Historically eclipsed by the influence of the foundational post-hardcore bands from neighboring New Jersey (your Lifetimes, your Midtowns), NYC emo is enjoying a moment thanks to new-school groups like alt-pop specialists Zachshots and screamoviolence outfit OLTH. Brooklyn-based Holidays in United States , while hardly new on the block , officially enter the chat with How to Count to Five : 10 endearing nu-emo numbers that split the difference between the genre’s first and second waves.

The spectre of Midwest emo looms large; American Football in particular casts a considerable shadow. The album also brings to mind the iconic cover of Saves the Day ’s Through Being Cool, where the band sits on a couch looking dejected as a party rages: One imagines Holidays in United States striking this exact pose at one of the go-nowhere gatherings mentioned on How to Count to Five .…