New England melodic post-hardcore band Awnthay (on•they) will release their new LP titled "The Sun Smiles on the City" on May 8, 2026. This is a band determined to make the heaviest  pop music they can get away with. The album will contain 9 brand new tracks, and is the product of a group  of life-long friends from Somerville, MA, who have been playing, recording and crafting music together since  2015 that is an expression of  the greater Boston area and its bustling heavy  music scene. Awnthay’s songs are layered,  combining tight and melodic songwriting with  energetic, overwhelming guitars. Raised on a  healthy diet of Massachusetts Alt-Rock icons  Dinosaur Jr. and Post-Hardcore legends Title  Fight, Awnthay strives to push the Northeast  Emo scene forward through their high energy  stage presence and noisy-yet-hifi production.  Their 2020 album, on • they, followed by their  2025 Split EP with fellow Boston rockers, Fracture Type, showcased Awnthay’s energy and  versatility, launching them into the scene as one  of its must-see bands.  

The Sun Smiles on the City is the most “Awnthay” album yet. Drawing from the long, storied  history of Boston Alt-Rock and Hardcore, the  album serves as a love-letter to the city Awnthay calls home. Drawing in Producer, Engineer,  and life-long friend Kevin Long (MAVI, Messiah!,  Malaya), the album serves as a distillation of the  sound they’ve honed through years of gigging  across New England. Coming from a Hip-Hop  and Rap production background, Long brings  a maximalist approach to Awnthay’s music.  Songs like “It Makes Me Sick”, “Clay”, and “Sisters” are catchy, high energy walls-of-sound,  while “Watching” and “Sun” showcase frontman  John Lacovino’s introspective and emotive lyrics. In “Row”, the album’s lead single, Lacovino  laments after a long day of work, “Another job I  can’t keep, Another year playing dues, Another  night I can’t sleep.” On “It Makes me Smile”,  Lacovino earnestly speaks to a close friend as  if sharing drinks at a dive bar, stating, “If I fall  from my tree, I think you’d catch me. If I falter  when I speak, I think you’d help.” These working-class emotions form Awnthay’s emotional  center, a band committed to documenting a life  well lived.

Fans of Title Fight, Fiddlehead, Hot Water Music, Drug Church, Spite House and hook heavy emotionally charged melodic hardcore / alt rock should definitely check out Awnthay. In the meantime, you can stream their latest single "Row" from the forthcoming LP below.