Specializing in a catchy melding of post-hardcore and noise rock, St. Louis band Family Medicine have never sounded interested in fitting neatly into anyone else’s lane. Formed in 2016 by longtime friends David Gilley, Jon Panchal, Joe Ford, and Chris Garner, the band grew out of years of playing together on and off since high school. With the later addition of Blake Beardsley, Family Medicine’s sound sharpened into something more layered and confident, shaped by a shared pull toward intensity and emotional honesty rather than genre boundaries.
That refusal to self-categorize has become central to who they are. Garner describes the band’s approach as purposeful and direct, drawing inspiration from groups like Bear vs Shark, Mock Orange, and The Get Up Kids, but never attempting a clean imitation. The goal, at least initially, was something like Mock Orange with hardcore vocals. What emerged instead was harder to pin down. Family Medicine are heavy enough to hold their own on a metal bill, earnest and volatile enough for hardcore shows, and melodic enough to stand alongside emo and indie bands without sounding out of place. That openness has allowed them to share stages across scenes while still sounding unmistakably like themselves.
Their forthcoming sophomore album, Very Nice and Good, was tracked with Michael Miller at Red Pill Studios in St. Louis and mixed and mastered by Adam Cichocki at Timber Studios. Cichocki also handled the band’s first full-length, The Truth Is, I’ve Lost Touch With All Those Who Care About Me, making the collaboration feel like a continuation rather than a reset. Writing began in the aftermath of COVID, when the band made a conscious decision to keep going regardless of outside validation. A second guitar expanded the sonic palette, and the songs took shape with a darker emotional weight, though not without a sense of hard-earned hope. The record addresses addiction, divorce, self-harm, and loneliness, approaching those themes with empathy instead of melodrama.
Very Nice and Good is dedicated to the late Jim Coleman Howes, a close friend and a crucial figure in the band’s history. Coleman appears on the song “Hellitractor” and was instrumental in helping Family Medicine take their first steps outside of St. Louis, booking early shows and introducing them to people who would become lasting collaborators and friends. As Garner puts it, Coleman helped the band realize they were doing something worthwhile. The dedication stands as both a thank you and a reminder that the relationships built through music often matter as much as the songs themselves.
Check out the brand-new music video for "Hellitractor" below:
Aside from their music, Family Medicine remains deeply tied to its local community, and Garner speaks highly of the current St. Louis scene. Bands like Lobby Boxer and Squint have brought wider attention to a city full of talented musicians, alongside acts such as Inches From Glory, Wise Disguise, Future Nots, and Inner City Witches. It’s a scene that feels active, interconnected, and supportive, qualities that have shaped the band since their earliest days.
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Very Nice and Good is available on vinyl via Little Elephant Records.
Family Medicine on social media: Instagram
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