Side Hug
Side Hug is a Chicago-based indie band blending heartfelt songwriting with shimmering guitars and artful textures. Emerging from the city’s DIY scene, the group—led by vocalist/guitarist Lyd Landor with Allan Cardenas (guitar/synth) and Jon Reyes (bass)—crafts emotionally charged songs that balance nostalgia and renewal. Their evolving sound moved from their early indie-folk leaning material to the more atmospheric, post-punk, and shoegaze-influenced sound of their 2025 debut full-length album, New Language due out October 2025. With roots in community and connection, Side Hug continue to prove that vulnerability and evolution can coexist in perfect harmony. Formed from late-night jam sessions, the band's music explores themes of change, uncertainty, and hope, often incorporating influences from local acts like Pool Holograph and global artists such as The Cure, Radiohead and Joy Division. RIYL: Beach Fossils, Tokyo Police Club, Alvvays, Joy Division, The Cure, Wild Nothing
News updates for Side Hug
Chicago based indie outfit Side Hug release the melodic and hazy single "These Days" from forthcoming debut LP
Chicago-based indie outfit Side Hug releases “These Days” from New Language, their first full-length album, due out October 31 on Easy Does It Records. The single delivers a message of tough love, capturing the process of moving on from a past relationship and forging a new path. The opening lyric: "Read my lips / Learned a new language / I’m done with the same shit these days,” not only provides the album’s title but also sets the song’s bold, unapologetic tone. Blending a self-love mantra with a social reckoning, the track lands somewhere between catharsis and confrontation. Vocalist, Lyd Landor sings over chiming guitars and driving drums: “No one’s going to love you / Like you love yourself… No one’s going to find you / When you’re angry.” It’s a declaration of empowerment, resilience, and moving forward on one’s own terms.
"These Days" is now streaming everywhere along with the three previously released singles "Bi-Weekly," "Everyone Else," and "Temporary" all from the forthcoming LP New Language due out end of the month.
New Language marks a sonic evolution for the band, moving beyond the nostalgic indie-folk of their earlier releases into the atmospheric textures of post-punk, shoegaze, and art rock. Produced and mixed by Erik Rasmussen at Chicago’s Palisade Studios, the album is as raw as it is refined, fusing twinkling guitars, serrated basslines, and synth flourishes with emotionally resonant songwriting. “The album really focuses on this idea of change: accepting it, learning from it, and letting things go,” says vocalist Lyd Landor. “Things kind of suck right now, but they will get better. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.”
Following a string of pandemic-era transformations from relationship upheavals to lineup shifts and newfound sobriety. Side Hug’s New Language mirrors personal growth with musical reinvention, including nods to Joy Division, The Cure, and their Chicago peers like Deeper and Pool Holograph. The band crafts a new identity that’s moody, melodic, and defiantly hopeful. Fans of the aforementioned bands along with bands like Tokyo Police Club, Alvvays, Beach Fossils, Wild Nothing and the like will enjoy this.
Releases
New Language
October 31, 2025Chicago indie band Side Hug will release their first full-length album, New Language, on October 31, 2025, via Easy Does It Records, showcasing a bold new sound that blends indie rock, post-punk, shoegaze, and art rock influences. The lead single "Biweekly" introduces themes of resilience and discontent, reflecting the album's focus on embracing change and personal growth. Drawing inspiration from bands like Joy Division and The Cure, with their shimmering reverb drenched guitars, moody delivery and melodic sensibility. Moving away from their early indie-folk identity, Side Hug's evolution promises a more atmospheric, moodier yet hopeful musical identity.