
The Cleveland punk quartet Heart & Lung declares war on the sun with a new video. Their three-song EP is out Friday, October 16, on Red Scare Industries. The band plays FEST in Gainesville on October 24.
Five years after Twistin’ The Knife Away, Cleveland, Ohio punk band Heart & Lung return with Shut Up About The Sun, out October 16 via Red Scare Industries. The three-song EP lands just ahead of the band’s set at FEST in Gainesville, Florida, on October 24.
“I wrote this song because I have always had a really hard time dealing with the heat and getting migraines from overheating,” says guitarist Shannon Sullivan. “One time on tour, the band roped me into a seven-mile hike around Washington, DC after promising me coffee and breakfast. I have yet to forgive them.
This song touches on that.” It’s the first of several grievances. “Now that we’ve gotten summer out of the way, we’re releasing this EP to complain and also celebrate the season,” the band says. “These songs address our love/hate relationship with the most problematic star in the solar system.”
Heart & Lung blend infectious power-pop melodies with the grit and energy of Midwest punk. With bassist John Payne, Sullivan, and lead guitarist Miles Cobbs all on vocals and drummer Nick Patrone driving the rhythm, the quartet balances tight harmonies and catchy hooks with a raw, restless edge: equal parts crooning and chaos. They’re known for their energetic live shows and deep roots in Cleveland’s punk community.
“Heart & Lung are the fourth best thing to come outta Cleveland after Bernie Kosar, Bone Thugs, and that place that sells $28 grilled cheese sandwiches,” says Red Scare Industries founder Tobias Jeg. “They’re looking to move up the Cleveland ranks with this new 3-song EP about their war against sunshine. We love to bust out the ‘Digital 45’ format whenever possible, and since every band coming through Ohio (Rise Against, Sincere Engineer, Dead To Me, Chuck Ragan, etc.) wants Heart & Lung on their show, we knew we had to strong-arm them into putting out some new tunes while we wait for their next album. Consider this a tasty morsel before you dive into that decadent $28 sando…”
Elsewhere on the EP, “Born In The Summer” is Payne’s origin story. “We’ve got some big harmonies on there to back John up while he worships the sun,” the band says. Closer “I Can’t Skate” is an admission. For years, Sullivan used a skateboard deck as a pedal board but has never been able to skate. “That’s why the guitar pedals were on there in the first place,” Sullivan says. “I’m gonna put myself out there and own it.”
The EP was engineered and mixed by Ben Ryan at Bad Racket in Cleveland. Catch Heart & Lung live at FEST in Gainesville, Florida, on October 24 and at Pouzza Fest in Montreal in 2027.
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