“I wouldn't have been really keen on playing this kind of music inside of school.” In Korea, I volunteered to help set up a talent show during the COVID pandemic. Six audiences sat: three teachers and three volunteers; through the awkwardness, the focus naturally shifted to the music. In the absence of audience grasps and sing-alongs, we observed as each interpretation of televised music fell flat.
Perhaps middle school talent shows aren’t the most ideal way to form a cultural perspective, in such a way that if one attempts to break the boundaries between popular and high art, it would be a terrible place to begin. This became the premise for the formation of Antarctic Christmas Party, an emo band consisting of Conner, James, Nicole, and Monty. When the band decided to play a niche genre, they already had a different audience in mind.
But it wasn't just emo music. Antarctic Christmas Party wanted emo music that “honors different backgrounds of music.” An approach that would be considered ambitious was inevitable for the band’s background. Before starting the band, James, Connor, and Monty had played jazz gigs, and Nicole, Connor, and Monty had played in a metal band. Yet, Emo music stood as a common ground, and the band’s musical pursuit would become heavily influenced by fifth-wave emo, lo-fi, and vocals from I Hate Sex.
The idea solidified when Connor and James went to watch a Japanese screamo band, Soccer, on December 19th, 2024. They met Jonny (Desperate Infant Records) and Kelsey (milkteawithoutmilk), both being active concert organizers in Hong Kong, who discussed the opportunity of the band playing in their shows. Having frequently played in venues such as the Aftermaths, playing outside gigs was nothing new, but the opportunity shone an abiding fluorescence. “We are so grateful for being in touch with these kinds of organizers.”
Obviously, juggling music and education wasn’t as smooth an experience. “Gigs, we try to schedule around education... but recording might be a little hassle.” In particular, Nicole recalls missing one of her coursework deadlines by a month because of music, labeling coursework as one of the band’s biggest challenges.
During May, the band released their first music, demos from the ronne ice shelf, a four-track DIY album with a signature rawness only a few bedroom-ridden bands can convey. “elegy for my wonderful hamster” is a standout, a heartbreaking song and a tribute to an adventurous hamster named Macaroni. The actual recording process occurred in March and April 2025, but the track was recorded in December 2024. Afterwards, the band found opportunities to participate in gigs and redefine their sound. Their next release—a potential split with I Eat Crickets—is where we can find out.
Fast forward to June 2025, Antarctic Christmas Party performed at Your Arms Are My Cocoon reunion party with Morning Grief, Asian Glow, and Godfuck at the Aftermaths. “That was crazy, because I've been listening to it. Your Arms Are My Cocoon is the first screamo band. It's the band that got me into this genre.” The air conditioning broke, but the power transmitted elsewhere as I witnessed what was possibly the emo scene’s largest youth culture—a signal flare announcing that the scene was very much alive.