Chicago alt-rockers footballhead have signed to Pure Noise Records and released new single Sharpen Your Words, out now with an official video.
The band call the signing a dream come true. “Signing to Pure Noise- no joke – in every essence is a dream come true to the guys that make up footballhead. We spent our teen years, 20s, and now in our 30s loving the bands that make up the culture of this label. I emailed Jake 15 years ago asking for an internship because I loved the bands on his label so much when I was a teenager and he basically told me ‘thanks so much-I’m a one-man operation right now; circle back with me later.’ Well, here we are.”
Sharpen Your Words is written as a step on from 2026 album Weight of the Truth, which the band released through Tiny Engines in March. “This song organically feels like it picks up right where Weight of The Truth left off- it’s got all the same flavors of sonics as Weight Of The Truth but we pushed the dynamics a lot further. We wanted to create this soundscape environment where you can press play and quickly identify this is a subculture song like all fbh songs are, but it’s almost like you immediately can tell it’s best fit for a big stage. It’s meant to be blasted at maximum volume.”
The video was scaled back from a much bigger idea. “As we were wrapping up recording, the textures of ‘Sharpen Your Words’ were triggering music video ideas of grandiose scale- like My Chem’s ‘Helena’ and 30 Seconds To Mars’ ‘The Kill’. So I knew we had to temper our expectations but we’re always looking to source the same emotions that those videos had in their DNA.”
Watch the video for Sharpen Your Words. The single is streaming now via Pure Noise Records.
footballhead will join the Camp Screamo Tour across the US in November and December, supporting co-headliners Silverstein and Story of the Year, alongside Stand Atlantic. Silverstein and Story of the Year announced the second leg, billed as Camp Screamo 2, in July, with tickets and VIP packages going on sale from 31st July. The run starts on 16th November at Showbox SoDo in Seattle and closes on 13th December at Citizens House of Blues in Boston.
US tour dates:
- 16th November – Showbox SoDo, Seattle, WA
- 17th November – Knitting Factory, Spokane, WA
- 18th November – McMenamins Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR
- 19th November – Hard Rock Live Sacramento, Wheatland, CA
- 21st November – Riverside Municipal Auditorium, Riverside, CA
- 22nd November – The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA
- 24th November – Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque, NM
- 25th November – The Criterion, Oklahoma City, OK
- 28th November – Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
- 29th November – Jannus Live, St. Petersburg, FL
- 1st December – The Ritz, Raleigh, NC
- 2nd December – Nevermore Hall, Baltimore, MD
- 4th December – The Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
- 5th December – Agora Theater & Ballroom, Cleveland, OH
- 6th December – Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL
- 8th December – The Rave / Eagles Club, Milwaukee, WI
- 9th December – Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak, MI
- 11th December – Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA
- 12th December – Palladium Times Square, New York, NY
- 13th December – Citizens House of Blues, Boston, MA
footballhead are the Chicago five-piece of Ryan Nolen (guitar and vocals), Snow Reyes (guitar), Liam Burns (guitar), Adam Siska (bass) and Andrew Smith (drums). Before Weight of the Truth, they put out debut album Overthinking Everything and 2024 mini-album Before I Die, both on Tiny Engines. A promo photo for the new chapter is credited to Kevin Allen.
Image credits: Kevin Allan
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