In November, Lancaster-based screamo outfit Fragile Like Life After toured to celebrate the release of its latest EP, "A Long Look At A Short Distance." The fall tour marks the band's third time hitting the road this year, and the EP follows two albums and a single that Fragile Like Life After has released since 2021. The expedition served as an opportunity for the three-piece project to showcase the fresh material as it trod new ground - creatively and literally.

Fragile Like Life After comprises bassist Adrian Alicea, guitarist Max Ludewig and drummer Chris Copeland, who formed the band in 2021. The three Millersville University alumni met through school a few years prior, and they had already become close friends by the time the band took shape. Fragile Like Life After's debut album, "I Thought I Saw A UFO But It Was Just Five Months," laid the foundation for a sound as distinct as its name, taking cues from slowcore and screamo conventions. The 12-track release showcased Ludewig's glittery guitar melodies and Alicea's poignant delivery of spoken-word poetry; the dreamlike combination is anchored by Copeland's vigorous but surgically precise drumming.

In November 2022, Fragile Like Life After released its sophomore album, "(I Don't Think They're Coming)." The band became an active player in Lancaster's music scene and the East Coast DIY circuit with frequent local shows and its first tour, and the 10-track album reflects Fragile Like Life After's increasingly cohesive sound. "(I Don't Think They're Coming)" introduced gripping vocals screamed by Alicea to Ludewig's lead vocals and the driving riffs that defined its debut.

Three years of touring and recording sharpened Fragile Like Life After's edge and allowed its members to refine both their sound and their dynamic as a band. The trio's live shows became increasingly electric; Fragile Like Life After's sets typically feature Ludewig's rowdy engagement of the crowd while Alicea and Copeland remain individually locked in an intense showdown with their respective instruments.

"A Long Look At A Short Distance" is the product of three years of hard work as a band and the personal growth of its members, and the five-song EP separates itself from Fragile Like Life After's earlier releases with an entirely new approach. Although shorter than the band's first two albums, "A Long Look At A Short Distance" doesn't waste a second; the songs are sequentially structured and work together to tell one story. "It felt like the most collaboratively we've ever written something," Alicea said. "I filled in on bass, but my contribution was more lyrical. Max took initiative in writing the guitar riffs, and Chris helped structure the songs and flesh them out."

"Sonically and lyrically, ( 'A Long Look At A Short Distance') is a lot more concise than the other stuff. The songs flow into each other," Copeland added.

"From the start, it was (Alicea's) idea to write something that doesn't stop," Ludewig said. "They said to me at one point, 'I don't want to talk during our set at all. I want to say hello, play our songs and say goodbye. ( 'A Long Look At A Short Distance') is not just five songs; this is a piece of work."

To listen to "A Long Look At A Short Distance" or for more information, search for "Fragile Like Life After" on Spotify, Instagram or Facebook.