Release Wave

New Haven, CT emo/alternative group Sunday Morning have announced their debut album "Eternal Grief" set for release on October 31, 2025 via Open Your Ears Records. Along with the announcement, the band has also released lead off single "Pulling Thorns" offering a glimpse into the album's melodic guitar heavy and emotionally charged sound. The new single has just the right amount of melody, heaviness, angst, and hooks, showcasing the bands continued progress in songwriting and production. Fans of early Citizen, Basement, Movements, The Movielife and label mates House & Home will definitely want to check this out ASAP.

Spite House, who just announced their singing to Pure Noise Records, is set to release their sophomore album titled "Desertion" on September 12th, 2025. Blending 90s inspired post-hardcore and emotionally charged anthemic punk rock delves into themes of grief and personal struggle, drawing comparisons to bands like Seaweed and Dear You-era Jawbreaker. The lead single, "Desert," now streaming, showcases the band's raw and emotive style, featuring crunchy guitars and a punchy start-stop rhythm, with frontman Max Lajoie's poignant lyrics and gritty vocal delivery reflecting on personal tragedies and growth.

RIYL: Fiddlehead, Jawbreaker, Title Fight, Seaweed

Maryland alt-rock/emo band Have Mercy have announced their sixth studio record, "the loneliest place i've ever been" on August 29th via Rude Records. Along with today's announcement, the band have released the emotionally raw lead single "august 17" now streaming everywhere. The song delves into themes of memory, loss, and regret, full of big guitar sounds and a huge anthemic chorus, which will surely resonating with fans of emotionally charged alt-rock akin to bands like The Dangerous Summer and Jimmy Eat World. Produced by Brian Swindle and mixed by Paul Leavitt, the album promises a cathartic journey across 10 brand new tracks, driven by their signature blend of vulnerability and intense melodies.

Chapel Hill, NC indie-rockers Superchunk is set to release their new album "Songs in the Key of Yikes" on August 22, 2025, via Merge Records, featuring the lead single "Is It Making You Feel Something" now available on all streaming platforms. The album promises a triumphant and catchy sound, reminiscent of their iconic fuzzed out inde-punk meets power-pop style. Fans of upbeat indie rock akin to previous albums Majesty Shredding and Digging for Something will find joy in this upcoming release. Songs in the Key of Yikes is a signature Superchunk album: visceral and timeless and catchy as hell—a cathartic balm for these oppressive times that will feel even better once we’ve figured our collective shit out.

Assertion, a band formed by William Goldsmith (Sunny Day Real Estate/ Foo Fighters) and Justin Tamminga, is releasing their sophomore album "Basking In The Gaslight" July 25, 2025 through Spartan Records. The music blends alternative and post-rock elements, with the lead single "Lock and Load" now streaming, showcasing infectious percussion and guitar riffs. The album is a raw and personal exploration of survival and emotional resilience, heavy in both sound and subject, and shaped by years of upheaval and trauma, but ultimately driven by a desire for healing and growth. The music itself balances loud and melodic, sometimes chaotic, always full.

UK rockers Split Chain's debut LP "motionblur" will be released on July 11, 2025 through Epitaph Records. The album, described as a coming of age story by the band, presents a visceral, kaleidoscopic wall of sound blending conflicting emotions of adolescence with loud guitars, big melodies, and heavy breakdowns pulling from elements of Grunge, Nu-Metal, Alt Rock, Shoegaze and Hardcore. Drawing comparisons to artists like Deftones, Blanket, Oversize and Soul Blind, Split Chain's music combines intense emotions with complex soundscapes that are showcased throughout 11 brand new tracks on their debut LP.

