With over 1,000 people in attendance, there was enough energy to really fuel the bands on the bill. One of those bands was none other than Shrimp Planet — a jazzy, emo, string-forward band with a sound that makes you feel relaxed as you sip on your favorite beer or wine. When they play live, they kick it up a notch and make it a bit more aggressive, while somehow amazingly maintaining their signature calm.

So after listening to their song “The Serpent” about a hundred plus times, the members of Wxther told me that they would not be performing the song for me to film. Instead, the music video I’d be making would feature the song over a bunch of other clips.

So here we are in 2025: a new location, more bands, and a slightly heavier sound than that of earlier years. From “Young Culture” and “Future Teen” in 2024, to “Capstans” and “Driveways” coming through during their national tour this year, we are now surrounded by some true heavier emo sounds

So then April 17th came along. I’m filming a video for a band called Wxther (pronounced Wither), and I see RJ setting up. He was mid-conversation with the host of the apartment and and I overheard, “We’re a band called Always Grounded.” I looked up and said “Wait, Always Grounded?” and RJ responded with a somewhat stunned “Yea?”