Chicago pop-punk band Action/Adventure have unleashed their latest single Spiral, a fast-paced dive into the unease of late-night overthinking. The track arrives ahead of their upcoming album Ever After, due 24 October through Pure Noise Records.
Since forming in 2014, Action/Adventure have built their reputation on high-energy performances and emotionally charged songwriting. The band-Blake Evaristo (vocals), Brompton Jackson (vocals/guitar), Oren Trace (guitar), Manny Avila (bass), and Adrian Brown (drums)-burst into wider recognition in 2020 when their debut TikTok video Barricades went viral, highlighting their perspective as an all-BIPOC pop-punk act navigating a predominantly white genre. That breakout moment led to their 2021 EP Pulling Focus and their full-length debut Imposter Syndrome in 2022, both released on Pure Noise Records.
With Spiral, the band channel the intrusive chaos of anxiety into a melodic rush of distortion and emotion. Guitarist Oren Trace says the song “is about sitting in a room at 2AM after having a slow day with a looming anxiety that someone close to you has something difficult to tell you, but they’ve been avoiding it.” It’s that sleepless kind of dread that turns small worries into spiralling thoughts, all set to the soundtrack of their signature urgent guitar work and rhythmic punch.
The video for Spiral was directed by frontman Blake Evaristo, who also shaped its haunted, cinematic aesthetic. “After all the stress of planning, shooting and editing, I’m super stoked on how it turned out,” he says. “It captures the anxiety-ridden feel of the song while providing a fun visual treat for the eyes just in time for the Halloween spirit. Whether you’re a fan of pop-punk or spooky movies, this package hits all the right notes for your new autumn anthem.”
The forthcoming album Ever After sees Action/Adventure tackling the pressures of following up a successful debut while balancing band life with everyday survival. Recorded with producer Alan Day of Four Year Strong at Ghost Hit Studio in Springfield, Massachusetts, the album threads themes of perseverance, identity and artistic growth. “The industry is so different from what we thought it would be when we were kids,” says Jackson. “This record is about the duality of everyday life versus band life, and trying to make them coexist without losing yourself in the process.”
Day, whose work with bands like Knuckle Puck and Four Year Strong helped define the modern pop-punk sound, pushed the Chicago five-piece to embrace heavier tones and deeper songwriting. “We wanted it to be a little more aggressive,” says Jackson. “We leaned into the things we loved from Pulling Focus and Imposter Syndrome, but also tried new things and saw what worked.”
Ever After also features several collaborations that underline the band’s expanding sonic scope. Dan Lambton of rationale. (and formerly Real Friends) appears on Something Isn’t Right Here, Ben Jorgensen from Armor For Sleep contributes to Background, and British YouTuber and artist Noahfinnce joins on Go Directly To Jail. Do Not Pass Go. Do Not Collect $200, a biting critique of systemic inequity.
The album’s 13 tracks build a narrative from the restless opener Dayterror to the introspective closer Daydream, mapping the emotional terrain between ambition and exhaustion. As Evaristo explains, “This is what comes after Imposter Syndrome-the reality of what we do. Living your dream is always talked about in a positive way, and it is, but there’s also a price you pay to live it.”
Action/Adventure have long been a voice for underrepresented perspectives in alternative music, but Ever After finds them digging deeper into personal truth and creative resilience. It’s a record that accepts the uncertainty of the future but finds strength in persistence-the real meaning of their chosen title. “It’s not necessarily happily or unhappily ever after,” says Jackson. “Ever after never ends. The struggles continue, but so do we.”
Action/Adventure – Ever After
Out 24 October 2025 via Pure Noise Records
Tracklist:
01. Dayterror
02. Disaster / Peace
03. Floortime
04. Something Isn’t Right Here ft. Dan Lambton
05. That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime [AMV]
06. Big Al Dente
07. Spiral
08. Seconds / Centuries
09. Real Juicer Hours
10. Background ft. Ben Jorgensen
11. Go Directly To Jail. Do Not Pass Go. Do Not Collect $200 ft. Noahfinnce
12. URL
13. Daydream
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