SOUTH TEXAS, USA- RILEY! recently announced their new EP “To Live And Die In The American South” which is set for release on 17th July 2026 via Pure Noise Records. Now the band have released their second single, “Two Bucks” ft. Eric Egan from Heart Attack Man. “As a touring musician, you miss out on a lot of your home life, be it birthdays, anniversaries, or just hanging out with friends and loved ones- it sucks. But, you do it because, at the same time, it’s typically what gives a lot of us any real sense of purpose.” says Ryan Bluhm. “I sometimes feel like I don’t get any real world value out of touring all the time, but I’ve always had this deep-seated fear that when I die I’ll have not left any proof of life that’s at least meaningful in any way and when I get to travel all over the world and connect with thousands of people from all of these places through the music my friends and I write, I feel like this is the right thing to do. When we asked Eric to write a feature on this track, he expressed a lot of the same sentiments I had when we spoke about what this song was being written about. It’s nice to know I’m not crazy and it’s probably a pretty universal feeling in our little world! Listen to “Two Bucks” ft. Eric Egan from Heart Attack Man. As an openly queer, progressive band in a deeply red state, Riley! have always built their own version of belonging. That spirit runs throughout To Live and Die in the American South, from its very title to the song themselves – deeply personal stories of isolation, connection and the eternal fight to feel seen. Outside the walls of their hometown, though, they’ve built connections that have made survival possible, growing alongside a fanbase that has found itself reflected in every sweat-soaked note as they’ve carved out their own communities. Riley! are the kind of band that only could have come from somewhere far off the map – making music shaped by isolation, boredom, anxiety, friendship, and dreaming about what lies beyond the limits of their blink-and-you’ll-miss-it hometown. Their details may belong to the Rio Grande Valley deep in South Texas, but the feelings amplified through their hyper-modern spin on Midwest emo have carried them around the world, from self-booked headlining tours and bills with genre heavyweights. Having formed with the current lineup in 2020, what’s followed on albums like 2021’s “Already Fucked” and 2024’s “Keep Your Cool” has been a steady transformation from scrappy cult favourite to one of modern emo’s most compelling young bands on the strength of twinkly textures from high-capoed guitars, raucous rhythm section energy and Bluhm’s highly personal storytelling. Now, Riley! has levelled up on their Pure Noise Records debut, To Live And Die In The American South. Recorded in Austin, TX, alongside producer Phil Odom (Militarie Gun, Say Anything and a protegee of Grammy-winning producer Will Yip), the five-song EP finds Riley! embracing a more finely harnessed sound without losing any of their edge. “We were going for something a little bit more polished,” Bluhm explains. “Not everyone is necessarily into screaming emo music, so we wanted to make things a bit more digestible.” That range comes into focus from the opening swell of “Roll for Initiative,” bursting in with off-kilter, syncopated energy and a thread of existential dread, while “Another Round of Radical ‘Ritas, Please” (ft. Tades Sanville of Hot Mulligan) zeroes in on the quiet spiral of feeling left out and left behind. Elsewhere, “Two Bucks” finds the band leaning into melody, its high, soaring harmonies bolstered by Eric Egan of Heart Attack Man; “Backseat Bartender,” featuring Gabe Wood of Saturdays at Your Place, taps into classic emo influences, and closer “73 Summers” trades urgency for something more devastating and reflective as Bluhm wrestles with grief, loss and impermanence. To Live And Die In The American South EP
Roll For Initiative
Another Round Of Radical ‘Ritas, Please (Ft Tades Sanville /Hot Mulligan)
Two Bucks (Ft Eric Egan)
Backseat Bartender (Ft Gabe Wood)
73 SummersRiley! will be heading out on their headline run this summer before UK shows supporting label mates Ben Quad. See below for full itinerary. NORTH AMERICA HEADLINE SUMMER TOUR
Support comes from Kerosene Heights and Bugsy 11 July 2026 — San Antonio, TX — Vibes Underground
14 July 2026 — Denver, CO — Larimer Lounge
16 July 2026 — Chicago, IL — Reggies
17 July 2026 — Indianapolis, IN — Turntable
18 July 2026 — Detroit, MI — Pike Room
19 July 2026 — Cleveland, OH — Mahall’s
20 July 2026 — Washington, DC — Pearl St
22 July 2026 — Philadelphia, PA — Nikki Lopez
23 July 2026 — Boston, MA — Warehouse XI
24 July 2026 — Hartford, CT — Webster Underground
25 July 2026 — New York, NY — Elsewhere – Zone One
27 July 2026 — Chapel Hill, NC — Local 506
28 July 2026 — Atlanta, GA — Masquerade (Altar)
29 July 2026 — Orlando, FL — Will’s Pub
31 July 2026 — Dallas, TX — TX Tea Room 2 August 2026 – McAllen, TX- The Gremlin (HOME TOWN HEADLINER- TIX) SUPPORTING HOT MULLIGAN TOUR (NORTH AMERICA)
30 October 2026 – London, ON – London Music Hall
31 October 2026 – Montreal, QC – MTELUS
1 November 2026 – Ottawa, ON – History
3 November 2026 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium
4 November 2026 – Portland, ME – State Theatre
6 November 2026 – Providence, RI – The Strand Ballroom & Theatre
7 November 2026 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall
9 November 2026 – Baltimore, MD – Nevermore Hall
10 November 2026 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore
11 November 2026 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall
13 November 2026 – Miami, FL – MIami Beach Bandshell
17 November 2026 – New Orleans, LA – Civic Theatre
19 November 2026 – Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing Company
20 November 2026 – Nashville, TN – The Truth SUPPORTING BEN QUAD (UK DATES)
13 October 2026 – Manchester – YES (Pink Room)
14 October 2026 – Newcastle – The Cluny
15 October 2026 – Glasgow – Stereo
16 October 2026 – Birmingham – O2 Institute3
17 October 2026 – Leeds – The Key Club
19 October 2026 – Kingston – The Fighting Cocks
20 October 2026 – Brighton – DUST
22 October 2026 – Bristol – Exchange
23 October 2026 – Southampton – The Joiners
24 October 2026 – London – DingwallsWatch “Another Round of Radical ‘Ritas, Please” (ft. Tades Sanville/Hot Mulligan) Riley! are vocalist/guitarist Ryan Bluhm (they/them), bassist Kris Gallardo (he/him) and drummer Cesar “Izzy” Izaguirre (they/them) EP “TO LIVE AND DIE IN THE AMERICAN SOUTH” OUT
17TH JULY 2026 VIA PURE NOISE RECORDS STORE HERE | 
