When Zach Bryan announced back in January that the emo band, The Front Bottoms, were opening up his recent MetLife Stadium concert this past month, it left a lot of fans confused as to why he’d choose a band with such a different style to perform alongside him and Kings of Leon. This, of course, led to many fans who weren’t familar with the genre itself and The Front Bottoms to question their inclusion on the bill. Hell, there was even a TikTok that went viral (and subsequently bashed) questioning whether their set during the aforementioned show was a fantasy football punishment. What many, myself included, were quick to point out is just how similar today’s alt country and emo (Midwest emo specifically) are. In many ways, they’re the same type of music just in completely different styles. What Is Midwest Emo? In case you’re not familiar with Midwest emo, it’s a subgenre of emo that began in the 1990s in, you guessed it, the Midwest. One of the key differences would be the styling of many bands compared to standard emo acts. Instead of your traditional approach to emo, complete with heavy electric guitar and in-your-face vocals, Midwest emo opts for a more minimalist approach with heavier emphasis on intricate acoustic guitar work and simple, albeit a bit whiny, lead vocals. Lyrically, there’s an incredible amount of crossover between it and today’s independent and alt. country scene given the prominence of self-deprecation, introspection and overall angst. Whether it’s Zach Bryan’s early work on DeAnn and Elisabeth, Wyatt Flores’ battles with mental health on EPs such as Half Life or the melodies and structures present throughout Muscadine Bloodline’s discography, it’s hard to ignore the similarities as a fan of both genres. The Front Bottoms, along with bands such as Modern Baseball (my personal favorite group), The Get Up Kids, American Football, Mom Jeans (you’ve definitely heard their hit “Scott Pilgrim Vs. My Gpa” a time or two on TikTok), Hot Mulligan and more have all been prominent names in the subgenre. Though I can admit that some of these bands get a bit too fixated on some of the conventions of the genre, mainly the overly whiny vocals and obnoxious song titles and band names, there’s a lot of gems to be found within the genre. It should also be noted that, much like country music, there’s always a ton of debate on whether a band or song is “true” Midwest emo. For the sake of this article and discussion, I’m going to label The Front Bottoms as such (sorry to all the emo purists out there). Midwest Emo Cover Of Zach Bryan’s “Birmingham” Catching wind of all the discourse surrounding Zach Bryan, The Front Bottoms and the crossover between alt. country and emo in general, TikToker and up-and-coming artist, Allmondsville, took it upon himself to show the similarities between subgeneres. Back on July 23rd, he posted a cover of Zach Bryan’s certified gold single, “Birmingham,” in the style of The Front Bottoms. @allmondsville Lyrically they are actually pretty similar lol #midwestemo #thefrontbottoms #zachbryan #tfb #birmingham #zb #countrymusic #fypp ♬ original sound – Allmondsville The video quickly gained traction, receiving over 120,000 views, 22,700 likes and 250 comments as of writing, with many sharing the same sentiment of the genres having such a strong overlap: “Country is basically mw emo just in a different style lol” “Zach Bryan is country for emos” “been sayin it’s the same sh*t just oklahoma and jersey style” “one of my favorite ZB songs and you just made it even better” “this made me appreciate zach bryan’s lyricism” Zach himself even commented on the post, telling him: “You have to stream this.” @allmondsville Replying to @Zach Bryan so sorry for ruining your song @Zach Bryan OUT AUGUST 1st Pre save link in bio!!! #zachbryan #thefrontbottoms #midwestemo #birmingham ♬ original sound – Allmondsville Wasting no time after the stamp of approval from Zach, Allmondsville officially released the cover on August 1st, and I have to say, I kinda love it. I’m sure diehard fans of both Bryan and country music will be quick to write it off as annoying, but as a fan of Midwest emo, The Front Bottoms and the “Something in the Orange” singer, I can’t help but enjoy it. It’s abundantly clear that Allmondsville understands both the perception and stylings of both Midwest emo and The Front Bottoms and plays into the conventions. From the whiny vocals to the unique delivery of the lyrics (simultaneously rushing and dragging certain lines in comparison to Bryan’s original), he crafted a perfect cover that borders the line of parody. Listen to the full version here: The post Aspiring Artist Releases ‘Midwest Emo’ Cover of Zach Bryan’s “Birmingham” & I Kind Of Love It first appeared on Whiskey Riff.