it could be worse

diy emo in austin, tx

BIO

it could be worse // 3-piece diy emo band in austin, tx // est. 2025

reece herrera - drums
brittany leaning - vocals & bass
erin malone - guitar

for booking, email us at: itcouldbeworseband@gmail.com or dm us on instagram

FFO

snowing. jingwei. jacques rocque. trsh. tiny moving parts. algernon cadwallader. first day back. party hats. mt hirath. computer. aren't we amphibians. sports. brownie points. worst funeral ever. algae bloom. melancholy club. fine! i guess. train breaks down. street smart cyclist. free throw. oakwood. circa 40.

INSPIRATION

Jingwei TRSH Algernon Cadawaller First Day Back Jacques Rocque Snowing Fine! I guess Brownie Points Tiny Moving Parts

ALBUM OF THE WEEK

sailor set sail — self-titled EP cover

sailor set sail — self-titled ep

INTERVIEWS & ARTICLES

it could be worse — “a door you close yourself” reviewed in the austin chronicle’s “solid debuts” column
click to read ⛶

“it could be worse has one foot in the door”
austin chronicle · record review

“a door you close yourself”
post-nothing · record review

✦ LORE ✦

february 2018

brittany & reece meet in austin, tx

two people in the same city, in the same music circles, playing the same genres. it's only a matter of time.

reece, 2018
▶ tap for sound
february 2023

niche interest friends meet on the internet

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britt finds erin's tiktok videos and goes down a rabbit hole. after 45 minutes of watching her tap through crazy midwest emo riffs on tiktok live she dms erin and asks for guitar lessons over zoom.

november 2023

finally meeting irl @ tiny moving parts

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tmp plays two nights in austin that weekend, but reece and brittany miss both bc they're playing at a friend's wedding. so they say "fuck it" and drive up to dallas to catch tmp at deep ellum instead.

this gives erin, brittany, and reece a chance to take it offline and finally hang out in real life.

the three of them stand at the front of the stage, admiring the 3-piece band they're all so inspired by, not knowing yet that this is going to become something.

erin is still living in dallas at the time. they all get pizza together after the show.

pizza click for pizza
june 2025

songwriting bootcamp

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reece, brittany, and erin all find themselves in the liminal space between an ending and a new beginning as their previous band chapters close.

britt and reece spend the next few weeks bootcamp writing song skeletons with just drums and vocals while erin prepares for a major life change...

july 2025

erin moves to austin

suddenly the creative possibilities are endless with everyone living in the same city. future icbw members no longer have to admire each other from afar. they're all finally ready to jump two feet into a new beginning.

erin moves to austin erin moves to austin
moving box click to unpack
october 2025

it could be worse officially begins

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3-piece emo band 'it could be worse' officially starts with a complete set of band members. brittany on vocals and bass, reece on drums, erin on guitar.

november 2025

first show: arnold house

the band's first show and also the last show for the most important house show venue austin's emo scene will ever have. icbw plays one song called arnold house (dm for the address) as a secret set. if you were at the house that night, you know how iconic this exact moment in time is.

RIP arnold house
april 2026

recording: a door you close yourself

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debut ep. six songs, recorded live over eleven hours at trade craft studio, produced by hunter d'amour (fine! i guess / homesick recordings). this ep is about the liminal space between chapters. it’s about honoring what was while looking ahead at what’s next. it’s about grief, endings, and new beginnings. it's about the doors you close yourself.

june 2026

ep release: a door you close yourself

a door you close yourself — cover art emo online

now streaming on all platforms. :)