“…roach-encrusted punk pop.” – Pitchfork [on Wavves]
“Bemis is a hopelessly romantic, self-destructive, misanthropic genius from top to bottom…” – Rolling Stone [on Say Anything]
(Photo courtesy of Wavves & Say Anything
Los Angeles, CA (July 8, 2026) – Blog rock pioneers Wavves and emo stalwarts Say Anything have more than a few things in common, not least of which is their penchant for creative collaboration. Wavves’ Nathan Williams released a split album with Cloud Nothings (No Life For Me), and recently composed the score for the claymation artist Lee Hardcastle’s “Ghosts ‘n Chainsaws” for HBO’s Smiling Friends. Say Anything’s sophomore album and major-label debut, …In Defense of the Genre, boasted guest appearances from Gerard Way, Hayley Williams, Anna Waronker, Pete Yorn and others, and the band’s Max Bemis also served as one half of both Two Tongues, alongside Saves the Day’s Chris Conley, and Perma, alongside Eisley’s Sherri Dupree-Bemis.
It is in that spirit that today, both bands are excited to detail their forthcoming collaborative album, Cherry Soda, due September 18 via I Surrender Records, and share the LP’s lead single, “Deathx1k,” and its accompanying music video directed by Stephen Coad. The album, produced by Aaron Rubin (Blink 182), features ten new songs, co-written by Bemis and Williams. Pre-order on vinyl here and CD here.
Speaking on the origins of his partnership with Bemis, Williams recalls that “He was Wavves adjacent. He’d been on tour with our drummer (Ross Traver) and our friend Justice Tripp (Angel Du$t). I’m a very curious person creatively, and somehow, Max told me he was a fan. After really digging into his catalog, I was kind of in shock. His records are really interesting. I wanted to see what an early 2000s Wavves emo record would sound like. That was the idea. To make a mall emo record.”
Bemis says “We kind of wrote to each other’s situations. We’re both very different people, but we get along really well. As writers, we pushed ourselves. He became more emo and I became more Wavves-y. I think we brought out some of the stuff that isn’t most obvious in each other. I may be singing stuff that sounds kind of bleak, but that’s kind of like Nate’s whole shtick, although he’s actually a very sweet, sensitive guy.”
