Free Throw is an American

emo Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...

band from

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. As of 2025, they are signed to Wax Bodega.

History

Free Throw was formed in April 2012 after the members had graduated high school and had met each other through the Nashville music scene while playing in previous bands. Vocalist Cory Castro has stated that they were initially inspired to start a band while listening to

Topshelf Records Topshelf Records is an American independent record label. Started in Peabody, Massachusetts and formerly located in San Diego, California, the label is based in Portland, Oregon as of 2022. Topshelf Records has been profiled in the '' Pittsbu ...

artists together, describing it as "a couple of beers and a couple of ideas". The band has since released five full-length albums, titled ''Those Days Are Gone,'' ''Bear Your Mind'', ''What's Past is Prologue'', ''Piecing It Together,'' and ''Lessons That We Swear to Keep''. They have also released three EPs, titled ''Free Throw'', ''Lavender Town'', and ''Missing Pieces''. After the release of their debut album, the band embarked on a tour opening for Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate).

Musical style and lyrics

Free Throw has been described as an "emo-punk" band marked by an "energetic sound" that is augmented by a "strong melodic sense" and "gritty

catharsis Catharsis is from the Ancient Greek word , , meaning "purification" or "cleansing", commonly used to refer to the purification and purgation of thoughts and emotions by way of expressing them. The desired result is an emotional state of renewal an ...

". The group has been categorized as

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

pop punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...

and

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

. In an interview, vocalist Cory Castro defined the term "

" as "taking your emotions and wearing them on your sleeve." The vocalist described the band's sound as being derived from "underground punk emo" bands such as Snowing and

Algernon Cadwallader Algernon Cadwallader is an American Midwest emo and math rock band from Yardley, Pennsylvania. They were originally active from 2005 to 2012. In 2022, the band regrouped and began touring again. ''Stereogum'' referred to the band as the "heroes ...

, while also citing

Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...

and

My Chemical Romance My Chemical Romance is an American Rock music, rock band from New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way. They are considered one of ...

as influences on the band's "pop sensibility". Lyrical themes often include topics such as

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...

, relationship issues, and

body image Body image is a person's thoughts, feelings and perception of the aesthetics or sexual attractiveness of their own body. The concept of body image is used in several disciplines, including neuroscience, psychology, medicine, psychiatry, psycho ...

. Vocalist Cory Castro is a fan of the ''

Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...

'' video game franchise, and several of the band's song titles are direct references to the series. Examples include ''Lavender Town'', ''Pallet Town'', ''Cerulean City'', ''Better Have Burn Heal'', ''Cinnabar Island, Worry Seed'', and ''Tail Whip, Struggle''. The frontman has a Poké Ball tattooed on his wrist.

Members

Current band members *Cory Castro – lead vocals, guitar (2012–present) *Lawrence Warner – lead guitar (2012–present) *Jake Hughes – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2013–present) *Justin Castro – bass (2012–present) *Zach Hall – drums, backing vocals (2013–2015, 2022–present) Former band members *Wes Winslett – rhythm guitar (2012–2013) *Tim Casey – drums (2012–2013) *Kevin Garcia – drums, backing vocals (2015–2022)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums *''Those Days Are Gone'' (2014) *'' Bear Your Mind'' (2017) *''What's Past Is Prologue'' (2019) *''Piecing It Together'' (2021) *''Lessons That We Swear to Keep'' (2023) EPs *''Free Throw'' (2012) *''Lavender Town'' (2014) *''Missing Pieces'' (2018)

References

{{Authority control Musical groups from Nashville, Tennessee Count Your Lucky Stars Records artists Triple Crown Records artists