Ranking Piebald’s 6 Albums

9 min readJul 10, 2026

Piebald began in Andover, Massachusetts, in 1994 by Travis Shettel and Aaron Stuart, with high school friends Jon Sullivan on drums and Andrew Bonner on bass, rounding out the original lineup. Piebald quickly became an integral part of the same indie, post-hardcore music scene that birthed Cave In and Converge. Their very first gig was a Battle of the Bands — which, as the liner notes of a later release would cheekily confirm, they lost.

The band’s sound didn’t stay in one place for long. Shettel crafted lyrics that could weave between intensely autobiographical, sociopolitical, and sarcastic — sometimes all at once — and over time, the jagged hardcore edges gave way to something warmer and weirder.

By early 2004, Piebald inked a deal with indie label SideOneDummy, and their next album came out that May. Their (nearly) final album, Accidental Gentleman, arrived in January 2007, but by August of that year, the band announced they were calling it quits.

The band reformed in 2016 to celebrate the digital re-release of their catalog, and they haven’t looked back since. In 2026, Piebald released their first album in 19 years.

6. When Life Hands You Lemons (1997)

After a few 7"s, splits, and an EP, Piebald released their debut, When Life Hands You Lemons. This, to put it simply, sounds very much like a debut, albeit a debut from a band who had clearly worked to develop a sound and flesh out their tracks.

If you’re a big fan of that loose, post-hardcore emo sound of the late 90s, you’ll probably balk at this record being ranked last, but ultimately, the record simply doesn’t hone in on the band’s strengths, despite being a pretty good debut.

The record has some good instrumental work throughout, especially from the rhythm section, but it often feels like the vocals were just kinda thrown on to finished tracks — like shoving a square peg in a round hole, the results just aren’t that pleasant.

Shettel’s vocals, in general, leave something to be desired. I think he’s a great singer, but not for this particular genre, as his strengths lie more in his talk-singing style. Actually, I’d say guitarist Aaron Stuart’s vocals are a bit more on point for the record.

Musically, an impressive debut with some highlights, but When Life Hands You Lemons shows Shettel’s vocals at their worst, and his lyrics lack the nuance and charm of later albums. Ultimately, the songs sort of blend together (aside from the “Piano Song In A Minor” interlude).

5. If It Weren’t For Venetian Blinds… (1999)

Venetian Blinds takes everything that worked on the debut and improves upon it. I’d be genuinely surprised if anyone would prefer the debut to this. It’s the last album to retain their original post-hardcore sound, just with better results.

Opening on the lengthy “Grace Kelly With Wings,” which twists and turns throughout its 5min runtime, featuring some clever breakdowns and a bit of lead vocals from Stuart, you can clearly hear the marked improvement in the band’s songwriting.

While still holding true to their post-hardcore/emo sound, Piebald’s songwriting is clearly more refined here, but it’s the improvement to Shettel’s vocals (and placing them more central in the mix) that most notably sets the album apart from their debut.

There are several highlights on the record, like “If Marcus Garvey Dies, Then Marcus Garvey Lives” which highlights some (possibly) lesser-known activists, or “Giddy Like a Schoolgirl” and “Mess with the Bulls,” which showcase a more structured sound from the band, and less of the loose improvisational style of their earlier material.

Venetian Blinds offers a little look into the upcoming stylistic direction of the band with “Rules for Mules”, one of the few tracks that could’ve probably found a place on one of their 00s albums.

Their sophomore release is also notable as it was the last to give Aaron Stuart a chance to sing lead, which he does on “Dirty Harry and the Thunderbolts”. Stuart does a good job in the position, but I’d be lying if I said his lead vocals would fit with the path the band went after this.

Recommended Tracks: Grace Kelly With Wings / Rules for Mules / Mess With the Bulls

4. All Ears, All Eyes, All The Time (2004)

Following the stylistic shift of 2002’s We Are The Only Friends We Have, Piebald signed with SideOneDummy Records and released this, their fourth album.

With the relative popularity of We Are The Only Friends, the band further embraced their new mid-tempo, piano-layered style of rock, and the results are some undeniably all-time tunes from the band.

“The Benefits of Ice Cream” and “Haven’t Tried It” are instant sing-alongs and some of the catchiest tunes in the band’s repertoire (the latter featuring the type of piano-driven, upbeat lightheartedness that could work in a Disney movie).

Overall, the first half of the record is all hits, and while the b-side isn’t exactly misses, it also doesn’t quite reach the same level of instant charm, save for a couple of songs like “The Six Eighter”.

This record features the biggest departure from their original sound, and while it has lots of upsides, my main critique is that it lacks the stylistic variety of their other post-90s albums.

Whereas there was a fun unpredictability for most of the band’s other material, there’s a slight staleness in the relatively stable direction most of the songs on All Ears, All Eyes, All The Time take.

Had they instilled a bit more energy and a few more hooks across the nearly 40 minutes, it could’ve made this record one of the band’s best.