The Carolyn, an Atlanta-based melodic punk rock trio, is set to release their upcoming album "Pyramid Scheme of Grief," featuring heart-on-your-sleeve hook-filled punk reminiscent of bands like The Gaslight Anthem and The Menzingers, with anthemic songs mostly under two minutes. The album, containing eleven tracks and clocking in at around nineteen minutes, showcases the bands exceptional songwriting and knack for packing huge melodies and fist in the air hooks in under 2 minutes. The duo of singles released, "White Russians" and "And the Infinite Void," set the tone for the album's theme of malaise and disappointment and is a taste of what to expect on their 3rd LP. Fans of bands like The Menzingers, The Gaslight Anthem, The Lawrence Arms, Spanish Love Songs or any other high energy yet sad drinking music will feel right at home with this release.

Liquid Mike, an indie/alt rock band from Marquette, MI, will release their sixth record, "Hell Is An Airport," on September 12, 2025, featuring the latest singles "AT&T" "Groucho Marx" and "Selling Swords" all taken from the 14 song forthcoming LP. The album reflects themes of being stuck and unable to escape, drawing influences from bands like Guided by Voices and The Replacements, while showcasing a blend of fuzzy guitar-driven energy reminiscent of Nirvana and The Ramones. Formed in 2020, Liquid Mike continues to establish themselves as a prominent alt-rock group with a lineup that includes members from Marquette emo band Charmer as well.

Slow Crush's upcoming album, "Thirst," is set for release on August 29, 2025 via Pure Noise Records, showcasing their dynamic textures, signature rock and shoegaze sound with added grit. The band aims to evoke a sense of longing and renewal with this album, delving into themes of vulnerability and romantic connections. Thirst’s ten tracks are a thematic cascade of noise that echoes the end and bursts into new life. The riffs are heavier, the vocals are dreamier and more emotional than ever. Title track and latest single "Thirst" is now streaming everywhere. RIYL: Deftones, Nothing, Trauma Ray, Narrow Head, Glare

5th wave emo-punk band Hot Mulligan has announced their upcoming fourth full-length album, The Sound a Body Makes When It’s Still, set to release on August 22nd via Wax Bodega. The band's new single,"And a Big Load," now streaming everywhere, offers a punk-infused sound that captures themes of self-awareness and catharsis. Across 15 brand new tracks full of fist in the air anthemic emo-punk scream alongs, the new LP is set to be Hot Mulligan’s most cohesive album yet. In addition to bold riffs and careful sonic nuances, it’s chock full of addressing fears, screaming unfiltered vulnerabilities, and finding solace in the fact that regardless of the uncertainty of the future, we exist in this moment. Despite the subject matter, Hot Mulligan strike a balance between sincerity and humor, and find the light moments of comfort, even when it feels impossible. RIYL: Arm's Length, Charmer, and Knuckle Puck.

Nihilistic Easyrider, the solo project of Jacob Duarte, frontman of Narrow Head, is set to release his debut LP "Deluxe Edition" on July 25, 2025 via Run for Cover Records. The album features a mix of songs that span Duarte's career blending Y2K emo, pop punk, fuzzed out 90's alt rock, and pop influences, brought to life by a talented cast of collaborators, including Narrow Head drummer Carson Wilcox, producer (and former tour-mate) Graham Hunt and features from Momma’s Allegra Weingarten and Ella Friedman. Duarte’s introspective songwriting delves into themes of human emotion, with the lead track “Getaway Plan” offering a glimpse into his poignant and melodic storytelling style. Deluxe Edition shares much of Narrow Head’s affinity for examining the tortured substratum of human emotion, while promising a collection of masterfully crafted and hook-drenched renditions of Duarte’s signature songwriting aesthetics.

Chicago punk/emo trio Heavy Seas is set to release their third album "By Degrees" on July 11, 2025 via Creep Records, featuring J. Robbins on bass and production, along Ronnie Dicola (drums) and Jeff Dean (guitar/vocals) both of All Eyes West. The album combines the raw urgency of bands like Jawbreaker, The Casket Lottery and the Get Up Kids with a heavier, emotionally charged sound, reminiscent of the 2nd and 3rd wave emo-core sound of the mid/late 90s. Across 10 new tracks, the new LP explores themes of self-discovery and existential weight, showcasing Heavy Seas as a band pushing their creative boundaries.

