the NEW MORALITY 005
I can’t believe another year has gone by…
That’s a wrap on 2024. As the year winds down, we’ve been taking time to reflect on everything that’s happened. It’s been a whirlwind year for NMZ, marked by some of our biggest milestones to date.
While we scaled back the number of new releases and bands we worked with, this year felt bigger than ever in impact. Here’s a quick look at what we’ve accomplished:
Released several LPs that we couldn’t be prouder of.
Booked shows, including another NMZ Showcase, continuing to build a community through loud music.
Partnered with Deathwish Inc. for worldwide distribution—a dream collaboration with a label I’ve respected since I first got into hardcore.
Celebrated NMZ bands touring across the US and internationally, spreading the New Morality.
Appeared on a couple of podcasts and were interviewed by the Chicago Reader, which gave us a chance to share our story.
Built connections with new friends and collaborators who’ve made this project even more meaningful.
It’s been a year of growth and a lot of learning. Thank you to all of the people who have helped us and all those that have supported in any way. Stoked for more in 2025.
As we reflect on the past year, we're also gearing up for an exciting start to 2025. The first months are already shaping up to be packed, featuring a sought after re-press and the release of the debut LP from ASkySoBlack.
news
As we wrap up the year, we're keeping it light on news—not because nothing’s happening, but because some ideas are still in the works or not quite ready to share. You know what they say... "big things coming."
2024 Summation Compilation
At the top of this newsletter, you’ll find a compilation featuring one track from each release we worked on this year. It’s a chance to revisit some favorites or discover artists you might have missed. For me, this compilation reflects my personal taste and the diverse range of loud music that defines NMZ. The comp can be found on Apple, Spotify and our Bandcamp.
Countdown to Touching Heaven
The countdown to the ASkySoBlack LP, Touch Heaven, is officially on. The album drops January 31st, and all three singles are now streaming. Leading up to the release, the band will announce an East Coast tour, including a stacked Chicago show on February 23rd. Keep an ear out for a new track premiering on the Musically Meditated podcast and look out for additional physical media and limited-edition covers. Pre-order the album and exclusive merch available now.
Welcome Commoner
At the start of the month, we welcomed COMMONER to the label—a band we’ve been excited about since our first conversation. Their Winter Promo features two tracks and a reimagined song in collaboration with artist Photographic Memory. Sonically, the band lands between 2000s emo and a droning alternative sound reminiscent of Incubus and Deftones. The accompanying merch capsule sold quickly, but we still have one size large hoodie and a few totes left. Orders are shipping soon.
back-catalog
Lately, I’ve been revisiting our CAPE FADE self-titled release, inspired by a deep dive into BURN videos on YouTube (don’t miss the iconic live set at the Wetlands below). This band, led by Nick Haines of Mindforce, delivers hard-hitting, bouncy post-hardcore with clear influences from bands like Quicksand and BURN. When Nick first shared the project with me in 2022, I was hooked—this EP packs so much into just 5 minutes. Coupled with the perfect lettering and artwork of SCHEME RECORDS mastermind, Kyle Niland. This is one of my favorite NMZ releases. Maybe we should put this on 7” vinyl this year…
We recently caught up with Nick, and there’s exciting talk of new music in 2025. Don’t sleep on this one.
store summary
2024 started off with the debut LP from PRIZE HORSE. We are overwhelmed with joy seeing our relases hit EOY lists, but am extremely stoked when a record that came out so early in the year is still everpresent with listeners. We highly recommend dipping into the store and picking up a 3rd press of the LP on rose colored vinyl (there also may or may not be one copy of the 2nd press in the store also...).
Speaking of PRIZE HORSE, we are down to the last two copies of the 2nd press of their EP Welder. Pick it up before it is gone!
random thoughts
A couple of predictions for 2025. Let ‘em rip!
Zines are back in 2025! It is so sick seeing so many newer zines popping up over the last couple of months. Two we wanted to shout out specifically is the SDR zine, Unfulfilled, and the newest issue of Violent Treatment.
Straight edge is on top in 2025! Straight to your fuckin face is the JUST US Demo dropped by Physical Therapy.
Melodic HC is back in 2025! Check out ABOUT FACE’s Demo dropped by Advanced Perspective. The last track on this demo is one of my favorite HC songs of 2024. There are also a couple of other bands really doing this song well and even more that have music coming this year it seems.
Single band tours are back in 2025! I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more and more bands touring on their own with one other band. Well, at least that is my hope! We need space for local openers to be able to jump on bills and bring scenes up.
Bluesky is in! This is more for me more than it is a prediction. After getting off of Twitter I’ve felt good about not seeing alt-right bullshit all over a timeline, but have felt a little disconnected from getting to talk with people about music or random things. While I’ve been on Bluesky, I still haven’t felt like I’ve found it as a one to one replacement but what it has done is had me check out a lot of music I wouldn’t have otherwise. There are some cool music channels on there that blow Twitter away.
I’m sure that are some more but only time will tell…
Thanks for reading,
-Nick