Beartooth launch a new chapter with the explosive single Free, marking their first new music since 2023 and the band’s debut release following a major label move to Fearless Records.
by Paul Cashmere
American rock outfit Beartooth have returned with Free, a powerful new single that signals both a creative reset and the beginning of a new phase for the long-running band led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Caleb Shomo.
The track arrives as the group embarks on a North American arena tour supporting Bad Omens, positioning Free as the first glimpse of what Shomo describes as the most personal material he has created to date. Co-written and co-produced with Jordan Fish, the song introduces the next era of Beartooth following their newly announced signing with Fearless Records.
For Shomo, the release represents a shift in perspective after years of documenting struggle across the band’s catalogue. He describes Free as a moment of clarity shaped by the emotional contradictions of everyday life, where fear and joy often exist simultaneously. According to Shomo, the song opens the door to an upcoming album he considers an unusually honest reflection of his inner world.
The partnership with Fearless Records also marks a significant transition after more than a decade of steady growth. Shomo has credited the label with providing renewed artistic support and enthusiasm, noting that the collaboration has reinvigorated his approach to making music. Fearless Records president Andy Serrao echoed that sentiment, calling Free an ideal starting point for the band’s next chapter.
More than ten years into their career, Beartooth have evolved from a solo studio experiment into one of modern rock’s most commercially consistent acts. The band has accumulated more than 1.3 billion global streams and achieved multiple certification milestones, including an RIAA platinum single and a gold single. Their 2023 album The Surface reinforced that momentum, debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Albums chart and producing consecutive No. 1 singles at Active Rock radio.
The origins of Beartooth trace back to Columbus, Ohio in 2012, when Shomo began recording songs alone in a basement studio following his departure from metalcore band Attack Attack!. Initially conceived as a personal outlet rather than a full-time project, the recordings blended melodic hooks with hardcore intensity, laying the foundation for what would become the band’s defining sound.
Shomo performed every instrument on the early material, including the 2013 EP Sick, before assembling a touring lineup as audience demand grew. The debut album Disgusting arrived in 2014 and quickly established Beartooth as a rising force within heavy music, combining punk urgency with arena-sized choruses. Subsequent releases Aggressive (2016), Disease (2018) and Below (2021) expanded the band’s sonic range while maintaining a focus on emotional transparency.
Across lineup changes and shifting trends within heavy music, Shomo remained the creative centre of the project. The band’s evolution mirrored broader changes in modern rock, blending metalcore, alternative metal and hard rock influences while embracing melody-driven songwriting that broadened their audience beyond genre boundaries.
By the time The Surface arrived in 2023, Beartooth had reached a new commercial peak. The album’s chart success and radio dominance confirmed the band’s transition from underground favourite to arena-level contender, a trajectory now continuing with the release of Free.
Musically, the new single retains the band’s signature intensity while emphasising clarity and uplift, suggesting a thematic progression from survival towards self-acceptance. That emotional pivot aligns with Shomo’s long-standing approach to songwriting, where vulnerability and catharsis remain central to the Beartooth identity.
The timing of the release is deliberate. With the band performing in arenas across North America as direct support for Bad Omens, Free serves as both a reintroduction and a statement of intent, previewing a forthcoming album cycle expected to expand on the themes introduced in the single.
More than a decade after its formation, Beartooth continues to operate with the urgency that defined its earliest recordings, while embracing a broader scale and renewed creative direction. The combination of a new label partnership, fresh material and sustained touring momentum suggests that the band’s next phase may prove its most ambitious yet.
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first—Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Bluesky
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