RIYL: The Casket Lottery, The Get Up Kids, Jawbreaker, Samiam, Jawbox

Pop Punk royalty The Starting Line is set to release their first album in 18 years, 'Eternal Youth,' on September 26, 2025, marking their debut self-release on their new label Lineage Recordings. The album's lead single, "Sense of Humor," is now streaming everywhere, and showcases the band's focused sound and melodic tact, with a blend of ageless sonic elements and raw honesty while staying true to the emo and pop-punk / alt rock the band built its fanbase on. Vocalist Ken Vasoli emphasizes the band's enduring bond and musical evolution, capturing a sense of timeless spirit and continuous growth in their music.

RIYL: The Starting Line, Drive Thru Records, early 2000s, The Early November, New Found Glory

The Casket Lottery's new album "Feel The Teeth", set for release on August 30, 2025, containing 9 brand new tracks exploring themes of exhaustion and revelation, reflecting the complexities of a shifting era. Where their 2020 album Short Songs for End Times felt like a direct confrontation with the chaos of a fractured world, Feel The Teeth dwells in the quieter aftermath, the moments of clarity amidst the noise. The album is soaked in existential fatigue, and compared to its previous release, is described as a quieter, more introspective reckoning with what it means to still be here, still searching for meaning, still hoping for something better even when we're not sure what it looks like anymore. In an age where comfort is a fleeting illusion and the answers remain out of reach, Feel The Teeth is the sound of a band refusing to give up, refusing to let go.

End It, a Baltimore hardcore band, is set to release their debut album "Wrong Side Of Heaven" on August 29th via Flatspot Records. Influenced by classic east coast 90s hardcore, thrash, and soul music, the band's sound is characterized by fast, ripping songs, with groove-heavy riffs, breakdowns and Akil Godsey's charasmatic and chaotic vocal delivery. Produced by Brian McTernan, the album aims to spread awareness and maintain the ethics of hardcore, building on the band's reputation for being unapologetically outspoken and delivering electrifying live performances. Latest single "Pale Horse" now available, clocks in at one minute and twelve seconds showcasing End It's trademark hard-hitting, soulful hardcore.

Kerosene Heights is releasing a new LP titled "Blame It On The Weather" on August 15, 2025, featuring 12 tracks, including the lead single "New Tattoo" now available on all streaming platforms. The band's progression is evident in the new LP showcasing the bands chemistry, with a focus on themes of change and transitions inspired by life events that impacted them such as Hurricane Helene. Drawing on influences from 2010s emo bands like Grown Ups, You Blew it, Dikembe, and Algernon Cadwallader, the new LP is sure to please fans of of the 5th wave midwestern emo/pop punk revival sound, similar to bands like Charmer, Hot Mulligan and newer bands like Tiny Voices, The Casper Fight Scene, Carly Cosgrove and the like.

Drought is set to release their debut LP "Souvenir" on July 18, 2025 via Iodine Records. Influenced by bands like Pianos Become the Teeth and Title Fight, their emotionally charged sound has already garnered attention from their 2024 released self titled EP . With guest vocals from Pat Flynn on their debut LP produced by Jack Shirley, Drought's "Souvenir" is a mature offering in the melodic post-hardcore and emo scene, recommended for fans of Touche Amore, Fiddlehead, Praise and Have Heart.

Somerset Thrower is set to release their third LP, "Take Only What You Need to Survive," on July 11, 2025, via Smart Punk Records. They've also released their reflective and anthemic new single "Never Going To Therapy" showcasing their mid 90's and early '00s alternative meets punk sound while drawing influences from bands like Jimmy Eat World, Garden Variety, Jawbreaker and Seaweed, providing a nostalgic yet modern feel. The album, produced by Jon Markson and mixed at Animal Farm Studios, captures the band at their most dynamic, with soaring guitars and unshakable hooks, reflecting Somerset Thrower's ten-year tenure of blending raw energy with melody-soaked textures. RIYL: Seaweed, Samiam, Taking Meds, 84 Tigers, Drug Church