Score A/V presents : Belonging, a Portland-based noise-rock/post-hardcore trio whose members hail from the Upper Midwest—Bryce August (guitar/vocals), Jeremy Hansen (bass), and Shane Heilman (bass).
Rooted in the DIY scenes of North Dakota and Minnesota, the band channels a potent mix of indie-noise,grunge, doom, psych, post-hardcore, sludge, and stoner into something distinctively their own: raw, textured, and emotionally charged.
Originally self-released earlier this year, their debut LP ‘Hollow Cells’ quietly surfaced without PR, label backing, or distribution—an all-too-common fate for independent bands navigating algorithm-driven platforms. Now, thanks to Dipterid Records, the album returns on vinyl, finally getting the proper release and reach it deserves.
Written during the isolation of the pandemic, ‘Hollow Cells’ is steeped in a sense of unease, disconnection, and sonic rebellion.
“There’s a sense of alienation, creeping dread… and a desire to cut silence with noise,” says August.
That tension animates every track, from the towering sludge riffs and live-sounding drums of opener “Lady Vanishes” to the jagged, post-hardcore turns of “Ceiling” and the slow-burning psych dirge of “Birdwatcher.”
Belonging draws as much from the hardcore and punk lineage of the Midwest as they do from the heavy, experimental energy of the Pacific Northwest. Their sound evokes comparisons to a wide range of influences—Fugazi, Sunny Day Real Estate, Lungfish, Melvins, Shellac—but refuses to sit neatly within any one genre. It’s a record that rewards full listens and resists easy definition.
Now reissued on vinyl, ‘Hollow Cells’ offers a chance to experience the album in its most visceral form—finally out of the shadows, exactly where it belongs.
