The Brooklyn shoegaze duo, smush, has revealed their reimagined cover of Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why” to announce their upcoming EP.
Photo: Henry Wilson
From Vancouver to Brooklyn
Vocalist/bassist Emily Borrowman originally met guitarist Atley King in Vancouver, BC, before relocating to Brooklyn, NY. There, after some visa hurdles were handled, the married couple fully immersed themselves in the New York underground shoegaze scene. In 2024, they released their debut album, if you were here i’d be home now, which amassed hundreds of thousands of streams and included fan favorites such as “goodnight moon” and “fivefivefive.”
For years, they have captivated listeners with their hazy, dreamy sound, transcendent live show, and lyrics that stay both grounded and elusive, blending rural, urban, and fantasy worlds. Now, they have unveiled their cover of Norah Jones’ acclaimed “Don’t Know Why.”
Don’t Know Why
smush’s rendition of “Don’t Know Why” is a soft, hazy, dreamscape that features electronic drums to set the pace. It showcases smush’s blend of sounds and gravitation toward a DIY sound in a time where polished products are constantly produced.
“’Don’t Know Why’ is a really special song for us because it always reminds us of New York City,” says smush. “When we first started working on our cover of this classic we hadn’t yet moved to NYC and it would always bring to mind thoughts of Norah Jones there at the start of her career. To us it seemed like she had found an indescribable magic in that place and it was very inspirational to us at the time. Since moving here, we have found something similarly special and this is our way of saying ‘thank you.’”
standards EP Cover Artwork
standards
The cover arrives as a taste of the duo’s upcoming EP, standards. It is set to release on February 20 and features six covers from their musical heroes. The duo states in an Instagram post about their “Lawyers In Love” cover that it was an “early taste of our new ep featuring songs that have helped shape us musically and as people.”
standards was completely self-produced and mixed by Sonny Diperri, known for his work with DIIV and Julie. He also worked as an in-house engineer for Trent Reznor, My Bloody Valentine, M83, David Longstreth, and more.
The EP also includes covers from Hotline TNT, Retail Drugs, Field Magic, Big Rig, and Owl City’s chart-topper, “Fireflies.” (View full tracklist below.) Their intentionally imperfect, surreal EP is available for pre-order here!
Mothica returns to Mothicorp with her brand-new single, “Save Your Roses,” and its visually stunning music video. The single, inspired by a conversation with a fan, arrived in anticipation of her upcoming EP, Everything In Between.
Save Your Roses
Following “Evergreen Misery,” “Save Your Roses” catches your attention immediately, with Mothica singing, “I could kill my faith to take you home.” In true Mothica fashion, the lyrics are filled with emotional depth and delivered through a catchy pop vocal underlined by dense, heavy guitars.
“I wanted to write a song that on the surface sounds like it’s about a lover I’m pining after, but is actually about substances,” Mothica explains. “The verses are about how intoxicating it is to lose yourself in drugs, and mirrors my experience with sobriety. The lyric in the chorus ‘Don’t save your roses for my grave’ is inspired by a conversation I had with a fan after one of my shows in Paris. They said ‘I believe we should give people their flowers while they’re here.’ That stuck with me–that we often tell people how much they mean to us only after they’re gone. It was fun to make this explosive, energetic production with Elliot Polokoff but layer that with lyrics that have a darkness to them.”
The music video brings us back to Mothicorp, continuing from “Evergreen Misery.” It is visually stunning and drenched in the iconic twilight blue color Mothica fans have claimed as their own. Mothica herself worked as the creative director while Ryan Joseph directed the video.
“I wanted an energetic and fun performance set in the offices of Mothicorp. I got to feature some incredible musicians, Jayden Hammer on guitar, Brittany Nicole Bowman on drums, and Tay (aka thewitchybassist) on bass. I had a bunch of friends suit up to be employees of Mothicorp and play with this idea of a surreal workplace with messy and bizarre cubicles. Ryan (Joseph) and I planned everything in advance so we could shoot it while on set for the ‘Evergreen Misery’ music video, and approached it with this run and gun energy. You might even see some easter eggs from previous Mothica music videos in the offices.”
Somewhere In Between EP Artwork
Somewhere In Between
“Save Your Roses” arrives as a second taste of Mothica’s upcoming EP, Somewhere In Between. The EP is set to release via Sharptone Records on February 20.
