Saosin

California-based Saosin ranked among the pioneering acts that shaped the post-hardcore landscape and ranked among the earliest groups to harness social media for self-promotion. The band detonated onto the scene in March 2003 via its incendiary, screamo-inflected first EP, Translating the Name. The lineup assembled for that recording included vocalist Anthony Green, drummer Pat McGrath, guitarist/vocalist Justin Shekoski (ex-As Hope Dies), and ex-Open Hand musicians bassist Zach Kennedy and guitarist/vocalist Beau Burchell. Saosin derived its name from a Chinese expression whose literal translation is “small heart,” an idiom signaling caution or a warning. Kennedy departed shortly after the EP was finished, later joining Ashlee Simpson’s band, and Chris Sorenson stepped in as his replacement. Because McGrath had participated only as a session player, Saosin achieved a stable configuration only in July of that year when veteran Open Hand drummer Alex Rodriguez came aboard as the permanent timekeeper.

Although Translating the Name had already surfaced in March, the group delayed its first live appearance until June. The combination of its forceful stage presence, substantial online visibility, and favorable critical response to the EP—which drew parallels to Glassjaw’s emotional intensity—helped Saosin build a substantial underground audience. That summer the band toured alongside Boys Night Out and Anatomy of a Ghost. Green left the fold in February 2004 for personal reasons and subsequently fronted the emo/post-hardcore group Circa Survive. Saosin continued without him; still lacking a permanent vocalist, the quartet fulfilled its Warped Tour dates with Story of the Year’s Phil Sneed on vocals. By the close of summer Cove Reber had taken over as lead singer. The band appeared on the winter Taste of Chaos tour before inking a deal with Capitol Records in March 2005. Following several compilation contributions, a self-titled EP containing demos and live recordings arrived that August, after which the group co-headlined dates with Anberlin throughout the summer.

Saosin resumed work on its first full-length album with producer Howard Benson, ultimately issuing the long-awaited self-titled debut in September 2006. Extensive touring extended well into the following year, encompassing shows with Senses Fail, Bleeding Through, A Static Lullaby, and Poison the Well. In March 2008 the band delivered Come Close, a live CD/DVD that concluded its association with Capitol. Saosin maintained a relentless schedule of festival appearances and headline concerts across 2007 and 2008. Amid that activity the musicians completed their second studio album, In Search of Solid Ground, which surfaced in September 2009. The record marked the group’s sole release for Virgin Records; in 2010 Saosin revealed that Cove Reber had exited. A stretch of inactivity followed, during which fans speculated about the band’s prospects and the identity of any future vocalist. Shekoski likewise departed in late 2015, just before the group’s return. Saosin resurfaced in 2016 as original singer Anthony Green rejoined Beau Burchell on guitar alongside Chris Sorenson on bass and Alex Rodriguez on drums. The band then signed with Epitaph Records and unveiled its new album, Along the Shadow, which arrived in May 2016.