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3. Tales for the Rages (2026)

Piebald is back, baby! After nearly 2 decades, the boys in Piebald have at last returned with a brand new full-length record. Of course, although I was ecstatic upon hearing the news, I was also a bit trepidatious.

With a gap this long between releases, I’d say it’s fair to question if the band will still have the goods, but I’m happy to report that they’ve somehow not missed a beat in the interim 19 years. In fact, Travis miraculously sounds even more youthful than before.

Tales for the Rages brings with it all the charm you’ve come to expect from Piebald, yet it still sounds like its own beast. While it’s probably most similar to their pre-breakup release, Accidental Gentlemen, it still manages to avoid sounding like a rehash of old material — Piebald clearly brought new ideas to the table.

As opposed to their first 2 albums of the 00s, the record doesn’t rely on the piano much at all, only occasionally using it to make a melody or chorus richer — I’d say this is the most rock-centric the band has sounded since the 90s, just take a listen to “Power Smile”, the fastest, most outright punk song Piebald has ever released.

The album’s opening 3 tracks are sure to become classics. They’re immediately catchy with great lyrics, especially on “Used to Good Advantage,” which maintains a clear pulse on current events.

Other tracks like “Fun Destroyer” or “Cooler Heads Prevail” navigate a new lane of rock, and they absolutely knock it out of the park. In fact, the record really has no low points, even the weakest moments, like “Dance Till We Fall Apart,” are still pretty solid.

Was Piebald releasing new material a good decision? I think that’s a resounding ‘yes’.

Recommended Tracks: Fun Destroyer / This Thing Is Old / Used to Good Advantage

2. Accidental Gentlemen (2007)

This has got to be one of the most underrated records of the late 00s, right? Although I’m sure there are plenty of reasons, I think a big one was that the band barely promoted it, announcing their disbandment a few months after its release.

Opening on the instantly gratifying and appropriately titled “Opener”, Accidental Gentlemen never wavers in quality, with all 13 tracks (including the excellent bonus track “We Cannot Read Poetry”) displaying the band’s terrific songwriting and musicianship capabilities.

Thematically, much of the album takes a look at the simplistic joys of life, stepping away from ideas of success and rather living off the land — in hindsight, the record pretty clearly lays out a desire to slow down the band.

The tracks from “Life on the Farm” to “Roll On” at the end of the album are the most poignant in this theme, as Travis sings about nature, rural life, and riding bicycles — essentially retirement tunes.

Even with such a relaxed, chill tone to the record, there are still plenty of quick-paced bangers like “Getting Mugged and Loving It” or “Oh, The Congestion”. Other songs, like “Shark Attack”, begin rather mellow before stretching their legs and getting heavier halfway through.

Piebald even sneaks in a cover of The Kinks’ 1970 song “Strangers,” making it fit seamlessly into the rest of the release.

Accidental Gentlemen is an impressively amazing album, with no filler. It’s an excellent display of musicianship, songwriting, and Shettel’s clever and introspective wordplay.

Recommended Tracks: Opener / Getting Mugged and Loving It / Oh, The Congestion

1. We Are The Only Friends We Have (2002)

It’s not often a band will change up their style so drastically as Piebald did on their 3rd album, especially while maintaining the same lineup. It’s rarer still that that style shift can produce such amazing results.

With the band’s post-hardcore tendencies firmly in the rearview mirror, We’re The Only Friends We Have opens on “King of the Road”, an incredibly catchy and heartfelt love letter to Piebald’s old touring van. On paper, this song should be corny, but Travis manages to imbue it with enough heart to churn out gold instead.

While there are so many things to gush about this record, it’s probably the lyrics that keep me coming back more than anything else. Travis was no slouch when it came to lyrics before, but every song here has so much character and personality. His ability to weave humor into serious and heartfelt themes is utterly brilliant.

Stylistically, the band seemed to have taken some pointers from 90s Weezer and a bit of Jawbreaker. Songs like “The Stalker” could’ve easily fit on one of the first couple of Weezer records.

The whole album weaves and flows so well together, too. Take the big, anthemic “American Hearts” and how it so effortlessly transitions into “Long Nights”, easily one of the best Piebald tunes (maybe even the best).

“The Monkey Versus the Robot” simultaneously decries the Western world’s work culture, while Travis appreciates that he can do what he loves for work.

Musically, the band is hitting on all cylinders. Although this was his last record with the band, Jon Sullivan still delivers an amazing performance on drums, always adding that little extra to make a song so much better.

The way Piebald combines keyboard and acoustic guitar with thick, chunky guitar distortion is a thing of beauty, and I think it’s one of the main reasons the tracks don’t sound like radio-rock.

Personally, I think the record is a masterpiece. Even if the second half doesn’t quite match the first half’s brilliance, there isn’t a moment I’d change — high praise, considering this is their longest release.

Recommended Tracks: Long Nights / King of the Road / The Monkey Versus the Robot