Isle of Wight street-punks Grade 2 have announced the release date for their much-anticipated fourth album.
Talk About It will be released in April 3, via Hellcat Records, with lead single Standing In The Downpour out now.
Bass-playing frontman Sid Ryan, guitarist Jack Chatfield, and drummer Jacob Hull have made an album that’s both a reflection of their personal struggles and a rallying cry for a generation.
An unflinching exploration of love, loss, and the emotional toll of growing up in a band, Grade 2 promise to deliver the grit, hooks, and clarity that has made them one of the UK’s most exciting young punk acts.
Hanging On To You was the first taste of the new album back in October, with a second track, Cut Throat, following in November. Today, the trio shared lead single Standing In The Downpour.
“Standing In The Downpour is a story through reminiscence, written in a conversational manner as if between old friends,” says Sid. “From a British seaside town upbringing, rowdy nights and reckless decision making, to finding your feet in early adulthood.”
It’s 12 years since the trio first made music as schoolkids, and they’ve been a lot since; from seeing dreams dangling precariously during Covid, to blasting back with 2023’s self-titled third LP (reviewed here), with Rancid’s Tim Armstrong sharing production duties.
The band looked to have claimed their place on top of the world, but offstage, they were dealing with island life back at their parents’ homes, finding time for romantic relationships and plotting a path through a world increasingly falling to pieces.
Talk About It is a chronicle of every tribulation and triumph. “The title-track was initially called Communication, a song about how men don’t talk about the things that really matter to them,” explains Sid.
“But it became Talk About It, which sums up the whole album, touching on every emotion that you feel while being in a band, from love to loss, to personal turmoil to ambition. It’s a coming-of-age story about Grade 2 entering adulthood.”
“This is everything we’ve been through,” the lead singer smiles bittersweetly, “but we’re here!”
Grade 2 will promote the album with a nine-date UK tour, beginning in Belfast on March 20.
