Bruising post-hardcore outfit Sparta came together after the breakup of At the Drive-In, and soon asserted an identity of their own with a sound that combines the righteous fury of hardcore and the cacophony of art-punk with the melodic accessibility of modern rock. Under leader Jim Ward, Sparta honed a style that was hard but precise, matching physicality with clever and carefully-constructed song structures, as heard on their 2002 debut, Wiretap Scars. Several hiatuses kept the band away from the studio as the members pursued other projects, but 2020's Trust the River and 2022's Sparta confirmed the group had lost little of their strength and none of their smarts.