Forever Came Calling

Formed in Southern California during 2006, emo pop outfit Forever Came Calling started with modest goals limited to performing covers of material by Taking Back Sunday and Senses Fail. Following an appearance in the 2012 documentary No Room for Rockstars plus the release of two well-received LPs, the group could point to its own pop-punk achievement narrative. Guitarist/vocalist Joe Candelaria and drummer Jimmy Dale launched the project, cycling through numerous configurations that eventually incorporated bassist John Swaba and additional members once Forever Came Calling grew more ambitious. The band issued the self-released EPs This Is Me Dreaming and HopE.P.assion prior to inclusion in the documentary film No Room for Rockstars, which captured footage during the 2010 Warped Tour and spotlighted several rising acts. That visibility expanded their reach, prompting a split EP with Handguns the following year that introduced new drummer Bryce Esquivel. Debut full-length Contender arrived in 2012, after which guitarist Isaac Taylor entered the lineup. Steady output and road work continued, marked by a 2013 split EP with Family Thief and the second album What Matters Most in 2014. The next year brought Songs from High School, a compilation that gathered the initial EP alongside several earlier recordings originally issued on cassette. Taylor departed in 2015, with touring guitarist Tom Lovejoy stepping in and making his recorded debut on the 2018 EP Retro Future.