On their debut album New Language, Chicago’s Side Hug encourages us to embrace change both in our lives and in their sound. Released on Easy Does It Records, it’s a bold reinvention of the band’s sound and spirit. The 10-track project is anchored in change — embracing it, surviving it, and emerging with clarity.

New Language marks a sonic evolution for the band, moving beyond the nostalgic indie-folk of their earlier releases into the atmospheric textures of post-punk, shoegaze, and art rock. Produced by writing partners Allan Cardenas (guitar/bass/synth) and Lyd Landor (guitar/vocals), and engineered/mixed/mastered by Erik Rasmussen at Chicago’s Palisade Studios, the album is as raw as it is refined, fusing twinkling guitars, serrated basslines, and synth flourishes with emotionally resonant songwriting.

“The album really focuses on this idea of change: accepting it, learning from it, and letting things go,” says Landor. “Things kind of suck right now, but they will get better. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.”

Following a string of transformations, from relationship upheavals to lineup shifts and newfound sobriety, Side Hug’s New Language mirrors personal growth with musical reinvention. The band crafts a new identity that’s moody, melodic, and defiantly hopeful.