Debut Album “Directions” Released 3rd April 2026
W: Jack Oliver I: Kara Aguilera
Knumears understands that they don’t exist in a vacuum. They are the latest torchbearers in a sonic tradition that has been evolving for decades—call it screamo, skramz, or post-hardcore—but it is a genre that can only be sustained by those who truly love it. The band’s debut album, Directions, serves as both a love letter and a cartography project. It explores the genre from its roots in DIY hardcore to the contemporary scene currently bubbling up on the West Coast, effectively contributing a blueprint for a new generation of fanatics. Yet, at its core, Directions remains a raw document of young musicians expressing themselves through some of the most explosively cathartic music imaginable.
Since their inception in 2021, the only constant for bassist Dante Garcia II, drummer Frankie Lopez, and vocalist/guitarist Matthew Cole has been movement. For five years, they have evolved from playing packed local shows—where crowds were a blur of climbing, shouting, and dancing—to touring nationally and finding that same impassioned fervor across the country. However, outside of that external chaos, the group found themselves at personal crossroads. They were navigating the delicate space between youth and adulthood, cultivating new relationships and personal worlds, all while struggling to find the creative bandwidth to forge their debut record.
The breakthrough for Directions came when the band allowed their other musical outlets to act as a release valve. Exploring less aggressive sounds in side projects like vs self, Elm, and Bettin Horses cleared their mental blocks, allowing them to save their most visceral energy for Knumears. With studio time booked with legendary producer Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Joyce Manor), the writing process finally clicked into gear. In a frantic burst of inspiration just weeks before recording, the record began to flow, resulting in an album that sounds as urgent and immediate as the confusion of exiting adolescence.
Lyrically, Directions dives deep into the familial aspects of love, challenging the narrow definition of the "love song." Cole’s penmanship is sparse but evocative, focusing on the bonds with his father and grandmother that shape his creativity. On the standout track “Friendly Face,” his howls for connection emanate alongside some of the album’s most pummeling instrumentals, proving that vulnerability and crushing ferocity are not mutually exclusive. By reinvigorating classic tropes through sheer force of will, Knumears manages to capture the absolute raw emotion that draws people to this music: the feeling of caring so strongly about something that the only thing left to do is scream.