In the late 1990’s, “Screamo”, a genre known for its emotional intensity, unprocessed and raw vocals, and heavy guitars, exploded in the underground music scene. This genre, however, had a small lifespan. But now there has been a revival. The genre is now bigger than it ever was across the United States and especially Los Angeles. This is all thanks to a band consisting of just high schoolers, who help reignite this passion for screamo. The band, Onewaymirror band started out playing with indie rock bands in small backyards, and is now going on tour across America. They started from 0 and now have 5,567 monthly listeners, as well as over 10,000 followers on Instagram. I conducted an interview with them to understand the passion behind it all.

How have you guys remained a band for so long, knowing that you started out in a place that didn’t really fit you?
“We’ve just always had a lot of fun playing whatever we wanted to and not sacrificing that for a certain scene.” – Tate (guitarist)

How did you persevere, and get through the struggles of being a teen in a band, with no experience, to get to the point where you are now?
“There was really no struggle with the band. It was very forthcoming and came to me very easily. That was the best part about it. We were just having fun and even having no experience with my instrument, I found what I love now.” -Milo (drummer)

What have your musical inspirations been?
“My musical inspirations are mostly late 90s-2000s screamo and metalcore bands like “Underoath” and “Poison” as well.” -Harris (vocalist)

Do you plan to take music into the future and make a career out of it, or is it just a hobby for your teen years?
“I’d love to continue doing this in some way whether it be through a label, tour management, or playing for the rest of my life for sure. It’s super fulfilling.” -Tate

How did you come up with “Onewaymirror”?
“Well we were just trying to think of something cool that rolls off the tongue and we chose Onewaymirror. We got it mixed up with a two way mirror and we just went with it.” – Harris

What inspired you to start a band?
“We all really liked the same type of music and watched videos of bands we liked doing it and though “why can’t we do that?” -Tate

When is the next release?
“We have a split 7” coming out with our friends “Kiowa” and “Sinema” in a month or so. Both bands are great bands with amazing people in them and I can’t wait for the release.” -Tate

How long have you been playing your instruments? Do you play more than one?
“I have played piano and sang since I was about 66 or 7. I started doing vocals for Onewaymirror at the start. So, about 4 years ago.” -Harris

Are you planning on creating a website for your merch?
“We have a bandcamp where we sell most of our stuff. We do that or we go through smaller independent record labels who help us sell certain things. -Tate