Tonight, Portland metalcore outfit Dying Wish kick off a nearly monthlong double-headlining jaunt with Long Island, New York hardcore band Pain of Truth (where they’ll be joined by support acts Outta Pocket and Balmora), which will feature Dying Wish’s third show at First Unitarian Church on October 28th. In addition to The Church, Dying Wish have also played three shows at Underground Arts since December of 2021 and a show earlier this year supporting The Amity Affliction at Frankin Music Hall, which featured the Aussie post-hardcore group celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their fourth LP, Let the Ocean Take Me.
Over the years, Dying Wish frontwoman Emma Boster has become a dear phriend of PHILTHY MAG. We first spoke in the summer of 2021 — prior to the release of the band’s debut LP, Fragments of a Bitter Memory – and last spoke in October of 2023, prior to the release of the band’s sophomore LP, Symptoms of Survival, and a North American tour which had them returning to Underground Arts for their first local headlining date last December. Last month I got a chance to catch up with Emma, who tells me about almost a year of touring Symptoms of Survival.
Izzy Cihak: First of all, I saw that you recently got engaged, so congrats on that!!! Would you care to talk about that and maybe if you’ve started any of the planning for the actual wedding? Or are you just focused on band stuff for the immediate future?
Emma Boster: Hi! Thank you so much! We have to plan our wedding as far out as possible because we both play in touring bands – so we have an official date set! We’re doing a September wedding near my hometown in the Pacific Northwest. Everything else will come together when I have some time to breathe after this fall co-headliner. I’m really excited to be a wife!
Izzy: The last time we spoke was October of last year, shortly before the release of Symptoms of Survival and your last (I think?) US headlining tour, which was sort of a return to touring for you. What have been some of the highlights of the past year, being on the road and promoting the second LP? I was definitely at that headlining show at Underground Arts and then I saw you again earlier this year at Franklin Music Hall with The Amity Affliction, which were both amazing.
Emma: We released the record when we were playing the Headbangers Boat Metal Cruise in the Bahamas – which was super cool because we got to really celebrate together. The week after we did our headliner with some really amazing support bands. The majority of the shows sold out and it was wild how quickly people knew the songs. Since then, we went to Australia for the first time and toured our butts off this year. It’s been so fun to play those songs at huge festivals we have never done before with new audiences and also make our OG fans proud. It’s been a really wild year.
Izzy: You did an Audiotree earlier this year, which is totally cool. How was that experience? They’ve featured so many of my favorite bands over the years.
Emma: Shout out Audiotree! Their whole team was so pro. It was really great because they fully embraced the passion we have for this band in the interviews and the performance. It was fun, easy and rewarding. I look forward to seeing them at our shows in Chicago and hopefully we can do something else with them down the line.
Izzy: Have you had any favorite fan reactions to Symptoms of Survival since it dropped, whether things they’ve told you at shows or reached out to tell you online?
Emma: I have a terrible memory but yes so many. It was my birthday this past Monday and my friends and I went out for cocktails. Our server was a huge fan and told us that everyone seems to be rooting for us and is ready for the next step we take to launch ourselves even further. It’s really special to have that kind of trust from our fans.
It was also nice because I’ve stopped reading comments due to negativity online. I tend to think people hate my guts or think I suck, so it was a confidence boost I needed after not playing shows the last couple months. I make myself available at shows as much as I can because connecting with people who resonate with my words and songs means just as much to me as it does to them, if not more.
Izzy: This October you’re doing a double-headlining run alongside Pain of Truth, with Outta Pocket and Balmora. What are your thoughts on your tourmates? You always tour alongside really cool acts that seem to vibe together really well.
Emma: I love every single one of these bands as well as the bands that are opening locally for each show. There is a little something for everyone on this tour package. It’s diverse within the hardcore spectrum but also just makes sense. I can’t wait to watch them play every night!
Izzy: What can be expected of your live show on this run? Your last show at Underground Arts was the first time you’ve ever headlined here, so it was really great to see an extended set with “different blocks of different vibes,” as you explained it when we last spoke.
Emma: For this tour we are definitely pulling out more of the heavy hitting mosh songs while also staying true to our melodic sound. Naturally we set ourselves apart from the other bands a bit in that way, but on a lot of support opportunities we don’t get the chance to play our heaviest tracks that are also our favorites. I’m really looking forward to playing “Tongues of Lead,” for example.
Izzy: I’ve actually seen you every time you’ve played Philly except for the times you’ve played First Unitarian Church, which is actually three blocks from my apartment… What are your thoughts on the legendary DIY venue? I feel like it’s kind of the perfect setting for bands like Dying Wish.
Emma: So, we have played The Church twice – once with Loathe and once with The Acacia Strain, but it’s been a couple years. There is so much history in that room and you can really feel it. My goal is that a few years down the line it’s a show that people still talk about. Like, “One time I saw Dying Wish and Pain of Truth at The Church, look at them now!”
Izzy: The last time we spoke you mentioned how much you love Halloween and dressing up, decorating, haunted houses, and campy horror movies, so I’m curious if there’s anything you’re especially excited about this year? I know your tour actually wraps on Halloween, so you’ll be on the road basically all of October.
Emma: I’m looking forward to the Halloween show in Brooklyn on this tour most especially. I think that will go down as one of our favorite shows of the tour. Last time we played there it was absolute CHAOS and with POT being a band from NY – I can’t even imagine. Historically I don’t get to do much else this time of year, but I will go all out with a costume.
Another thing I love about the fall is that it’s FOOTBALL SEASON! Go ducks.
Izzy: Are there any horror films you would recommend our readers check out, whether all-time favorites or movies that you think deserve a little more love and attention than they generally get?
Emma: Last year I REALLY enjoyed Barbarian, I watched it three times. I wasn’t too stoked on Longlegs this year like some. One of my favorites that I feel doesn’t get enough love is Mandy. Nic Cage is perfect for that role and the soundtrack is thrilling.
Izzy: Finally, what’s next for Dying Wish? How are you hoping and planning to spend the last part of 2024 and maybe the first part of 2025?
Emma: This year besides our upcoming co-headliner with Pain of Truth we are doing our first annual Christmas show ‘Dying Wishmas’ in our hometown of Portland, Oregon on December 7th.
First order of business in 2025 is to create our third studio album. I’m really excited to write more songs, challenge ourselves and continue to show the world what Dying Wish can be.
Thanks so much for having me again, it’s always a pleasure!
*Get your tickets here.