It was written after Mothica’s relapse in 2024. Fueled by her fear of air travel, she fell back into pill addiction. While touring Europe, she realized she needed to get clean before working on her next record. “I made the terrifying decision to cancel my first-ever headline tour and went to rehab,” she recalls. “A lot of intense emotions I had been numbing came up. I thought about quitting music because the anxieties around traveling and the industry is what lead me back to substance abuse. I was mad at myself for letting it go that far. Finally, I thought, ‘Why don’t I channel these feelings into some angry music?’ I’ve always wanted to combine pop songwriting with grittier, heavier guitars.”
“Due to my depression and being a recovering addict, I’m so ‘all or nothing.’ Everything seems fatalistic to me,” she reveals. “How do I exist in the middle? While making the EP, I had just gotten out of rehab, and I was able to be vulnerable. A lot of the words were initially written as poetry on my phone, and the lyrics are the most vulnerable and poetic I’ve ever written. I’m dealing with my struggle to get sober again, my first major breakup, and other significant life events. For so long, I had been numbing out my emotions. I was finally able to process them, and it was freeing.”
“Like a moth to a flame, I’ve been attracted to drugs, alcohol, and self-destruction,” Mothica explains. “As Mothica grows, I’ve asked, ‘How can I make the darkness I’m attracted to be positive and utilize it as a vessel for sharing my story?’ It’s hard not to get lost in the dark sides of life and the music industry; it’s easy to compare yourself to others and feel ‘not good enough,’ but I’ve decided to take everything I’ve been through and to use it in order to inspire.”
Mothica’s powerful upcoming EP continues her streak of pure vulnerability packaged in catchy alt-pop-rock anthems. After getting sober, relapsing, and getting sober again, Mothica is back and bolder than ever.
For two decades, the Gold-certified Scranton, PA, quintet has broadcast its unique sonic artistry to the world, building a massive global fan base and topping charts. Now, the metalcore legends have unleashed their brand-new single, paired with a stunning music video.
Afraid of the Dark
The new single bridges their past, present, and future. “Afraid of the Dark” is composed of the band’s signature emotional intensity, blasting drums, and a huge melodic chorus. Of course, the song wouldn’t be complete without also including Chris Motionless’ classic “BLEIGH!!” over the dissonant breakdown.
“20 years ago, I stepped into a tour van with my best friends, having no idea what was next every mile we drove down the road,” says Chris Motionless, pulling back the curtain on the song’s origin story, which is rooted in the band’s own history. “Funny enough, we broke down two hours later in the AM hours in a snowstorm. We had to sleep on the floor of a rest stop on the side of the Interstate and wait what felt like forever for a tow truck. We were forced to cancel the first few shows of our first tour ever, and to figure out how to scrape up every cent we could to try and get the van fixed and get back on the road. Nothing was ever going to stop us. There was never a doubt that we would find a way to live out our biggest dream and set a precedent for anything standing in our way.”
He continues, “On our 20-year anniversary, that spirit is burning just as hot as it was on that day. We refuse to settle, refuse to let any opposing force stop us from clawing our way up from hell, and we refuse to fear the dark of the unknown. I want the story of MIW to inspire anyone listening to not fear the unknown, but to run head first into it with everything they’ve got. This song is about taking control of your destiny and writing the script of your own future without any doubt or apprehension. For those of you who have been with us for any part of the last 20 years, this one is for you. If you mean it, you will make it.”
On The Road
Motionless In White is joining Bring Me The Horizon on the road for their North American Tour. They will begin on April 28, in Toronto, Ontario, and wrap up on May 16 at Sonic Temple Festival in Columbus, Ohio. Tickets and information are found here!
LØLØ is leaning all the way into the chaos. The Toronto-born pop-rock provocateur has announced her sophomore album, god forbid a girl spits out her feelings, due April 17 via Fearless Records, and unveiled its fierce lead single, “007.” The track signals a sharpened new chapter for an artist who has built her reputation on emotional candor, dark humor, and unapologetic intensity.
Spanning 13 tracks, god forbid a girl spits out her feelings expands the raw, diaristic world LØLØ began sketching on her debut, pushing further into vulnerability without sacrificing bite. The album blends pop immediacy with alt-rock grit, featuring collaborations with Andrew Goldstein (blink-182, Avril Lavigne, Reneé Rapp), DCF (Royal & the Serpent, UPSAHL), and others. Previously released fan favorites — including “the devil wears converse,” “american zombie,” and “me with no shirt on” — round out what she describes as her most cohesive and fearless body of work to date.
