From First To Last

Formed in Florida in the early 2000s, From First to Last helped define the post-hardcore and emo scene by colliding soaring melody, chaotic aggression and emotional songwriting. The raw, genre-blurring sound of Aesthetic, Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has a Bodycount and Heroine influenced generations of heavy music. While former vocalist Sonny Moore went on to become Skrillex, founding-era guitarist Matt Good remained a driving force in modern rock, producing for Asking Alexandria, Sleeping With Sirens, The Word Alive, Memphis May Fire, and Escape the Fate. Guitarist Travis Richter later co-founded Los Angeles venue 1720, where his path converged with vocalist Lotus. Together they formed If I Die First, channeling early screamo for a new generation. Lotus grew up seeing himself in From First to Last. His unmistakable tone, visceral screams and perspective as a lifelong fan make his arrival feel less like a replacement than the closing of a circuit. By recruiting original bassist Matt Manning and drummer Chris Lent (I Set My Friends on Fire), the band have found their original source code of volatile dynamics, indelible melody and human imperfection into music shaped by adult experiences of loss, survival and rebuilding. Now signed to Fearless Records, From First to Last have returned to live stages and completed a new EP. This is not nostalgia for nostalgia's sake, but rather the next logical step: a blast from the past that refuses to live there. — Jack Angell