Santa Cruz hardcore band DRAIN have released their new album …IS YOUR FRIEND via Epitaph Records, a raw, live tracked record designed to capture their wild, high energy live sound.
DRAIN have dropped their new album ‘…IS YOUR FRIEND’, it’s out now via Epitaph Records. It’s their third full length and the band’s most free flowing statement yet, built to ignite energy in every venue they touch.
After years of relentless touring, frontman Sammy Ciaramitaro, guitarist Cody Chavez, and drummer Tim Flegal have shaped a record that feels like the inside of a packed, sweat soaked club at full tilt. According to The New York Times, “the growth and stylistic spread of American hardcore owes heavily to acts like DRAIN,” while The Washington Post hails them as “one of the brightest stars revitalising the hardcore scene.”
Unlike past releases, …IS YOUR FRIEND was written on the road, informed by hundreds of nights watching crowds lose their minds. From the opening riff to the final crash, it’s a record designed for total release, ten tracks packed with massive breakdowns, shout along hooks, and that classic crossover thrash bite that’s become their signature.
Produced by Jon Markson (The Story So Far, Drug Church, One Step Closer), the album was tracked completely live, no metronomes, no programming, no safety nets. What you hear is pure DRAIN, real time drumming, serrated guitar tones, and vocals that blur the line between rage and joy.
Ciaramitaro freestyled much of his lyric work, channelling everything he’s lived since 2023’s Living Proof: marriage, endless touring, and the strange distance that success can bring. The result is an album that’s both personal and primal, a love letter to hardcore and the community that built it.
Tracks like ‘Scared Of Everything And Nothing’, ‘Stealing Happiness From Tomorrow’, and ‘Who’s Having Fun?’ capture the unfiltered essence of DRAIN, a band that never stops moving, sweating, or smiling through the mayhem.
DRAIN ‘…IS YOUR FRIEND’ Track list
- Stealing Happiness From Tomorrow
- Living In A Memory
- Scared Of Everything And Nothing
- Nothing But Love
- Can’t Be Bothered
- Loudest In The Room
- Nights Like These
- Who’s Having Fun?
- Darkest Days
- Until Next Time
…IS YOUR FRIEND is available now via Epitaph Records.
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