“007” arrives built on punchy guitars and commanding vocals, capturing LØLØ at her most confident. Written alongside Brian Dales (The Summer Set), Taylor Acorn, and Danen Reed Rector (Underoath, Charlotte Sands), the song dials up her signature confessional edge while sharpening its cinematic sheen. It’s confrontational, self-aware, and restless — a mission statement for an album that refuses emotional restraint.
Reflecting on the shift from her debut, LØLØ describes the new record as an embrace of feeling rather than avoidance. Where falling for robots and wishing I was one explored emotional numbness, this album documents what happens when she lets everything spill out — the insecurity, the humor, the contradictions, and the fallout. Every song, she says, is pulled straight from her journal, capturing intrusive thoughts and emotional spirals in real time.
The release arrives as LØLØ continues her rapid ascent. With more than 150 million global streams, collaborations with artists like Simple Plan and Maggie Lindemann, and festival appearances ranging from Lollapalooza and Sad Summer to Slam Dunk and Download, she’s carved out a distinct lane as one of pop-rock’s most emotionally transparent voices. Additional overseas headline tour dates are expected to be announced soon.
If the title is any indication, god forbid a girl spits out her feelings isn’t asking for permission. It’s an album about saying the quiet parts out loud — loudly, messily, and without apology — and “007” makes it clear that LØLØ is more than ready for the fallout.
YUNGBLUD is bringing the rock star back to rock. At just 27, the British firebrand stunned 45,000 fans and the world at Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell show with a jaw-dropping, emotional cover of “Changes.” Critics and legends alike are calling it one of the greatest live performances of the past 25 years. In a genre starved…
Moby has announced his 23rd studio album, Future Quiet, set for release February 20th via BMG, marking a contemplative new chapter in the career of one of electronic music’s most enduring figures. Alongside the announcement, he has shared the album’s lead track: a newly reimagined version of his 1995 song “When It’s Cold I’d Like To Die,” featuring Jacob Lusk of Gabriels.
Spanning eleven tracks, Future Quiet leans into piano minimalism, immersive ambient textures, and select vocal collaborations, positioning stillness as both a creative and emotional counterweight to the volume of contemporary life. The album reflects Moby’s ongoing interest in restraint and atmosphere, expanding on the quieter impulses that have threaded through his catalog while sharpening their intent.
“‘Future Quiet’ is, not surprisingly, quiet,” Moby said in a statement, describing the record as a refuge from a world that “screams at us” through constant noise, screens, and demands. Writing and recording the album, he explained, became an act of retreat — one he hopes listeners can share.
The album opens with the orchestral reworking of “When It’s Cold I’d Like To Die,” a song originally released on Everything Is Wrong and recently rediscovered by a new generation through its use in seasons one and four of Stranger Things. Featuring Lusk’s soaring, gospel-inflected vocal, the new version reframes the track with a sense of grandeur and emotional clarity. The original song has surged to become Moby’s most streamed track, fueled by viral attention and renewed interest ahead of the show’s final season.
Lusk’s involvement came after Moby heard Gabriels on KCRW and, by his own account, “spent weeks tracking him down.” The collaboration anchors Future Quiet’s opening moments with a sense of reverence that sets the tone for the album’s inward gaze.
Beyond the studio, 2026 will see Moby embark on his biggest tour in a decade, including a Coachella appearance and a headline performance at On The Beach Festival in Brighton, U.K., on July 26th. Full tour details are expected soon.
More than three decades into his career, Moby remains a singular presence — an artist whose restless curiosity has taken him from punk basements to rave culture to ambient minimalism, all while maintaining a deep commitment to activism and creative access. With Future Quiet, he appears less interested in reinvention than in preservation: carving out space for reflection, silence, and emotional shelter in an increasingly loud world.
Listen to “When It’s Cold I’d Like To Die” (ft. Jacob Lusk) here and pre-save Future Quiet here.
Mitski has announced her eighth studio album, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, arriving February 27th via Dead Oceans, and shared its lead single and video, the fuzzed-out rock spiral “Where’s My Phone?” The new project continues the creative through line she established on 2023’s The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, while pushing deeper into narrative-driven territory.
