Chicago punk vets Sludgeworth have announced their first new LP in 35 years. Second Time Around arrives June 19 via Red Scare and we’ve got the exclusive first listen to their new single, “Hold Steady,” below.
Sludgeworth, the hometown heroes who helped soundtrack the city’s late ’80s underground alongside the usual suspects, are officially returning with their first new album in 35 years. Yes, you read that right. Thirty-five. As in, some of you weren’t even a thought yet. The new LP, Second Time Around, lands June 19 via Red Scare. To kick things off, the band just dropped their new single “Hold Steady,” and we’ve got it here first. You’re welcome.
“I don’t think anyone had Sludgeworth putting out a full-length record in 2026 on their Bingo card,” drummer Brian McQuaid admits. Fair. But somewhere between then and now, the idea of the album-that-never-was started to linger. “I found myself imagining the record we never got to make—the one that should have come out in ’92. I think we finally made that record.” Better late than never, right?
Second Time Around picks up right where you’d want it to, sharp hooks, zero fluff, and just enough emotional damage to keep things interesting. Case in point: “Hold Steady,” which leans into the radical concept of actually processing your feelings instead of just starting a band about them. As vocalist Dan Schafer puts it, “A painful yesterday doesn’t have to define today. We’re always allowed to begin again.”
If you need a refresher, Sludgeworth formed in 1989 after members split from Screeching Weasel and decided melody wasn’t a crime. “We were pop punk before there was pop punk,” Schafer says, which honestly tracks. In their first run, they shared stages with early Green Day, The Offspring, Tool, Jawbreaker, and a laundry list of bands that would go on to headline your favorite nostalgia festival.
Then they dipped. For decades.
But the demand never really went anywhere. When the band resurfaced in 2023 for a show at Cobra Lounge, it sold out in five minutes and a Riot Fest set followed, along with new music in 2024, proving this wasn’t just a one-off “hey remember us?” situation.
Now, they’re all the way back.
This summer, Sludgeworth will hit the road with Teenage Bottlerocket along with some hometown record release shows in Chicago. Tickets are on sale now.
Henry Weintraub / @mbnh_rec
Chicago Record Release Shows
8/29 – Chicago, IL @ Cobra Lounge w/ The Copyrights and Feral Tact
8/30 – Chicago, IL @ Cobra Lounge (Matinee Show) w/ The Brokedowns and Josh Caterer (of Smoking Popes)
Upcoming shows supporting Teenage Bottlerocket
6/25 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
6/26 – Detroit, MI @ The Sanctuary
6/27 – Logansport, IN @ Bonus Pints
Sludgeworth
Second Time Around
Red Scare Industries
Miguel Echemendia
The Related Rabbit Hole
