Watch Lovejoy's 'Alphabet (Wasted Summer)' Video
(Warner) Brighton-based band Lovejoy announce their upcoming Second To One EP and share the project's searing lead single, "Alphabet (Wasted Summer)." Out now via Warner Records, the new song is a dizzying dash through the messy hallways of love powered by blistering dance-punk and explosive indie rock.
"Alphabet (Wasted Summer)" reunites Lovejoy with producer Ali Chant (Perfume Genius, Gruff Rhys), who helmed their beloved fall 2025 album One Simple Trick. Driving drums, a hot post-punk bassline, and panning guitar grit/grind propel the track out of the gate as Will Gold's manic vocals paint a surreal picture of an entanglement he just can't escape. "It's wrong if I stay, even worse if I go," he observes, before slyly accepting his fate: "Wanna be my cellmate? I promise I can whittle soap / I'll make us matching bracelets - right before I make the key mold."
"When we wrote our debut album One Simple Trick we tried to keep it as tight as possible. We ended up creating a lot more music than we released because of this. Some of this is because it didn't excite us, some because we could rework it better, others were because they didn't fit the world of the record despite being songs we loved. Second to One is the afterbirth of One Simple Trick. It's the songs we love and want to share but couldn't find a place amongst the music of our debut," the band shared.
The new music arrives as One Simple Trick continues to find new audiences. In May, Lovejoy released the delightfully absurd dolphin-themed visual for "Perfect Blue." The band's debut album also launched the singles "Common Touch," "Pay & Display," and "With Rob As My Witness," whose music videos link up to depict the journey of a man trapped in his own mind. "Baptism" followed, portraying Gold as a miracle-slinging televangelist saving souls for cash.
Lovejoy followed the LP release with an extensive North American headline tour. That 27-date run included performances at New York's Webster Hall, Los Angeles' The Wiltern, DC's 9:30 Club, Chicago's House of Blues, and many more sizable venues, underscoring the band's reach beyond their native England and the enthusiasm for their famously high-energy performances.
In 2023, Lovejoy released their adrenaline-soaked Wake Up & It's Over EP, which entered the U.K. Official Albums Chart at #5. This followed 2021's raw Pebble Brain EP, which hit #12 on the same chart based solely on streaming. Earlier that year, Lovejoy released their debut EP, Are You Alright?, which has so far amassed nearly 500 million streams on Spotify alone.
After coming together during lockdown, Gold, guitarist Joe Goldsmith, bassist Ash Kabosu, and drummer Mark Boardman quickly solidified themselves as indie darlings while amassing a rabid fanbase. They've sold out shows around the world and played festivals including Reading & Leeds, Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, Summerfest, and Japan's Summer Sonic, among others.
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