Album Artwork
Supported by a live band and orchestra, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me centers on a reclusive woman living in an unkempt house — a character who exists as a deviant beyond its walls but finds freedom within them. Mitski wrote all of the album’s songs and performed all of its vocals, working once again with longtime collaborator Patrick Hyland, who produced and engineered the record. The album was mastered by Bob Weston, with orchestral arrangements by Drew Erickson recorded at Sunset Sound and TTG Studios.
“Where’s My Phone?” offers an anxious, distorted entry point into the album’s emotional terrain. Built around a looping refrain — “Where did it go // Where’s my phone // Where’d I go” — the song captures a spiraling sense of displacement, pairing raw urgency with a jagged melodic edge. The track arrives alongside an unhinged, darkly playful video directed by Noel Paul, inspired by Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle. In the clip, Mitski plays a paranoid woman defending her sister inside a gothic house as a procession of increasingly absurd intruders sends the story into chaos.
The album features live instrumentation from The Land touring band alongside expanded ensemble arrangements, further blurring the line between intimacy and grandeur. Across its eleven tracks — including “In a Lake,” “Dead Women,” and “Charon’s Obol” — Mitski continues her career-long exploration of isolation, desire, and interior life, now rendered with orchestral weight and theatrical precision.
The announcement arrives amid an already expansive creative era for Mitski. In recent years, she’s seen global success with “My Love Mine All Mine,” collaborated with Florence and the Machine, David Byrne, and Son Lux, and debuted her concert film Mitski: The Land in more than 600 cinemas worldwide. With Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, she appears less interested in escalation than excavation — turning inward to find something stranger, darker, and quietly defiant waiting inside. Pre-order and Pre-Save Nothing’s About to Happen to Me right here.
Genevieve Hannelius is officially stepping into a new creative chapter. The singer-songwriter and actress released her debut EP, Girlhood, today, a six-song project that distills the contradictions, nostalgia, and emotional whiplash of growing up into something soft-edged and sharply felt. Alongside the EP, Hannelius shared a music video for “The Woods,” filmed in her hometown of Maine, where winter landscapes mirror the song’s quiet vulnerability.
Written entirely by Hannelius, Girlhood unfolds like a late-night conversation with a close friend — intimate, conflicted, and self-aware. Across tracks like the dreamy debut single “Reckless,” the pop-rock catharsis of “James,” and the stripped-down title track, she explores the liminal space of her twenties: feeling caught between childhood comfort and adult expectation. The EP draws from influences ranging from early-2000s pop staples to folk and country textures, resulting in a sound that feels both nostalgic and newly personal.
After spending much of her childhood in the public eye, Hannelius took time away from acting to attend college and live more privately — experiences that now anchor her songwriting. That patience pays off on Girlhood, which plays less like a reinvention than a quiet arrival. It’s a debut rooted in lived experience, emotional honesty, and the freedom to be unresolved. Listen to the Girlhood EP here and read along with the truncated interview with G below. The full interview is in Hit Parader #3, now available.
HP: For Girlhood, the title feels very personal. Can you tell us what made the title feel like it represented the EP well? GH: I mean, I think it was a couple of different things. First of all, I am in my mid to late 20s, and I feel like this time period has just been such a huge transition. Just sort of emotionally, and in life in general. And I felt like that was a really relatable concept. I noticed that that’s how my friends were feeling, almost going through like this Saturn Return, and just having a lot of different conflicting emotions come up, you know, realizing that you’re really an adult now, post-college, and also like having this nostalgia for your childhood. I also felt like I played an interesting role in a lot of other people’s childhoods. Like, that’s the biggest thing that people say when they come up to me, is, like, “You’re my childhood! I grew up watching you.” So I think that, like, the girlhood theme showed up in a lot of different ways as I was working on this.
HP: I don’t want to age myself, but I’m one of those kids. I mean, I watched Dog With a Blog before I went to school on the Disney Channel. GH: Well, it’s so funny, because I really feel like the fans watching Disney Channel specifically have a different connection with the actors than I feel like actors that you watch when you’re older in movies, because you do really feel this special, nostalgic connection to them. And I think that’s really cool, because I felt the same way growing up. Even though I was working, I grew up watching, you know, Hannah Montana, or Lizzie McGuire, and I had those same feelings. So I get it.
