Knumears are aware that no band exists in a vacuum. They embody a sonic tradition shaped and molded over decades, one that can only be carried on by those who truly appreciate it. Whether you call it screamo, skramz, post-hardcore, or something else entirely, it's a sound that has outlasted the changing musical trends of the years and is now influencing a whole new generation of underground musicians. Knumears' debut album, *Directions*, is both a love letter and a cartography project, exploring the profound history of a complex scene while simultaneously creating an exciting blueprint for a new one. Knumears are not just a group of passionate musicians, but also friends whose bonds are as important as the music they make together. Since 2021, Knumears (bassist Dante Garcia II, drummer Frankie Lopez, and singer/guitarist Matthew Cole) have been writing, touring, and performing nonstop. They've progressed from sold-out local shows with cheering, climbing, screaming, and dancing teenagers to national tours, receiving the same enthusiastic response across the country. But away from the tour chaos, the group has also found growth in their personal lives, strengthening old bonds with those back home, discovering new connections, and cultivating their own worlds. "We've all kind of found ourselves and made new relationships of all kinds," says Cole, reflecting on the album's creation. “There were a lot of changes for each of us.” Initially, all these personal upheavals weren’t exactly conducive to writing a new album. The band was supposed to record with legendary producer/sound engineer Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Loma Prieta, Touche Amore), but the band’s process felt somewhat stagnant until suddenly it wasn’t: “We were all having a lot of trouble being creative,” Cole explains. “We had all found an outlet in other projects while we were trying to write this album. But a few weeks before our time with Jack, we sat down and basically wrote the entire album.”