boysetsfire live at Crossroads | Garwood, NJ

Soundtrack to a Pandemic Vol. 1: boysetsfire was a breath of fresh air when I first heard "After the Eulogy" in 2000. At the time, the hardcore scene I grew up in had turned into a hodgepodge of tough-guy straightedge bands with cookie-cutter Cookie Monster singers. "After the Eulogy" turned the scene sideways by offering up thirteen tracks of post-hardcore protest punk that still sounds fresh two decades later.

After years of searching and waiting, the album finally got an anniversary repress on vinyl with a lovely gatefold cover. Even better, I got a chance to photograph the band for the first time since they played the Wayne FireHouse ages ago. Here are three songs from their recent set at Crossroads on 11/22/19.