HP: I want to talk about your kind of growing-up experience. I know that you, as an actor yourself, have had a pretty unique life experience. How do you think that life experience has given you a unique perspective on growing up and girlhood? GH: Well, I definitely spent a lot of my childhood in a, you know, unconventional way, because I was working. So I think, in a lot of ways, that sort of forced me to grow up quicker, and then in other ways, I feel like it actually stunted me socially. I was spending a lot of time with adults on sets, so when I actually ended up, you know, like going to college, I was sort of like, “This is what the kids are doing?” I had to, like, catch up. So, yeah, I think that’s a way that it was unique. But I also really just feel like, no matter what your life circumstances are, everyone goes through those pivotal growing-up moments, and that’s something that we can all kind of relate to.
HP: Absolutely. So, out of all the characters you’ve played, who do you think would most likely relate to Girlhoodand be singing along to the songs on it? GH: [Laughs] That’s a great question. You know, I probably would have to say Avery from Dog With a Blog, because so much of the show, and just the episodes, you know, storyline-wise, were about her growing up. Like, I always have this distinct memory of one of the episodes. She hated being short, and so she was doing everything she could to, like, feel taller. She made this, like, massive haircut, and she was wearing huge heels to school. And obviously, that’s an exaggerated situation, but it is so relatable. I just feel like that concept of feeling insecure about something that, like, you can’t change about yourself, is just such a vulnerable, relatable feeling. So I think she would be singing along, and she would really, she’d really get it. She’d be like, “Yeah, same. I went through that.”
HP: I really like the end of the EP, with “The Woods.” It kind of felt like it wrapped a really nice bow on the EP. What was the thought process when ordering the songs and how each song played in? GH: Yeah, we did think about that a lot. We had some of these more pop kind of songs, and then we had a couple, like “Girlhood” and “The Woods” that are a little bit more stripped down and slower ballads. So I just wanted there to be sort of a balance when you were listening through. So it was like, a more upbeat pop one here, something a little more laid back, something brighter – I almost felt like it’s the roller coaster of girlhood emotions that you go through. You know, one day you’re screaming at the top of your lungs, you’re so in love, and then the next day he ghosted you, and you couldn’t be more depressed. And it’s just like, up and down, or at least that’s how I feel my emotions have been in my 20s, so I wanted it to sort of have that feeling.
HP: What was one influence for this album that you think would surprise your fans? GH: Oh, well, I think we actually were listening to a lot of folksy stuff, like Noah Kahan was really having a huge moment at the times we were listening. I love Casey Musgraves, and actually, like this would probably surprise people. I’m a huge country music fan. Dolly Parton is like one of my all time idols, and I listen to a lot of country music, so surprisingly that folksy sort of country sound we were listening to a lot, even though these songs evolved into something sort of different.
HP: Any last message you want to give the girls who are growing up? GH: Oh! To the girls, I would just say, hang in there. We’re all in this together. We’re not alone. I think connection is our most powerful tool that we have through all the ups and downs of growing up and life. So I mean, really just my hope with making the EP was that it would connect with somebody, and, you know, someone could say, “Oh, my God, I feel that way too.” So I hope it resonates with people in that way. But my biggest takeaway, I think, is not being afraid to, like, make mistakes and take them as, you know, learning experiences and just keep trying. Don’t be afraid to be seen trying.
Read the full interview with Genevieve Hannelius in Hit Parader #3.
In this issue of Hit Parader, Grammy-winning producer Zedd reflects on Telos, his most introspective release to date, and his decision to step away from algorithm-driven expectations to create a record meant for deep listening rather than passive consumption. Made for himself first, Telos emerges as a statement of creative autonomy rooted in vulnerability, balance, and long-term intention, even…
YoungBoy Never Broke Again has released his new album Slime Cry today, adding another staggering chapter to a career that has already bent the modern rap timeline out of shape. The project arrives as the Baton Rouge native quietly cements his place in the history books: with 126 RIAA certifications totaling 140.5 million units, YoungBoy now stands as the most certified rapper of all time, trailing only Elvis Presley across all genres.
