THERE WERE WIRES are thrilled to announce their new album Vessel. It's the cult Massachusetts post-hardcore band's first album in 20 years, and they return with a fully realized and evolved sound — rather than a nostalgic throwback.
The album arrives June 26 via Iodine Recordings. Pre-order it here.
The band has also shared the new single "Massive House Fire." Watch the video below.
The track arrives fast and unguarded — a sudden ignition from There Were Wires that settles into a barely controlled burn.
"Immediate and merciless, no bullshit," the band states. "Huge riffs and anguished vocals dominate, briefly breaking to expose flickers of vulnerability before the flames close in again. The song is haunted by inevitability, the knowledge that nothing survives intact — 'No one's getting out alive.'"
There Were Wires formed in the late '90s and became a part of Boston's underground hardcore/punk/metal landscape. From tiny basements to big stages, they quickly gained notoriety in New England for their intense and chaotic live shows. Signed to Iodine Records, they released several 7", a self-titled LP, and 2003's Somnambulists EP before abruptly disbanding in 2004.
While the members stepped away into different projects and distant states, the friendship and connections remained. In 2023, There Were Wires reunited for a couple of one-off shows in Cambridge, MA and Providence, RI. What was intended as a single weekend quickly became something more, as the energy of playing together again made clear there was unfinished work.
Vessel marks the return of There Were Wires after more than two decades, capturing a band reshaped by years, loss, and persistence. From their genesis in Boston as a brash and chaotic hardcore punk band, TWW has morphed into a different beast — older, wiser, and heavier than ever before. The record moves elementally between caustic attack and contemplative restraint, balancing intensity with moments of space and reflection. Themes of fear, grief, and exhaustion surface throughout, shaping a body of work that feels both lived-in and immediate. Vessel holds the accumulated experience of the past, expressed with clarity and purpose.
ABOUT VESSEL:
In 2022, There Were Wires met up to rehearse for a couple upcoming reunion shows. Drummer Ryan Begley, guitarist Thomas Moses, bassist Jebb Riley, and vocalist Jaime Mason were joined by long-time friend and guitarist Joseph Thomas. After dusting off old songs, the group began writing; quietly and without expectations, allowing the material to take shape slowly and naturally. Still endowed with the collaborative DIY spirit of their youth, TWW produced and recorded Vessel themselves over 20 months at a modest home studio. Brief but productive sessions were conducted while the band members were individually experiencing major life events; the weight of which is reflected in the lyrics and evoked in the music. The recording became an opportunity to process outside occurrences in real time: Like examining a gaping wound up close before the stitches commence.
With the absence of tight deadlines and answering to no one but themselves, the band were able to wander creative paths that financial and time constraints had previously deemed out-of-bounds. Mutual trust and encouragement guided the process, and as a result, a wide array of sonic textures and lyrical themes are present across Vessel’s 10 tracks. New and unexpected elements feel just as "at home" as the still-present assault of guitar/bass/drums/vocals that longtime listeners might expect.
While their self-titled album ran almost entirely on pure adrenaline and shirt-grabbing emotion, and Somnambulists took risks and hinted at musical growth, Vessel sees TWW ignoring the strictures of genre, and producing their most creative and heartfelt songs to date. Through time, trust, and life experience, There Were Wires have created their most immersive and fully realized work.