——————- “Is Your Friend feels like a love letter to the hardcore community as a whole that has given them so much (…) Drain’s natural balance of earnestness, goofy optimism and slamming tunes is infectious and sets them apart from the pack(…) Whatever you take away from …Is Your Friend, it’s guaranteed to put a gap- toothed grin on your face.” – KERRANG! “The growth and stylistic spread of American hardcore music continues apace, and its strength owes heavily to acts like the Santa Cruz, Calif. band DRAIN.” – THE NEW YORK TIMES “DRAIN is one of the brightest stars amid a constellation of hardcore bands that have revitalized the decades-old scene…” – THE WASHINGTON POST “The kings of NorCal crossover…” – Revolver “DRAIN are one of the hardcore scene’s most beloved bands, the kind that unite audiences and make friends in every mosh pit they create.” – The FADER ——————- Santa Cruz hardcore institution DRAIN have dropped their new album …IS YOUR FRIEND via Epitaph. Their third full-length album and second for Epitaph Records…IS YOUR FRIEND, set out to do two things: capture their quintessential live essence on record and write new songs that would make their next shows even crazier. Unlike their earlier releases, which were written before the band was on the road nonstop, this album is informed by hundreds of nights spent onstage, paying attention to which moments make crowds lose their minds. The result is a record designed to maximize chaos and connection. Its 10-song tracklist includes the heaviest mosh parts, the catchiest choruses, the tastiest thrash riffs, and the most screamable lyrics DRAIN have ever written. Producer Jon Markson (The Story So Far, Drug Church, One Step Closer) tracked the whole album live — 100% real-time drums, no metronome, no programming. It sounds the way DRAIN were always meant to: crisp, serrated, animated. That same energy carried into the lyrics. Rather than meticulously writing everything down, frontman Sammy Ciaramitaro freestyled much of the album, letting the words flow from everything he’s experienced since California Cursed: getting married, turning DRAIN into a full-time touring band, and living out dreams that once felt impossible — along with the challenges of being away from home and feeling the distance success can create. …IS YOUR FRIEND takes stock of both the good and the bad. ABOUT DRAIN
Formed back in 2014 and cut their teeth in Santa Cruz’s fertile DIY hardcore scene. COVID lockdown couldn’t stop their 2020 debut, California Cursed, from making waves, and their 2023 follow-up, LIVING PROOF, hit the hardcore scene like a Cali beach during hurricane season — a torrential classic. Since then, DRAIN have blazed through hundreds of shows worldwide: headlining festivals, taking their friends and heroes on tour, and even playing arenas with Blink-182. Regardless of whether they’re opening for pop-punk jukeboxes like Neck Deep or grabbing the stage-dive torch from Terror, DRAIN’s only goal is to make the crowd go buckwild. …IS YOUR FRIEND Tracklisting
Stealing Happiness From Tomorrow
Living In A Memory
Scared Of Everything And Nothing
Nothing But Love
Can’t Be Bothered
Loudest In The Room
Nights Like These
Who’s Having Fun?
Darkest Days
Until Next Time DRAIN is Sammy Ciaramitaro (vocals), Cody Chavez (guitar) and Tim Flegal (drums). | 
