Infant Island

Lore & Background

Infant Island was formed in the summer of 2016 by vocalist Daniel Kost, guitarist Alexander Rudenshiold, bassist Kyle Guerra, and drummer James Rakestraw. On August 1, 2018, they released their self-titled debut album to critical acclaim, and it was featured in Noisey's 'Summer of Screamo' column. In October 2018, the band parted ways with drummer James Rakestraw, replacing him with Austin O'Rourke, who had previously worked with bassist Guerra in smallhands.

In March 2019, guitarist Alexander Rudenshiold stated that the band's second album was entirely recorded. In April 2020, the band announced their second album, Beneath, for release in May 2020 on Dog Knights Productions. On April 17, 2020, they released the single 'Stare Spells' along with a previously unannounced mini-LP titled Sepulcher. Beneath was released on May 15, 2020 to positive reviews. In response to the George Floyd protests, on June 5, 2020, Infant Island released a compilation album titled Collections 1, donating proceeds to bail funds and mutual aid groups.

In November 2023, Infant Island announced their third album, Obsidian Wreath, written in 2020, for release in January 2024 on Secret Voice, the label of Touché Amoré frontman Jeremy Bolm. The album's lead single was 'Another Cycle'.

Reader's Guide

Infant Island's significance lies in their role in revitalizing screamo in the late 2010s and early 2020s, blending the genre with black metal and post-rock elements. Their 2018 self-titled debut was hailed as a linchpin for modern screamo, and their 2020 releases Beneath and Sepulcher shifted toward a more metallic sound, drawing comparisons to grindcore, sludge metal, and black metal. The band's music has been described as 'Deafheaven reframed in the sonic palette of Diary-era Sunny Day Real Estate.' Their 2020 compilation Collections 1, released in response to the George Floyd protests, demonstrated a commitment to social justice by donating proceeds to bail funds and mutual aid groups. With their third album Obsidian Wreath released in 2024 on Secret Voice, Infant Island continues to be a prominent force in the screamo and blackgaze scenes, often compared to regional predecessors Pg.99, City of Caterpillar, and Majority Rule.

Did You Know?

• Infant Island was formed in Fredericksburg, Virginia in 2016.
• Their debut album was featured in Noisey's 'Summer of Screamo' column in 2018.
• Drummer Austin O'Rourke replaced James Rakestraw in October 2018.
• The band released a compilation album, Collections 1, in June 2020 with proceeds donated to bail funds and mutual aid groups.

Origins & the Debut That Redefined a Genre

Infant Island came together in the summer of 2016 in Fredericksburg, Virginia, when vocalist Daniel Kost, guitarist Alexander Rudenshiold, bassist Kyle Guerra, and drummer James Rakestraw decided to channel their shared musical vision into a blackgaze screamo project. For nearly two years, the group developed their sound before dropping their self-titled debut album on August 1, 2018, timed to support a U.S. and Canadian tour. The record landed with a force that critics couldn't ignore. Noisey's Dan Ozzi, writing for the outlet's "Summer of Screamo" feature, called the album "a linchpin for modern screamo," a characterization that stuck. By February 2019, The Washington Post had grouped Infant Island alongside Vein and Portrayal of Guilt as artists breathing "new life" into the genre. The debut also cemented the band's regional lineage, with reviewers consistently drawing parallels to Virginia's earlier screamo acts like Pg.99, City of Caterpillar, and Majority Rule. That same October 2018, the band welcomed Austin O'Rourke, previously Guerra's bandmate in smallhands, behind the drums, a swap that would shape their live energy going forward.

Sonic Palette & the Metallic Turn

From the start, Infant Island's sound occupied a distinctive intersection. Stereogum's Chris DeVille, reviewing the 2018 debut, captured the blend as "Deafheaven reframed in the sonic palette of Diary-era Sunny Day Real Estate," a description that highlighted how the band married atmospheric blackgaze textures with the melodic, emotionally raw songwriting associated with Sunny Day's early work. Yet the group never stayed static. By the time they delivered Sepulcher and Beneath in 2020, reviewers noted a pronounced shift toward heavier, more directly metallic territory. Comparisons to grindcore, sludge metal, and especially black metal became common in write-ups of those releases. The 2020 material retained the emotional core of the debut but wrapped it in denser, more aggressive instrumentation. This evolution was no accident: in a March 2019 interview with RVA Magazine, Rudenshiold confirmed the second album was already fully recorded, suggesting the band had been working toward this heavier direction well before the pandemic year. The result was a sound that honored their screamo roots while pushing the genre's sonic boundaries further into metallic territory.

Beneath, Sepulcher & a Band in Action

The period between 2019 and 2020 proved both creatively fertile and socially charged for Infant Island. In April 2020, the band announced Beneath, their second full-length, set for a May 15 release on Dog Knights Productions. Two weeks earlier, they had dropped the single "Stare Spells" alongside a previously unannounced mini-LP called Sepulcher. Though Sepulcher arrived chronologically before Beneath, its material was actually recorded roughly a year later, giving it a rawer, more immediate quality. Both releases earned positive reviews, and Beneath landed on multiple "Best of 2020" lists. The band also released a music video for "Someplace Else," the album's closing track. Beyond the music, the group used their platform for direct action. On June 5, 2020, in response to the George Floyd protests, they released a compilation album called Collections 1, donating all proceeds to bail funds and mutual aid organizations supporting demonstrators in Richmond and Fredericksburg. The compilation gathered unreleased tracks, member reworks, and rarities from split albums and compilation appearances, turning a musical project into a tangible act of community support.

Obsidian Wreath & the Wider Circuit

The path to Infant Island's third album was longer than most fans expected. Obsidian Wreath was written in 2020, yet it wouldn't reach listeners until January 2024, a gap that speaks to the band's deliberate pace. When they finally announced the record in November 2023, they also revealed it would be released on Secret Voice, the label run by Touché Amoré frontman Jeremy Bolm. The connection wasn't entirely new: earlier in 2023, the band had contributed the track "Aurora" to Secret Voice's Balladeers, Redefined compilation, establishing a working relationship before the full album. The lead single "Another Cycle" gave early listeners a taste of the record's direction. Beyond the studio, Infant Island maintained a steady presence on various compilation releases throughout the years, contributing covers and original tracks to projects like Middle-Man Records' Grave Neighbors series and Sordid States. These appearances, including a rendition of Boards of Canada's "Dayvan Cowboy" and a take on Horse Jumper of Love's "Ugly Brunette/July 5th," showed the band's willingness to engage with other artists' material while building a broader audience across the independent music scene.