronically ill, being part of writing this album has helped me through some of those struggles,” says drummer and vocalist Bryan Wysocki. “The album is an odyssey through all the cages one may be trapped in whether it be physically, mentally, as a product of society or as a product of our own being.” The theme of cages weaves its way throughout the lyrics of the album; on “Unarrest Me”, it’s the physical cage of a jail cell, on “Debilitated”, it’s the cage of one's own body, on “Shelf Life”, it’s the cage of materialism.
From the beginning, acting on the message has always been a part of Snag’s agenda, with the lyrics serving as a suggestion for active involvement. Along with the imperative lyric sheet, their self-titled debut LP also came with a book of matches and an envelope of seeds, encouraging the listener to help grow new habitats for pollinators. For All The Cages, the band once again chose to use the LP format as a means for action, working with the Florida-based organization Wire of Hope to include individually labeled envelopes to inmates as an invitation for listeners to have a prison pen pal.
“The logic that says a corporation can destroy the planet to extract profit from it systematically is the same basic logic that says humans can be systematically caged for profit,” says bassist and vocalist Peter Murphy. “It’s probably safe to say every person who hears this album is a lot closer to being incarcerated than to being one of the billionaires that seek ever more control. We thought we could make that connection much more explicit with a homework assignment in the record insert. And hopefully foster friendship and connection as well.”
The intentionality of the band's lyrical approach extends to the music, as well. Snag has always been far more than a mere throwback, consciously bringing something new to a subgenre that often does little to move beyond the influence of its forebearers. All The Cages sees the band continue on this path, recalling the sounds of progressive and dynamic acts like Majority Rule, Welcome the Plague Year, and Kidcrash. “We made a decision a long time ago to simply make the music that we like and to not try to fit into genre conventions” says Murphy. “That decision gave us permission to try different instrumentation and stylistic approaches to songs, which resulted in a few unusual moments on this album.”
One of those moments is the track “Juneberry”, a somber Americana-tinged track that features splashes of pedal steel, horns and layered harmonies. For Snag, “Juneberry” could have easily been a sore thumb, but they succeeded in seamlessly incorporating newer elements into their sound without sounding forced. “Whisper” subtly recalls acts like Sigur Ros with its chord progression, trading the menacing riffage for something more melodic and sentimental.
“Pray for Peace” features driving, downstrummed Wipers-indebted rhythm guitars that show a more straight-forward side of Snag, before giving way to unrelenting blast beats and an eventual piano coda. The use of piano continues on “Paris, WI”, a haunting ballad that nods to Thee Silver Mount Zion and Pygmy Lush.
All the Cages marks the band’s first time working with Deathwish Inc, the stalwart label known for championing some of modern aggressive music's best and most forward-thinking acts. For Snag , who previously worked with smaller DIY labels like Middle Man and Zegema Beach, working with Deathwish was an opportunity to continue the tradition on a larger scale.
“Deathwish has been responsible for some of our absolute favorite releases,” said Szymborski. “We had been working with them on distribution here and there since around 2021, and the pieces finally came together for a proper release this year.”
Ultimately, now a decade into their existence, Snag continues to be one of the most unique voices in modern DIY hardcore. The members’ commitment to the band can be seen as largely personal; they need the music as much as it needs them. Beyond that, it’s quite simple: they have yet to grow bored with the thing that captured their attention and imaginations as kids.
“When we started the band we were in some of the most depressive periods of our lives, and it offered an outlet, camaraderie, and hope,” says Wysocki. “It hasn’t stopped since.”
Snag’s third LP, All The Cages Holding Us Will One Day Turn To Dust is set for release on July 10 via Deathwish Inc. Lead single “Debilitated” is currently available on all major streaming platforms.
TRACK LISTING:
01. Unarrest Me
02. Debilitated
03. Pray for Peace
04. Sunburn
05. Juneberry
06. Whisper
07. Shelf Life
08. Paris, WI
09. Foam Cup, Pt. 3
10. Cages
11. Cages (Reprise)
PRESSING INFO:
250 x Juneberry (DW Exclusive)
250 x Copper Emerald (Tour Exclusive)
