Richmond

Living in D.C.'s shadow but doing its own thing entirely. Breadwinner is the math-rock standard-bearer. A trio playing guitar and bass lines that interlock and then STOP and then start again somewhere totally unexpected. Rollings' guitar work is architectural, these structures that can pivot on a dime. When it's over Donne goes to Labradford and takes the whole experimental impulse into ambient space which is about as far from math rock as possible. House shows, VCU art kids, a network of bands that care more about intensity than accessibility. Merge in Durham puts out the records, connecting Richmond to the broader Southeast underground. Small scene, big ideas, no compromises.