Origami Angel Delivers Chaotic Fun Emo With ‘Feeling Not Found’

Washington DC hometown heroes Origami Angel have returned with their third full-length album, ‘Feeling Not Found‘. This marks their first release since last year’s ‘The Brighest Days’ EP and their first full-length since 2021’s ‘GAMI GANG’. This record dives into what this band does best, inside references and a warm nostalgic feeling throughout while being their own band within the genre.

 The record starts off with some beautiful keys, and a melancholy opener with “Lost Signal”. The lyrics feel very on-brand for them as always, and it’s like catching up with an old friend. I think it sets the tone of the record in a pretty neat way, and the lyrics here feel like they relate to the closing track later on…like a journey. We fade seamlessly into the next track and the second single from the record, with “Dirty Mirror Selfie”. And we kick this off with a huge fucking riff, so nasty and I love it. The balance of heavy and melodic on this song feels expertly done, and it makes for a quintessential Gami song. The chorus is absolutely magnetic, and it gets stuck in your head pretty easily. Just a neat singalong track with impressive riffs to accompany it, it’s bound to be a fan favorite for sure. We jump onto the next track, which also is the third single from the record and accompanied with the previous track in “Where Blue Light Blooms”. This one gives off elevator music vibes in the best way, and it gives off vibes of the last record as well. Shoutout to the guitar parts on here being unique and parts that would never come to mind immediately, very creative stuff especially the middle section. It’s got a pretty fun chorus and keeps the vibe of the album alive and well. We jump to the next track, which starts with another bangin’ riff in “Viral”. This one gives off some pretty nice 2000’s kinda vibes. The guitar delivered by vocalist Ryland Heagy is absolutely nuts, and it’s a common theme on this whole record. His screams are always so welcome and fitting whenever they pop up on a track, and it’s tough to know when you can expect it. The melodies are reminiscent of someone like Mayday Parade, but the classic Gami style all throughout this song. 

A fun little guitar part opens the next track, with “Underneath My Skin”. It truly blows my mind how well Ryland sings, while playing the most complex and thought out guitar parts. It’s always a cool Gami thing when it all of a sudden gets lowkey and chill for a section in a song and this is no exception. This one just feels like a nice, smooth song overall and it’s a welcome addition to the first half of the record. We jump to the fourth single from the record and one of my personal favorites, with “Wretched Trajectory”. This song is a real bouncy one, and I can for sure see this one doing well in a live setting. The chorus is huge and this song is just all around fun, from the melodies to the guitar parts (some of my favorite on the record by the way) to give off that vibe. Drummer Pat Doherty is excellent overall, but especially on a track like this to compliment Ryland. The singalong at the end is a very nice touch, and it’s a testament to why I love this band as much as I do. We bring back some more 2000’s vibes with “AP Revisionist History”. Ryland has some backup vocals he provides that stuck out as a nice touch immediately, and his screams in a song that’s initially very melodic is very cool too. I just love how this band wears their influences on their sleeve, and incorporate them into their own style throughout. Like this gives off such midwest emo vibes in a wonderful way, and yet it still feels fitting to the sound and identity of this band. The slowdown at the end of this track is pretty neat as well, cool to see the changeup so suddenly.

We jump onto lyrically the most direct on this record it feels like, with “Living Proof”. It lyrically goes into how people should take accountability for their actions, and the things they say as well. It’s a pretty upbeat kind of track initially, before it builds up slowly into absolute chaos before that last chorus. Pits will be had and hardcore kids will come out of the woodwork for that breakdown, it’s nuts. It’s even more nuts how it goes back to the super melodic chorus afterwards, the Gami way. We’re followed up with the first single from the record, with “Fruit Wine”. This one actually didn’t stick with me at first listen, but has since grown on me with more listens. It gives off vibes of the mixtape from last year actually, mixed with some 90’s-like instrumentals. It’s got a pretty simple structure, so it makes sense why this was the lead single. The buildup of this is pretty wild, and the breakdown is even more crazy but what else is new? The riffs here are pretty well executed, like they knew what they were doing so that this could feel right at home in a live setting. We’re followed by the fifth single from the record with a fast one, with a super punk-y riff to start with “Sixth Cents (Get It)”. It gives off real ‘Somewhere City’ vibes and going back and forth between these sections almost feels like whiplash in the best way. It makes for one of the best tracks on this record, as it lyrically dives into why the music industry is bullshit and the POV of an artist who sees the in and out’s of it all. The music video is great as well, shouting out different iconic emo music videos over the years. It’s followed by the sixth single and it was coupled with the last song release-wise, with “Secondgradefoofight”. It starts off very melancholy, as it goes into another fun riff and continues the energy of the last track. Ryland might as well be screaming into a megaphone here, as it captures that kind of vibe. It once again balances really nicely between aggression and melody pretty expertly.

We’re onto the final stretch of the record, starting with “HM07 Waterfall”. This one kicks off with a big pop-punk influenced riff, and the lyrics here feel like they’re delivered as they should be. The lyrics here feel very introspective, it’s not a proper Gami record without looking inside yourself. It’s just a fun song overall, and appreciate the out of nowhere breakdown as well. This one is an easy highlight off the record as we get closer to the end. We reach the penultimate track on a slower note, with “Higher Road”. I appreciate how soothing Ryland’s softer vocals sound, it’s always so nice. He shows off his range pretty nicely on this track as well. The flow of this track is really cool too, the chorus feels very grunge influenced on its instrumentals and main riff. The buildup of this whole song just feels really well done and I applaud them for being so good at what they do. We reach the final track with the title track, and it opens with a Four Year Strong-esque opening riff. This whole song feels like classic Gami and possibly my favorite on the album, but it’s still early to say. It contains a massive chorus, and the melodies are off the charts here. It works so incredibly as a closing track, as it closes the journey we’ve been on with lyrics diving into accepting who you are fully and proudly. It’s a remarkable song and I’m happy they ended the album like this, especially with that sick ass solo too. 

‘Feeling Not Found’ is an example of why Origami Angel is such an anomaly within this scene and that no one can do it like they do. They take all the elements of what makes emo music great and adds so much creativity and themselves into it and this whole record is proof of that. If you’re a fan of this genre in the slightest, this band and this record deserves to be heard amongst the community and in general really.