Garrison "Serious Heavy Drama" Video Premier

New Noise Magazine premiers the music video for "Serious Heavy Drama"
By New Noise Staff - November 10, 2021

Boston hardcore luminaries Garrison have announced the re-issue of their most popular release, 1999’s seminal The Bend Before The Break, through Iodine Recordings.

The record harnessed a raw and genuine youthful energy and now, 23 years after its initial release, Iodine Recordings present The Bend Before The Break for the first time as a full-length LP, including the tracks “You’re Devastated, I’m Sure” and “Untitled,” previously unavailable on vinyl.

The new B-Side includes rare and previously unreleased material that spans the band’s history from 1998 to 2004, including their first seven-inch record “24” and their split EP with U.K.’s Hundred Reasons, all fully remastered and featuring all-new artwork by Dan McCarthy.

Watch the video for the album’s iconic opener “Serious Heavy Drama” below:

The track’s video, edited by Duncan Wilder Johnson for DWJ Creative, features excerpts from the band’s 2000 U.S. Tour with Elliott and Boy Sets Fire.

Garrison was born in Boston during the heyday of the prolific late ’90s post-hardcore scene. Their cohort featured heavy hitters like Piebald, Cave In and Converge. Following in the footsteps of bands like Quicksand, Drive Like Jehu, and Texas is the Reason, Garrison drew from many influences to create a hyper-melodic sound that ranged from hardcore to emo, all without fitting neatly into any genre. They executed a complex and unique sound, seamlessly combining technical guitar riffs, melodic vocals, and heavy breakdowns in a way that few bands were able to achieve.

Garrison toured relentlessly, playing regularly alongside iconic bands of the era such as The Get Up Kids, Hot Water Music, Taking Back Sunday, and New Found Glory. Originally released on Revelation Records in 1999, The Bend Before The Break combine hyper-melodic songs with heavy breakdowns and deeply personal lyrics, put together into a somber record that remains relevant today as part of the post-hardcore and emo canon.

On the video for “Serious Heavy Drama,” vocalist and guitarist Joe Grillo states:

“This video was filmed by the band on our first full U.S. tour with Boy Sets Fire in the summer of 1999. We had just put out our first release on Revelation records, ‘The Bend Before The Break.’ I’m so glad we found these tapes, as it captured an important time of our youth, traveling the country in a van with friends. After all this time, the fact that these songs still resonate with fans and a newer audience is very humbling. We chose ‘Serious Heavy Drama,’ a tongue-in-cheek reference to the emo scene at the time, as it was always our opener and the fan-favorite.

Casey from Iodine Recordings is an old pal and has always been a big fan of the band. We reconnected after a couple of decades, and it seemed like a blast to be able to work together again and reissue this LP. Casey had suggested we work with Dan McCarthy (a local artist) for a new cover to give the remastered tracks a new visual component that gave the album new life and meaning. Everything felt perfect to me, and I was really happy to see it all come together.”

Photo by: Joe Gonzalez-Dufresne
Filmed by: Garrison
Edited by: Duncan Wilder

Video excerpts from Garrison Tour in 2000.
Premiered with New Noise Magazine on 11/10/21.

Copyright 2021 - Iodine Recordings, Revelation Records
Artist: Garrison
Song: Serious Heavy Drama
Album: The Bend Before The Break (Reissue)
Catalog # IOD-18