Kerosene Heights Says “Forget it” Before New Album is Released

Just weeks after announcing their sophomore LP Blame It On The Weather, which will be released from Side One Dummy Records on August 15th. North Carolina’s Kerosene Heights have unleashed another emotional gut-punch with their latest single, “Forget It.” The track arrives as the band hits the road again—this time with fellow emo scene staples Dikembe and Swiss Army Wife—and solidifies what many fans already knew: this is a band standing firmly in their moment.

If their last single “New Tattoo” cracked the surface, “Forget It” tears straight into the emotional center of the record. Propelled by twinkling guitars and drummer Benji Bennis’ airtight percussion, vocalist Chance Smith unpacks the delicate wreckage of miscommunication in relationships—“the feeling of everything you’re saying coming out wrong even though your intentions are good.” The song is equal parts confession and catharsis, delivered in the kind of shout-sung melodies that beg to be screamed in a crowded room.

“Forget It” is about the frustration of not being able to express what you really mean,” Smith explains. “Getting overwhelmed by the moment, saying the wrong thing, accidentally starting arguments. It’s messy—but it’s human.”

That same messy humanity underpins the entirety of Blame It On The Weather, due out August 15 via their new label home SideOneDummy. The record was born in the emotional aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which devastated their home state and left behind not only physical damage, but a lingering existential unease. Weather becomes metaphor—of course—but also very real texture in these songs. As Smith told Racketeer Radio KFQX last month, “There’s a lot of talk about transition and change. It wasn’t planned, it just bled into everything.”

Since announcing the new album in June, Kerosene Heights have kept their foot firmly on the gas. After appearing on this year’s Vans Warped Tour, they joined Equipment and Summerbruise for a summer run that’s already earning them a reputation for sweat-soaked, emotionally charged live shows. And now, with “Forget It” making waves across the scene, the anticipation for the album has reached a fever pitch.

Blame It On The Weather was recorded with producer Billy Mannino (Oso Oso, Prince Daddy & The Hyena) at Two Worlds Studio in Queens, NY. It showcases a tighter, more collaborative Kerosene Heights than we’ve heard before. Smith’s songwriting still forms the backbone, but bassist Elle Thompson and guitarist Justin Franklin now play pivotal roles in shaping the band’s identity, while Bennis’ drumming has become the glue holding their emotional chaos together.

“Each person brought more of themselves to this record,” Franklin said. “It’s the most ‘us’ we’ve ever sounded.”

That authenticity is exactly what makes “Forget It” hit so hard. It doesn’t try to solve the problems it outlines—it just holds space for them. In a genre sometimes known for melodrama, Kerosene Heights tap into something subtler and far more powerful: acceptance of emotional imperfection, and the hope that growth might follow.

Stereogum has already praised the band’s blend of Joyce Manor’s urgency and Glocca Morra’s lyrical rawness, while BrooklynVegan called Blame It On The Weather “not to miss.” But don’t mistake them for revivalists. With their mix of sharp hooks, emotionally intelligent songwriting, and a chemistry forged in real-life weather and wreckage, Kerosene Heights are carving out their own corner of the emo-punk canon.

As Smith howls on the chorus of “Forget It,” there’s no pretending things are okay—but there’s also no giving up. That duality is the lifeblood of the record, and a reflection of the band itself: honest, bruised, and still moving forward.