Emerging Local Bands to Catch This Semester

Oʻahu’s underground music scene has a little something for everyone, from soft island vibes to alternative rock. For those new to the islands or interested in getting in touch with the local music community, here are some up-and-coming bands to check out.

Over the past year, a wave of new energy has been building across the local music scene. With more venues such as Harbors Vintage and The Arts at Mark’s Garage supporting underground shows and a post-pandemic resurgence of in-person performance culture, this year has proven to be a phenomenal time for young artists. DIY-spaces like Harbors Vintage offer opportunities for these artists to perform outside of the typical bar setting making it easier for newer bands to be heard.

Sumor is a local band out of Honolulu specializing in shoegaze/hardcore music, an alternative rock genre known for nostalgic tones, soft vocals, and distortion.

On Aug 22, Sumor played their debut set at Harbors Vintage along with a few other local artists in an alternative rock lineup. Sumor plans to play numerous shows around Honolulu throughout the semester.

J5 sings and plays bass for Sumor, describing the band’s vibe as “nostalgic, lots of energy and even aggression.”

J5 said, “I’ve been in this scene for years now. This is a project where I want to get people to come have a good time. Right now our plan is to do a bunch of shows and eventually start recording some of our songs.”

Chris Natale, the drummer for Sumor, said, “Sumor has a lot of dark lyrics — not so much the evil kind of dark but more about struggles that people can relate to.”

Their songs don’t stop at hardcore or aggressive music though, they also play beats with more meaningful or emotional lyrics. “It has a melancholy thing going for it. Sometimes our lyrics can seem really depressing, even in light or pretty sounding songs,” Keegan, the guitarist, explained. “We want to keep playing as many shows as we can.”

For those interested in keeping up with Sumor’s rise within O‘ahu’s music scene and seeing them play in person, follow them on Instagram at @sumorband.

The next band on the lineup is Frankengirl, an indie/alternative band that has been jamming on O‘ahu since 2023. Their self-proclaimed niche, “soundtrack to the worst indie film ever” has a Midwestern emo touch.

Frankengirl plays a mix of a wide variety of genres.

“We take a lot of inspiration from many different genres, reaching into the audience of each one. Mostly midwest emo with some great guitar riffs,” the bass guitarist, Elyot said.

Princess, the lead guitarist for Frankengirl, said, “We don’t really have a specific genre, but we do want to work more on songwriting. There are so many drafts and ideas we want to bring to life.”

Like most bands, Frankengirl went through a phase of humble beginnings. Princess reflected on the band’s name origin- “I really liked this band called Screeching Weasel, and they had this song called frankengirl,” she said. “I just thought it was a really cool name, so hopefully I don’t get sued. We all decided it was an okay name to use.”

Emily Keane, the lead singer and UHM student, described the different backgrounds of their audience.“We attract angsty emo teenagers because that’s also what we are for the most part. UH students aren’t our main demographic — I don’t see too many but we love it when they come.”

Frankengirl has many shows lined up in the upcoming months. Keane said, “We have a show coming up on October 24th at Harbors Vintage — a Halloween show.”

Reflecting on their music career, Keane said, “We’re happy to record an album and want to turn music into something more serious instead of just a hobby.”

Looking forward, Frankengirl has its sights set on making more of a name for itself in the future. Elliot said, “We’re trying to become a household name. To become one of those bands that came from O‘ahu and spread our love all over the world.”

Check out some of Frankengirl’s upcoming shows in Honolulu! For more information and updates, follow @frankengrrl on Instagram.

Businesses around Honolulu that offer venues to small local artists play a huge role in the music scene. Braeden Reyes, a staff member at Harbors Vintage, a clothing store that often hosts musical events, relished in the large role venues like Harbors Vintage play for smaller bands.

“I really like it when Harbors Vintage hosts events like this because it's fun and you can meet new bands that come to play. It also attracts people to the venue itself like, Harbors Vintage, which is also a store for vintage clothing. So we're always happy to host events that let bands come and play music," Reyes said.

The underground music scene here on O‘ahu offers a mix of styles that can captivate just about any audience. Whether you’re into indie rock or hardcore music, there’s likely a local band putting their own spin on the genre