Sharkswimmer bring the Course Correcting era to a 100-cap room at Sleepwalk

Brooklyn's post-hardcore-leaning quartet, now on Trash Casual, headlines Sleepwalk on Thursday, Nov. 12, with Early Internet.

A hundred people, one room, and a band that has played Brooklyn more than anywhere else. Sharkswimmer headline Sleepwalk on Thursday, Nov. 12, a week from tonight, with Early Internet in support. Music starts at 7 p.m., and tickets are on DICE. At a 100-capacity room, this is about as close as you can get to a band that plays this loud.

Sharkswimmer are about as local as a band gets. In our records, the quartet has played New York — Brooklyn 22 times, more than any other market. The current lineup is guitarist and lead vocalist Justin Buschardt, guitarist Kate Moyer, bassist and vocalist Kenny Monroe, and drummer Jason Bauers. They work in the gap between post-hardcore and indie rock, which is to say they write songs with real hooks and then play them hard enough to rattle a small room.

The new chapter started this year. In February, Flood Magazine premiered "NIKI", the band's first new music in a while and the lead single from the Course Correcting EP. Flood described the song as treading the line between brusque punk and catchy indie rock while diving into "a sea of turbulent, heart-on-sleeve emotions," and framed it around the band finding a new sense of confidence. The EP is Sharkswimmer's first release with Trash Casual, the New York independent label. It was recorded with producer and engineer Brian Dimeglio, whose credits include Bartees Strange, Pinkshift and Superbloom, and mastered by Jon Markson.

That move caps a steady run. The band's debut full-length, Serenity, came out Oct. 3, 2023, on Really Rad Records, which Lambgoat covered when it was announced. At the end of 2024 they released Primary, gathering their first three EPs in one place, which is still the easiest way into the early material on their Bandcamp. Along the way they also released a single with Geoff Rickly of Thursday, as Rebel Noise reported.

So why go on a Thursday in November? Because this is the scale where a band like this makes the most sense. Two guitars, a bass and drums at full volume can get lost in a big hall. In a room that holds 100 people you hear every part of it. The 7 p.m. start also means you can see a full show and still be home at a decent hour on a work night, which helps when the band is this loud.

It's also a chance to hear the newer songs in their natural setting. A band with a fresh EP and a new label behind it tends to play with something to prove, and a packed hometown room is where those songs get tested. Bring earplugs and stand close to the front.

At a 100-capacity room, this is about as close as you can get to a band that plays this loud.

Brooklyn has a lot of bands like Sharkswimmer and very few that have kept at it this long and this steadily. Next Thursday is a good night to see why they've lasted.

Sources: Flood Magazine: Sharkswimmer Are Finding a New Sense of Confidence on 'NIKI' (floodmagazine.com); Lambgoat: Sharkswimmer announce debut record, release single (lambgoat.com); Rebel Noise: Geoff Rickly of Thursday joins forces with Sharkswimmer for new single (rebelnoise.com); Sharkswimmer on Bandcamp (sharkswimmer.bandcamp.com); Sharkswimmer artist bio (EP recording credits, lineup) (events.musicofourdesire.com); DICE: Sharkswimmer at Sleepwalk (link.dice.fm); JamBase listing: Sharkswimmer at Sleepwalk (jambase.com)