Drought Announce Album New Album "Souvenir" + Share "We're the Flora" (Feat. Pat Flynn of Fiddlehead + Have Heart)"

While many hardcore bands focus their fury outward, Drought turn inward — channeling personal struggle to chart a different path.

Formed in 2022, the Bay Area band —guitarists Eric Nakano and RJ Rabe, drummer Ray Avila, and vocalist Viggy Ram — found common ground in shared influences like Pianos Become the Teeth, mewithoutYou, and Title Fight to overcome personal hardships and isolation. After recording a three-song EP in 2022, Drought brought their emotionally charged live shows to stages alongside Jeromes Dream and vs self before catching the attention of Iodine Recordings.

Now, Drought return with Souvenir, recorded to tape by Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Gouge Away) at Atomic Garden Studios.

The result? Souvenir sounds less like a debut and more like an established act.

It arrives July 18. Pre-order it here.

They share "We're the Flora," featuring Pat Flynn of Fiddlehead and Have Heart. Listen below.

It boasts the powerful lyric sentiment — "They say all flowers in time bend toward the sun, so when I find the light, what will I become?"

"These lyrics were inspired by a visit to a bouquet art exhibit," says Viggy Ram. "All of these flowers and plants had been clipped and fashioned into these beautiful structures — giving them a second life as something new. And I think of our relationships with our parents and families. Generational trauma sometimes cuts us off from our histories and identities, but this can also be an opportunity to grow and blossom."

Regarding the guest vocal from Flynn, he says, "It was especially fitting to have Pat from Fiddlehead and Have Heart graciously guest, since he's often written about similar experiences. It felt like a comforting sentiment from a mentor or teacher, especially considering his influence on our band."

These 13 songs on Souvenir channel moods and emotion with conviction, shaped by years of perspective. Additional guest vocals from Eric Butler (Mom Jeans) and Alex Rudenshiold (Infant Island) lend further weight to Souvenir, weaving with the band's dynamic arrangements and situating the record firmly in the evolving world of post-hardcore and emo. Against a background of balanced melody and dissonance, Viggy Ram's lyricism is as introspective as it is existential.

Drought will play shows this summer and fall, including New Friends Fest, Your Renaissance Fest, and Fest 23 in Gainesville. Dates to be announced soon, so stay tuned.

DROUGHT LIVE:
5/2 — San Francisco, CA — Thee Parkside w/ Cancer Bats, Strawberry Girls
5/24 — Los Angeles, CA — Your Renaissance Fest w/ Portraits of Past, the Spirit of Versailles
8/2 — Toronto, ON Canada — New Friends Fest w/ Beau Navire, Rolo Tomassi, the Saddest Landscape
10/23 —  Tampa, FL— Brass Mug w/ Signals Midwest, Audio Karate
10/24 — Gainesville, FL — FEST 

DROUGHT ARE:
Viggy Ram — Vocals 
Ray Avila — Drums
RJ Rabe — Guitar
Eric Nakano — Guitar

Iodine to Release Drought's Debut "EP" This June

"With a sonic palette pulling from both classic screamo and post-hardcore, Drought are clearly aiming to capture a certain spirit." — No Echo

DROUGHT believe a better world is possible.

The Bay Area band pulls inspiration from their personal lives and the spaces the members inhabit, harkening back to the intimate DIY spaces where communities are built and confessional songwriting meets crowds that take part in their emotional catharsis. Their spirited performances have fostered new fans across the West Coast.

This quintet of hardcore veterans formed in 2022, pulling from their diverse musical influences and ethnic identities to push a familiar sound in new directions. Although some members spent over a decade away from music, they were magnetically drawn back in!

Their debut, the 3-song EP, recorded with Ryan Ellery (Mom Jeans, Self Defense Family), was issued digitally. Now, it will be released in physical form for the first time ever on June 14 via Iodine Recordings. It will be limited to 300 copies. Pre-order EP here. 

LISTEN HERE

"This EP is an ode to transformation and growth," the band shares. "None of us are the traditional preachy or dogmatic hardcore kids — we've had our own inner demons. So we wrote these songs for our younger selves. To let us know it's okay to be imperfect. And that the promise of a safer, more inclusive DIY scene is only possible if we can reflect, grow, and change. A better world is possible and it begins at home."

EP explores the struggles of loss and the rites of adulthood in increasingly precarious times. The band wrote "Oh Javelin," for instance, while guitarist RJ Rabe was battling cancer and drummer Ray Avila's father was ill, grappling with the existential question of how we spend our short lives. 

Upon digital release in 2023, the three-track EP turned more than a few heads with its familiar-yet-wholly-new stylings perfect for fans of bands like Touché Amoré, Piano Becomes the Teeth, and mewithoutYou. 

"When I was young, nothing felt more comforting than playing a record, poring over the liner notes and feeling less alone," says vocalist Viggy Ram. "And while releasing it digitally was exciting, it felt fleeting. When someone gets a record or goes to a show, you're actually giving your art to them—the ephemeral becomes real. With this vinyl release, we hope these songs keep you company when you need them to."

DROUGHT ARE:
Viggy Ram — Vocals 
Ray Avila — Drums
RJ Rabe — Guitar
Eric Nakano — Guitar
Dev Bleyle — Bass