D.C.’s Typefighter started out as a folk-punk band equipped with banjos and melodicas, but like fellow D.C. rockers Tereu Tereu, their sound has greatly evolved. As members came and went, Typefighter shed their rootsy sound and now are leading the charge of fourth wave emo. Unlike third wave emo, of which had flirtations with pop and became the rock radio norm in the early-to-mid aughts, fourth wave looks back to the time when The Promise Ring, Lifetime and other 90’s acts were making what is now known as second wave emo.

The band have a LP in their pocket—scheduled for release sometime this fall—and tonight they are playing a single release show at DC9. “Much,” the band’s latest single is a three minute blast of nostalgia. The guitars are bouncy and light, and singer Ryan McLaughlin’s voice treads the line between throwback melodic pop-punk and gruff folk-punk nicely. But make no mistake: The track is still loud and catchy as hell, which gives lots of promise for the band’s upcoming album.

Typefighter play tonight with Golden Looks and Johnny Fantastic. Tickets are $8.