Gates

Based out of New Brunswick, the vibrant New Jersey college and music hub, Gates surfaced during the first half of the 2010s. Their style fused hardcore, emo, indie rock, and post-rock textures. The group delivered its first full-length effort, Bloom & Breathe, in 2014, followed two years later by Parallel Lives. After an extended absence, the band resurfaced in 2022 with the EP Here & Now.

The project originated in 2011 with guitarist Dan King, bassist Mike Maroney, Daniel Crapanzano, guitarist Ethan Koozer, and guitarist/vocalist Kevin Dye at its core. Drawing on a dense mix of math-tinged post-hardcore, indie rock, ambient pop, and emo, the members released two early EPs—the 2011 outing The Sun Will Rise and Lead Me Home and the 2013 release You Are All You Have Left to Fear—before signing with Pure Noise Records. The label subsequently reissued both EPs along with the band’s debut album, Bloom & Breathe, in 2014. In 2016 Gates unveiled its second full-length album, Parallel Lives, highlighted by the driving single “Habit.” A combination of outside commitments and personal challenges, among them Kevin Dye’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent recovery, prompted an extended break. The ensemble returned in 2022 with the emotionally charged EP Here & Now.