Backstage with Basement

The return of Basement has been as satisfying as it’s been unexpected. After five years of near-silence, the band hit the road for a smattering of shows in 2024, including playing 2012’s Colourmeinkindness in full at When We Were Young. It was well timed, given that “Covet” blew up on TikTok and emboldened them to make another album, WIRED, which arrived earlier this month on Run For Cover, their original label.

Falling somewhere between emo, shoegaze, and post-hardcore, WIRED offers up a contrast that lives at the very heart of the band. Early single “Broken By Design” casts Basement in a shimmering glow, wandering into the kind of dream-pop angst that made Turnover explode on 2015’s Peripheral Vision. In that same vein, “Head Alight” revels in gauzy grunginess, fitting of its title, while “Longshot” wades into mellow garage rock, punctuated by snapping drumbeats. The other side of the LP is a pummeling mosh that calls back to their time opening for hardcore bands, often being the “softest” on the bill by comparison. As guitarist Alex Henery puts it, “I never thought Basement could sound like this.”

Read more: 5 most underrated post-hardcore albums of the 2000s

Before going on a North American headline tour in the fall, Basement traveled overseas a little early. The band rolled up to Milkys in East LA for a last-minute album release show, playing songs from WIRED for the first time. The area was packed out — with no barricade like at their early shows. One review noted that fans started lining up around 9 a.m., which only speaks to their legend. “Huge thank you to Milkys for having us and to anyone who attended,” the band say. “It’s a night we’ll never forget.” Below, they take us through that day, where they airbrushed tees, signed zines, and ran through a rowdy set that felt more like a backyard house show.

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