We’re pleased to bring you the premiere of Choke Up’s new song “Blue Moon” (listen below). The track is taken from the band’s forthcoming album Stormy Blue, which is scheduled to be released through Say-10 Records on September 15th. You can pre-order the album here. Catch the band on tour with Rebuilder now (dates below).

Sam Johnson of Choke Up commented on the new release:

“‘Stormy Blue’ was written during a weird time in my life; one marked by bitterness and division. I wanted to capture that feeling of total disillusionment on record, not out of catharsis, but out of spite. Records never turn out the way you expect them to though, and through the process of piecing these songs together, I got some perspective and ended up with something almost optimistic; something bittersweet. This record serves as both a love letter to my best friends and a eulogy for the kids we were when we first started playing music together so many years ago.”

A dusty road.

A hot summer night.

The tires of your elegantly beat up car burn down the road towards your destination with the anticipation of a long awaited meet up with best friends. That one you’ve been hoping to run into just might be there too.

Such is the maturing scene set by “Saturday Night,” the first song on Choke Up’s latest effort, Stormy Blue.

Moving with a purpose that captures the unsettled core of punk rock while carrying a nostalgia for what got them there, Choke Up have grown into something much more than they were.

Driven by earnest vocals that capture a whimsical yearning that reminds us all things are possible, the songs on Stormy Blue are a combination of early 2000’s Long Island style emo (Brand New, Taking Back Sunday) with a moody post hardcore that almost carries a Midwestern twang at times.

Some songs are reminiscent of early Get Up Kids style beats, setting the tone with an urgency that refuses to let go. Other times you hear a purposeful backbeat that carries you at a lazier summer pace. Layered guitar tones soak the songs for days, bringing you back to a pining vocal delivery that could only be earned with awkward teenage years that feel like they’ve been left far behind.

For fans of: The Weakerthans, Brand New, Knapsack

Stormy Blue Track Listing:

1. Saturday Night

2. Joyride

3. Blue Moon

4. Borderland

5. Arcade on the Pier

6. Roadside Graves

7. Fireworks

8. Full Bloom to Bedlam

9. Level Me

10. Sunday Morning

/100 on Baby Blue LP

/400 on Dark Stormy Clear Blue LP

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