Far Apart

Hazel (1997)

Hazel compresses Far Apart's entire recorded ambition into a handful of tracks, melodic guitar interplay delivered with a controlled urgency that belies the band's distance from the genre's American scene. The title track pairs an insistent, winding guitar line with vocals that stay just short of shouting, building a tension it never fully releases. Nothing about the EP sounds like an imitation of its American influences; the songwriting has its own distinct, slightly colder character. As Far Apart's only proper release before their breakup, it stands as a self-contained statement rather than a stepping stone.

Sleeve notes

Hazel · 1997

Far Apart formed in Lulea, Sweden, active from 1995 to 1999, part of an international midwest-emo-influenced underground that reached well beyond the genre's American birthplace. The band's entire recorded output amounts to one EP, one split release, and a demo, put out through the Swedish independent label Carcrash Records rather than any larger outlet. They reportedly took their name from a Cure song, a nod that fits the band's own mix of melodic reach and emotional distance.

Hazel, released in 1997, drew enough attention in the American underground that major-label interest followed once it crossed the Atlantic, offers the band turned down without hesitation. A follow-up full-length was planned but never released; Far Apart split before finishing it, leaving Hazel as the group's only proper statement. That brief, uncompromising run has since made them a small cult reference point within the genre's more far-flung corners.