Quicksand at Amsterdam Bar & Hall

Quicksand is an American post-hardcore band from New York City, founded in 1990. Their debut self-titled EP was followed by two major-label albums, Slip (1993) and Manic Compression (1995). Quicksand's sound has been compared to that of Fugazi and Helmet. The band supported their releases with extensive touring but fell short of the mainstream success anticipated by their labels. These factors and internal stress led them to separate first in 1995 and again in 1999 following a failed year-and-a-half reunion. Quicksand reunited once again in 2012, and has since released three more albums: Interiors (2017), Distant Populations (2021) and Bring On the Psychics (2026).

Soul Blind is a four-piece alternative metal & post-hardcore band from The Hudson Valley, New York, formed in 2018. They come from the same hardcore scene that birthed bands like Mindforce and All Out War, but Soul Blind don’t make hardcore. Instead, their sound is a dreamy fuzz-pedal trudge that exists somewhere on the continuum between grunge and shoegaze. Soul Blind have been self-releasing music since 2018, and they’ve claimed bands like Hum, Failure, Quicksand and Deftones as influences. Their music can be heavy, and it can sometimes show flashes of the hardcore that’s deep in its DNA. But the emphasis is more on seasick melody and gooey guitar dynamics. It’s a sound that never really goes out of style, and they’re good at making it.