Ben Quad just announced their second album, Wisher, out Nov. 14 via Pure Noise Records. Following up the Oklahoma City post-emo band’s 2024 Ephemera EP, the LP was produced by Jon Markson (Drug Church, Drain) and taps their friends from Sweet Pill, Microwave, and Treaty Oak Revival.
The first single, “It’s Just A Title,” sheds their screamo past, reaching for a breezier space that borrows from pop-punk elders. “‘It’s Just A Title’ is about living with constant existential insecurity and questioning whether life now is any better than before,” guitarist Edgar Viveros says. “Musically, we drew inspiration from bands like All-American Rejects and Motion City Soundtrack, leaning into pop elements like heavy synths and a guitar solo. It was the first time we broke away from strict Midwest emo and punk structures, and it came together faster than anything we’ve written.” It arrives alongside a video directed by Alex Scalzo-Brown, where the band balance those heavy themes with goofiness, looking opulently hungover. “For the video, we just wanted to have fun — silk robes, over-the-top vibes, and a tongue-in-cheek take on ‘suffering from success,’” he adds.
Read more: Koyo pick their favorite songs from Long Island bands, past and present
Ben Quad are about to head out on a fall tour with Koyo, Restraining Order, Leaving Time, and I Promised The World, which concludes with a NYC show on Nov. 23. Afterward, they go on a U.K./EU run with Arm’s Length. See the full tour itinerary here.
Ben Quad – Wisher tracklist
- “What Fer?”
- “Painless”
- “You Wanted Us, You Got Us” (feat. Zayna Youssef of Sweet Pill)
- “Did You Decide to Skip Arts and Crafts?” (feat. Sam Canty of Treaty Oak Revival)
- “It’s Just A Title”
- “Very Big in Sheboygan”
- “All Your Luck”
- “Classic Case of Guy on the Ground”
- “West of West” (feat. Nathan Hardy of Microwave)
- “I Hate Cursive and I Hate All of You”
