Lemuria

Sheena Ozzella and Alex Kerns had already known each other for several years (including a spell where they were a couple) before forming Lemuria during the fall of 2004 in Buffalo, New York. The two looked to bands like the Lemonheads, Superchunk, Jawbreaker, and Hüsker Dü for influence in crafting their own punky, melodic indie rock. With Ozzella on guitar, Kerns on drums, and Adam Vernick on bass — all three shared vocal duties, though Ozzella took the lead on most songs — Lemuria got busy recording a handful of demos. Vernick didn't stick around long, however, ultimately leaving the band during the writing phase of its first EP. Bassist Jason Draper, who had previously played with Kerns and Vernick in the local hardcore outfit StillxIll, quickly stepped in to take his place in 2005, and an eponymous four-song EP appeared that same year via Kerns' label, Art of the Underground.

A string of 7" and split releases followed over the next few years, including a split with the New York-based Frame, another alongside Portland's Kind of Like Spitting entitled Your Living Room's All Over Me, and a 2007 release with New Jersey pop-punkers the Ergs! Yo Yo Records, a German label, then took the liberty of gathering most of the band's existing demos and 7" recordings, compiling them, and releasing the final product as The First Collection. Lemuria's first full-length record, Get Better, was handled by Asian Man Records and appeared in February 2008 to considerable praise and positive reviews. Pebble, the band's second album, arrived in early 2011, followed by Distance Is So Big in 2013.