The numbers underscore just how compressed his rise has been. In less than a decade, YoungBoy has surpassed certification totals that took legacy superstars decades to accumulate, eclipsing the likes of Drake, Kanye West, Eminem, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Rihanna in the process. The RIAA has also recognized him as the most successful rapper of the past decade, citing his record-setting run of Platinum-certified albums between 2015 and 2025 — all achieved before his mid-20s. That dominance has been fueled by an unusually direct relationship with his audience. Largely sidestepping traditional radio and industry pipelines, YoungBoy has built a catalog that translates into obsessive engagement: more than 30 billion global streams, over 16 billion YouTube views, and the most Gold-certified songs in music history. At comparable ages, peers like Drake and Taylor Swift were operating at a fraction of those certification totals, a disparity that highlights just how singular YoungBoy’s output and consumption have been.
The momentum extends beyond streaming. His Make America Slime Again Tour ranks among the highest-grossing hip-hop tours in U.S. history, selling over half a million tickets across 42 dates and grossing upwards of $75 million. With Slime Cry, YoungBoy Never Broke Again isn’t positioning himself as rap’s next great outlier — he’s reinforcing the reality that he’s already operating on a historic scale, rewriting the benchmarks in real time. Watch the trailer below and then listen to Slime Cryhere .
Inkcarceration had a record-breaking year in 2025, with 90,000 fans. Now, they are returning to the famed Ohio State Reformatory this July to top that.
2026 Return
The Pollstar 2025 Global Festival of the Year Nominee, Inkcarceration, is one of the most unique festival approaches out there. Everything your parents warned you about: tattoos, bands, haunted attractions, and more, all take place at the historic prison, which was once the filming site for Shawshank Redemption.
This year, the festival, produced by Danny Wimmer Presents and Reinkarceration LLC, will take place from Friday, July 17, through Sunday, July 19. Tickets are available now! More information is provided below.
“We are excited to welcome Inkcarceration back to the historic Ohio State Reformatory for another incredible year. This festival has earned its reputation as one of the most unique and sought-after events in the world, blending music, tattoo artistry, and culture in a setting unlike any other,” said Dan Smith, Associate Director, The Ohio State Reformatory. “Inkcarceration continues to attract fans from across the globe, and the 2026 lineup promises to deliver an unforgettable experience. The Ohio State Reformatory is proud to serve as the backdrop for this extraordinary celebration.”
Official Inkcarceration Lineup Poster
Official Lineup
Opening day brings Disturbed, Papa Roach, Cypress Hill, and Hollywood Undead on as headliners. The following day will feature Bad Omens, Gojira, The Used, and Sleeping with Sirens before Limp Bizkit, A Day To Remember, Motionless in White, and Ice Nine Kills wrap up the festival on Sunday.
“We’re fired up to welcome Limp Bizkit back to Inkcarceration. Their recent South American stadium run has sent social media into overdrive, and we’re proud to be part of their global takeover once again. Having Bad Omens headlining a DWP festival for the first time brings a whole new level of energy to the weekend, and adding Disturbed to this lineup makes it an absolute powerhouse for our fans,” said DWP Founder Danny Wimmer.
2026 is bringing many special appearances, including hometown/state shows from Starset, Sanguisugabogg, Night Rider, Miss May I, Wolves At The Gate, and ENMY. Sleeping with Sirens will be celebrating 15 years of Let’s Cheers To This, while Alien Ant Farm celebrates 25 years of ANThology. Several bands are reuniting on the Inkcarceration stage, including Get Scared, The Crimson Agenda, and Rev Theory.
The full lineup is as follows: Limp Bizkit, Disturbed, Bad Omens, Gojira, Papa Roach, A Day To Remember, Motionless in White, Ice Nine Kills, Cypress Hill, The Used, Lorna Shore, Sleeping with Sirens, Hollywood Undead, Poppy, Starset, Machine Head, Tech N9ne, Jinjer, Hatebreed, Sleep Theory, Fit For A King, Get Scared, Memphis May Fire, Rev Theory, Jutes, LANDMVRKS, Dying Wish, Sanguisugabogg, Lacuna Coil, Escape The Fate, Alien Ant Farm, Miss May I, Caskets, PeelingFlesh, Spite, Point North, Norma Jean, Silent Planet, Born of Osiris, Nevertel, Left To Suffer, Thousand Below, 156/Silence, Archers, Static Dress, Ded, If Not For Me, Wolves At The Gate, Fox Lake, Earshot, King 810, Silly Goose, Guilt Trip, Cane Hill, Entheos, Versus Me, Snuffed On Sight, The Crimson Armada, Synestia, Corpse Pile, Heavy//Hitter, ENMY, Night Rider, Filth, Jeffrey Nothing, Vicar Blood and Killstreak.
