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.

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

Vancouver's 90's post-hardcore band By A Thread is releasing their first album in 14 years, "Mirrored Life," on September 12th, 2025 via Spartan Records.The album reflects the band's growth and introspective lyrics, offering a melodic heavy sound with infectious rhythms that feel melodic and nostalgic all at once. Reverb-heavy pedalboards and moody, deliberate tempos replaced the radio-ready instincts of earlier material. “This is essentially an anti-pop record,” Franco explains. “It’s meant to feel heavy. Lyrically, the album dives deep into themes of loss, identity, and introspection. The songs course through existentialism, the current state of the world, how we treat others, self reflection and loss. Fans of Samiam, Texas Is The Reason, Seaweed, Farside and Ways Away will certainly welcome By A Thread's return to the scene.

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.

Deftones have announced a new album titled "Private Music", their first in five years, with a release date of August 22, 2025. The album will be accompanied by a North American tour, starting in Vancouver on August 22nd. The album will contain 11 brand new tracks with the lead off single, "My Mind Is a Mountain,"now streaming. The announcement follows a period of teasing from the band, including mysterious messages and previews at live performances. The new music has been described as a blend of the band's signature heavy sound with the melodic and spacey elements they're known for and Chino's trademark vocal delivery.

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.

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.

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.

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

Kalamazoo, MI emo band saturdays at your place will release their sophomore album "These Things Happen" on September 12, 2025. Across 10 brand new tracks, saturdays at your place take everything that made their early material resonate—twinkly guitars, heart-on-sleeve songwriting, a distinctly Midwestern ache—and stretch it into something even more resonant. First single "waste away" is now streaming, and it's a slow-burn stunner that captures the quiet devastation of watching as time passes by, and the hope that you're not too far gone to make a change. It's a perfect example of what saturdays at your place does so well. One listen and you'll practically hear crowds of fans screaming back: "remind me, to remember, that this won't last forever."

RIYL: Modern Baseball, Hot Mulligan, Carly Cosgrove, Pup

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

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.

Neckscars, an alt-punk rock band from Downstate, New York, is set to release their sophomore LP "Unhinged" on August 1, 2025, via Sell The Heart Records (US) and Engineer Records (UK) featuring 12 melodic punk rock anthems, while leaning into a more diverse sound with varied tempos and even bigger hooks on their new material. Their music echoes influences ranging from Seaweed to Dead Boys to Hot Water Music and The Menzingers, while offering their modern take on classic punk rock and roll.

RIYL: Hot Water Music, Seaweed, The Carolyn, Tired Radio, The Lawrence Arms, Spanish Love Songs

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.

LA's alt-rockers Rocket are set to release their debut album, R is for Rocket, on October 3rd via Transgressive Records / Canvasback. Their sound is described as a mix of ‘90s inspired guitar rock with elements of alternative rock, dream pop and shoegazee, take cues from bands like Sonic Youth, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Pixies and My Bloody Valentine, while evolving into something uniquely their own. The band has released three singles from the forthcoming LP including the latest single "Wide Awake" now available on all streaming platforms. Fans of Mommy, Wishy, The Smashing Pumpkins, and The Pixies will definitely enjoy their melodic guitar heavy sound.

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.

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.

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.

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.