From their debut EP, Disillusion, the Modesto/Patterson rock band Almost Ivory delivered the mesmerising melodicism of Marceline, a single that immediately frames them as a band with far more emotional reach than their 2026 formation date suggests. There is a strange maturity in the way they let the track breathe, allowing its progressive instrumental sublimity to move in step with lyricism that comes with salt for the wounds.
Place yourself in the middle ground between JAWS, R.E.M. and Porcupine Tree, and you will find yourself in the euphonic company of Almost Ivory, where they keep a fine-tuned balance between accordantly rich melodic indie rock and heart-wrenching vocal gravity, with harmonies that lock onto your heartstrings like a target. The guitars shimmer with jangle-pop light before the mood darkens into new-wave indie, post-punk and art-rock tension, giving the track a fragile, introspective charge that feels anything but slight.
Across Disillusion, the band shape a tableau of rhythm-refined vulnerability, pulling emo sensibility into their melodic panache without tipping into performative self-pity. There is a sanctuary-like pull within the EP, the kind that will speak to listeners who have found refuge in The Twilight Sad’s emotional immensity, the wistful afterburn of R.E.M. and the more expansive rock structures associated with Porcupine Tree.
If there is any justice in the music industry, Almost Ivory will reach the reverence their emotional range deserves. Marceline already feels like a door opening.
Marceline is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
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