TEDDY DIARY ON HONESTY. HEARTBREAK, AND PITTSBURGH EMO
- Landen Doyle
- Jul 17
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 27
With a split EP in the works, Lane McCollum, the driving force behind Pittsburgh emo project Teddy Diary and School yard Sacrifice reflects on a painful breakup, finding refuge in emo, and creating music beyond boundaries
Pittsburgh musician Lane McCollum is currently writing songs for an upcoming split EP with his friend Amari Evers, the creator of the solo project Libertalia. This EP is the next step for Teddy Diary, McCollum's deeply personal acoustic emo outlet. After releasing three projects under the name Teddy Diary and a fourth through his experimental side project School yard Sacrifice, McCollum stands unconcerned with numbers, as he focuses on making honest music for as long as he can.
"At the end of the day, I want people to know how much I love making this music, regardless of how many people hear it," McCollum told CBL Magazine. "Teddy Diary is a passion project through and through"
A New Collaboration
For the time being, his energy is being put in the form of a collaboration. McCollum says his main focus is the forthcoming split with Amari Evers, although he has not yet announced a release date.
"Aside from those few songs. though, nothing major is coming down the pipe," He said, Adding: "Stay tuned for the split when it comes out"
Teddy Diary released his first album "Ins and Outs" on June 28th, 2024, Followed by "4-Track Demo" on October 21st, 2025 and "loved" on March 15th, 2026. A fourth release, the self titled School yard Sacrifice album, released on May 20th, 2026 under a separate project name. All projects can be found on his Bandcamp and Youtube.
McCollum described Teddy Diary as a solo acoustic project that is "mostly emo, sometimes other stuff." More importantly, it is his primary musical outlet and a place where his beliefs and experiences can be expressed and written down.
"I'm a few small releases deep, and I hope to continue the project for as long as I can"
His personal approach is evident on Ins and Outs, a ten track collection of demos recorded throughout 2023 and 2024. McCollum calls the track "You Said" the most blunt and brutally honest songs he's released publicly. The song was written following the end of what he describes as a terrible relationship. The song oozes the bitterness and anger of the moment, with intentionally direct lyrics.
"The Lyrics in the songs are very personal to who I am as a person, from my belief system to experiences I've had with other people," He told CBL. "that entire album is basically a document of that breakup"
"You Said" is followed by "April 14th, 2022," a sequence that McCollum now hears as a reminder of how complicated that period was.
"It's interesting to listen to that song back specifically and hear 'April 14th, 2022' come right after. It's some Stockholm syndrome shit. that was a really weird time"
The later releases continue to show Teddy Diary changing shape. the 4-Track Demo includes a revamped return to "Jackie's Gerbil," a live recording called "Hot Coffee," and a cover of Radiator Hospital's "Big Cloud." Loved calls back to McCollums first album, as it samples "Hero & Mari," a track off Ins and Outs.
Breaking Barriers
McCollum's fourth release has a different moniker. School yard Sacrifice is a separate project built around instrumentals, samples, noise, and unconventional structures. The fourteen track self titled debut was recorded in only two months, from March through May 2026, with McCollum playing guitar, ukulele, and piano.
"I don't really have an exact term for what that music is called, but it's really different from my usual stuff...It's kinda my free space to make whatever I want with no restrictions."
That freedom made the album especially meaningful for McCollum. Although Teddy Diary remains his main outlet, McCollum calls School yard Sacrifice the project he is most proud of and the one which he has put the most effort.
Emo as a community
For McCollum, emo matters beyond just sound and aesthetics, its a community created through personal bonds, shared emotions, and speaking openly about experiences that listeners may relate to.
"A lot of my favorite bands are important to me because they're honest and talk about things that I never thought anyone would talk about in a song because they sounded so vulnerable," He told us. "It made me feel seen, and it helped me a lot going through high school"
That feeling of recognition is also what draws him toward other people in the scene. "Being in a community with people who experienced similar things with the music is a feeling that nothing else could ever fill" He says.
Pittsburgh presents a contradiction for an upcoming artist and music lovers. McCollum says major tours frequently skip the city and venues do not receive the support they deserve. At the same time, those limits strengthen his desire to participate and build a more local scene, rather than leave it behind.
"Pittsburgh has a really great and thriving scene for emo and screamo bands. There are local shows around here constantly with a really welcoming community that help keep live music here breathing"
McCollum specifically points listeners toward bands like Eastern Pine, Primer and Grayscale, Morning Dew, and Sad Bulldog, local bands that he believes deserve more attention.
A Passion Project at its Roots
Even as Teddy Diary releases new projects and collaborations, McCollum's definition of success remains rooted in honesty and creativity. Although audiences are welcome, its not necessary to him to keep the project alive.
"I'm gonna to continue to make albums and put songs out for as long as I'm physically able to, for the sole reason that it's my passion," He told CBL. "If people hear it along the way, that's awesome and i hope they like it, but I'll still be making it either way"
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