Sweet Pill's sophomore album, Still There's a Glow, is a resilient response to the mounting pressures following their breakout debut, Where The Heart Is. Facing exhaustion, the band scrapped early demos to prioritize mental health, ultimately crafting a raw document of self-reflection that vocalist Zayna Youssef calls "the hardest thing I've had to do."
Marking a significant evolution in their creative dynamic, the new album is the first written fully as a collaborative unit by Youssef, guitarists Jayce Williams and Sean McCall, bassist Ryan Cullen, & drummer Chris Kearney. Recorded at Gradwell House with longtime producers Matt Weber & Dave Downham, the record aims to bottle the kinetic energy of their live shows-performances that have earned them endorsements from stars like Hayley Williams and Doja Cat. The resulting sound is an elevated mix of math-rock intricacy, urgent punk, and heartfelt emo. The album's narrative explores the concept of a lingering "glow" after a fire, symbolizing hope after hitting rock bottom. This theme is introduced by the single "No Control," a soaring track that tackles self-indulgence and boundaries, tracks like "Shameless" and "Make Me Sick" explore transitional chaos and the breaking of negative habits, offering a candid look at a band that has burned down it's old ways to rebuild something stronger. To support the release, Sweet Pill has announced a massive 2026 U.S. and Canada headline tour. The run begins on release day in Pittsburgh, PA, and includes major stops at Brooklyn's Warsaw and Los Angeles' El Rey Theatre, before wrapping up with a hometown finale in Philadelphia on April 18th. As a woman of color in the alternative scene, Youssef hopes the album and tour will foster a judgment-free community for fans. Still, There's a Glow stands as proof of the band's survival and growth, inviting listeners to find their own light at the end of the tunnel. For Fans Of: Movements, Hot Mulligan, The Wonder Years, Joyce Manor, The Story So Far.