Beyond The Music
There are plenty of attractions aside from the music during the festival. Over 100 tattoo artists will be stationed inside the Ohio State Reformatory for the annual Monster Energy Tattoo X. Also within the prison walls are haunted attractions, self-guided tours, and the infamous Blood Prison (Ohio’s terrifying haunted house experience). Festival goers craving a more intense encounter have the option to purchase the Touch Pass, which allows the scare actors to make contact with them.
Passes
Tickets for three-day passes, single-day general admission, and VIP are available now for as low as $1 down on layaway with over six months to pay in full.
Students with a valid .edu email address are offered a special single-day GA pass for only $125. Information is available here! DWP has also partnered with GOVX yet again to offer specially priced passes to military, nurses, firefighters, and police officers who can verify their eligibility here.
All tickets include a charity fee for the DWP Foundation, which gives back to local and national charities.
A fully immersive experience is available via several camping options. Campers will gain access to the exclusive Thursday Night Campground Party. Car, Tent, and RV campers are all welcome.
Hot Topic still had metal gates the last time The Academy Is… released a brand new album. Now, after 18 years, they are set to release Almost There in March, and have revealed a first taste of the album with “2005.”
Almost There Album Artwork
Almost There
Over two decades ago, The Academy Is… released their debut album, Almost Here, and shaped an entire underground era. What followed was extensive touring and two more acclaimed albums. Fast Times at Barrington High was released via Fueled By Ramen on August 18, 2008. Since then, the world has been void of a new The Academy Is… album.
The band stepped away in 2011, then returned in 2015 for Riot Fest. However, their shared creativity didn’t fully revive until years later. When it returned, Almost There was born. “We want to write from where we actually are now,” Guitarist Mike Carden explains. “Our audience is growing with us. They’re dealing with the same real-life changes, the same celebrations, the same setbacks.”
While their 2005 debut focused on leaving home, their upcoming LP is where they find their way back.“Almost Here was the beginning. Almost There is the reflection,” Vocalist William Beckett says. “It’s about checking in with who you thought you’d be twenty years later, seeing what changed, what stuck, and what still feels like home.”
Almost There continues the essence and energy of their early work with a more mature and expanded approach, unafraid to slow down at times. It is an experience both familiar and brand new for fans who have patiently awaited their return.
We’re almost there! The album is set to release on March 27, 2026, via I Surrender Records. Pre-save/Pre-Order it now!
2005
The Academy Is… has shared a taste of their comeback album with the breezy track “2005.” The groovy yet gentle instrumental frames Beckett’s emotionally direct vocal approach and reflective lyrics, creating an atmosphere full of nostalgia.
Alongside the single is a music video, directed by Tyler Common. In it, the band is depicted playing among cool-toned purples, blues, greens, and nature imagery created by a projector.
20th Anniversary Tour
Fans’ suspicions of the band’s return were confirmed last year with the announcement of their Almost Here 20th Anniversary Tour. It was completed by high-energy sets filled with songs that shaped the mid-2000s. With overwhelming positive responses and many shows selling out immediately, a second leg has been added.
The tour begins on April 10 in Buffalo, New York, before traveling the United States and Canada with dates in Nashville, Atlanta, Seattle, and more. It will commence on May 9, in San Diego, California at The Observatory North Park. Tickets and information are available here!
ALMOST HERE 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR 2026
APRIL
10 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom 11 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall 15 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre 16 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl Nashville 18 – Tampa, FL – The Ritz Ybor 19 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues Orlando 24 – Austin, TX – Emo’s 25 – Dallas, TX – The Echo 26 – Houston, TX – House of Blues Houston
MAY
1 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater 2 – Seattle, WA – Showbox at The Market 7 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades 8 – Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre 9 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park
The Academy Is… appears in our “What Does Punk Mean To You?” article in Issue #1 of Hit Parader:
YUNGBLUD is bringing the rock star back to rock. At just 27, the British firebrand stunned 45,000 fans and the world at Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell show with a jaw-dropping, emotional cover of “Changes.” Critics and legends alike are calling it one of the greatest live performances of the past 25 years. In a genre starved…
