Recipients of high praise from NPR, The Needle Drop, Brooklyn Vegan, Decibel and Metal Hammer, Wailin Storms have caught fire since migrating to North Carolina in 2014. Now, the Durham natives are fanning the flames even higher with their upcoming fifth album and first for Season of Mist. On The Arsonist, the band deliver a fiery baptism of Southern gothic rock.
Today, Wailin Storms are premiering a music video for the second advanced single from The Arsonist with CVLT Nation. Howling and haunted, “You Never Answered” is a desperate plea to put down our phones and answer the call of the night.
“This song is about disconnecting from screens and returning to exploration”, Wailin Storms vocalist and guitarist Justin Storms says. “Don’t let your phone lead to your death by taking a selfie on a mountain. Pick up a manual film camera. Take some acid. Pick up a paint brush, cook, listen to a record, walk in nature, be there for the ones you love and find your path in the world without being tethered to technology”.
Watch the music video for “You Never Answered” below.
The Arsonist comes out July 10, 2026 on Season of Mist
Pre-order & Pre-save
Wailin Storms are igniting the stage this summer with a headline U.S. tour. The band will perform “You Never Answered” and other songs off The Arsonist for the first time, along with crowd favorites from across their critically-acclaimed discography.
Wailin Storms 2026 The Arsonist U.S. Tour
July 17 - Durham, NC @ Stanczyk’s [Album Release Show]
July 29 - Johnson City, TN @ The Hideaway
July 30 - Atlanta, GA @ Star Bar
July 31 - Knoxville, TN @ The Pilot Light
August 1 - Cincinnati, OH @ Motr
August 2 - Youngstown, OH @ Westside Bowl
August 3 - Columbus, OH @ Dirty Dungarees
August 4 - Pittsburgh, PA @ The Government Center
August 5 - Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
August 6 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Gutter
August 7 - New Hope, PA @ John and Peter’s
August 8 - Richmond, VA @ Cobra Cabana
The Arsonist calls back to Wailin Storms’ past. Recorded by Matt Talbott of Hum in full analog, the album rekindles the band’s roots in raw-to-the-bone blues punk. Like being woken from a bad dream, “You Never Answered” opens with frantic guitars before kicking down the door with a doomy groove.
“So much music is drowning in sterile digital production”, Storms says. “With this album, we recorded everything in analog. We didn’t touch a computer until mixing”.
Inspired by David Lynch and René Magritte, Wailin Storms do throw heavier splashes of surrealism into the fires of The Arsonist. “Climb right out, out of your head, and into the night”, Storms commands amidst howling riffs on “You Never Answered”. But the album is inflamed by real life anxieties. Before it drifts into a smoke-fueled daze, the song’s melody proves so intoxicating that your left with no choice but to follow the band into the dark. “Time to take a bullet that could change your mind”.
“I’ve always been fascinated with fire”, says Storms, who was raised by a church pianist and a Baptist preacher. As a child, growing up in Corpus Christi, Texas, he came dangerously close to accidentally burning his family’s house down. “It speaks to our inherent attraction to danger and annihilation, but also, our hope for transformation”.
The video for “You Never Answered” was directed and edited by Thomas Hudson (@thomaswhudson)
On The Arsonist, Wailin Storms deliver a fiery baptism of Southern gothic rock.
Lineup
Justin Storms - Lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Ben Melton - Lead guitar, backup vocals, Rhodes organ, piano
Steve Stanczyk - Bass
Mark Oates - Drums
Recording credits
Recorded at Earth Analog in May 2025
Production Credits
Produced and engineered by Matt Talbott
Mixed by Mike Lust at Phantom Manor ("Dead End", "Heart of Mine", "You Never Answered", "The Arsonist", "Never Rest", "The Wind", It's All Dark Now Where Your Eyes Used to Be"
Mixed by Dave Downham at Gradwell House ("Saved", "Patient Night")
Mastered by Dave Downham at Gradwell House
All lyrics written by Justin Storms
Cover art
Justin Storms
Layout and design
Steve Stanczyk
Pre-order & Pre-save
https://orcd.co/wailinstormsthearsonist
Available Formats
Digital Download
CD Digipack
12” Vinyl Gatefold (Black)
12” Vinyl Gatefold (Color)
Follow Wailin Storms
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2e1J5JQpROgSuT7RcsUbZ2
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/wailin-storms/451185826
Bandcamp: https://wailinstorms.bandcamp.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wailinstorms7
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wailinstorms/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wailinstorms/?hl=en