Wavves is the San Diego alternative rock project led by singer, songwriter and producer Nathan Williams. Since emerging in 2008, the band has built its sound around blown-out guitars, surf-punk energy, power-pop hooks and a scrappy melodic streak that helped define records like King of the Beach, Afraid of Heights and V.
Across the years, Wavves has moved freely between lo-fi punk, pop-punk, indie rock and fuzz-heavy alternative rock without losing Williams’ knack for sharp hooks and anxious, irreverent songwriting. The current lineup includes Williams alongside longtime bandmates Stephen Pope, Ross Traver and Alex Gates.
After returning with Spun in 2025 and an expanded deluxe edition in 2026, Wavves is now preparing Cherry Soda, a revised ten-track album due October 30, 2026 via I Surrender Records. The record leans into Williams’ idea of an early-2000s “mall emo” Wavves album, filtering that influence through the band’s usual mix of punk, fuzz, melody and California slacker energy.
Wavves returns with a reworked version of Cherry Soda , now presented as a Wavves-only album and due October 30, 2026 via I Surrender Records. The ten-track record channels early-2000s emo through Nathan Williams’ fuzzed-out California punk, with new single “Pinesol” leaning into a heavier, melodic ’90s grunge pull.
Wavves will release their album Hideaway on July 16th via Fat Possum Records, produced by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio. The album explores themes of self-awareness and personal responsibility, showcasing mature reflections on life's challenges. With universal and urgent tracks like "Sinking Feeling" and "Help Is On The Way," Wavves delivers a raw and introspective musical experience similar to artists like Surfer Blood and Cloud Nothings.
Wavves has reannounced a revised version of Cherry Soda without Max Bemis of Say Anything, with the reworked album now set for release October 30 via I Surrender Records. The album had originally been announced earlier this summer as a collaboration between Wavves and Say Anything, but that version of the project was scrapped and Nathan Williams returned to the material to reshape it into a Wavves-only release.
The revised ten-track album keeps the concept Williams had laid out from the beginning: imagining what an early-2000s Wavves emo record might sound like. Williams previously described the idea simply as wanting “to make a mall emo record,” bringing that heightened emotion and melodrama into Wavves’ fuzzed-out California punk.
Along with the reannouncement comes new single “Pinesol,” which pushes toward the heavy, melodic pull of ’90s grunge with distorted guitars, pounding drums and a loose walking bassline. Williams said the song was inspired by cold cases and true-crime stories involving people using household cleaners to cover their tracks, adding that he had grown tired of writing about himself and decided to go “Forensic Files” with it instead.
After the unusual detour surrounding the album’s original rollout, Cherry Soda now appears set to arrive in the form Williams ultimately wanted. The combination of early-2000s emo, grunge weight and Wavves’ usual melodic instincts makes “Pinesol” a strong first look at the newly reworked version of the record.
Cherry Soda is out October 30 via I Surrender Records. Pre-orders are available now.