Formed one evening in 2012 by friends sharing good beer and good sounds, Nashville’s Free Throw soon grew in stature to become leading lights in the emo revival. Yet the band have been defined by a constant motion, a forward thrust that ensures this quintet have their sights set upon the horizon, rather than looking back towards some mythical age. Sixth album, Moments Before The Wind finds Free Throw continuing their upward trajectory, but now the band have reached a pinnacle (of sorts), they’ve produced a record which surveys all they’ve been, whilst offers an intriguing glimpse of what’s to come.

Opening track ‘Missing No.’ is indicative of the band’s approach; they don’t feel the need to arrive with guitars blazing and drums pounding, rather ‘Missing No.’ takes a more insidious approach. With a guitar that sparkles like stars in a crystalline sky, along with Cory Castro’s world-weary vocals, ‘Missing No.’ is akin to stepping into quicksand; at first you don’t feel its pull until, before you realise, you are completely at its mercy. A similar thing happens here, the effect is quite hypnotic and means that when the song kicks in at the 55-second mark, it kicks in hard. It’s like being rudely awokening (but in the nicest possible way), only to find that you are totally encased within the band’s sound. Free Throw are a group who blur the lines between different genres: emo, punk, post-hardcore and indie are all very much in evidence here, and it is modus operandi that affords them a lot of music freedom. Listening to Moments Before The Wind is very much like encountering shifting sands, certain genres are brought to the fore at specific moments, only to recede and replaced by others as the record progresses. Take ‘The Need For A Post-Credits Scene’, for example; emo and punk tussle for the listener’s attention, the two performing a strange dance that culminates in an easy equilibrium. It’s from here that the band derive their perpetual motion, things never stay in one position for long, meaning that there’s never any danger of it becoming staid. It renders Moments Before The Wind an old school album and the type of record that can be consumed in one sitting.

Those already familiar with Free Throw will find much to admire in this album; those neat lyrical twists and musical turns are very much evident, while the uninitiated will be drawn into the band’s web by the magnetic pull of ‘Floarama Town’ and the sheer effervescence of ‘The Outlaw’. This is an album that finds Free Throw consolidating their position as punk’s brightest spark, whilst simultaneously signposting a bright future. Moments Before The Wind is going to kick up a storm.

• Moments Before The Wind is released via Wax Bodega on 27th March 2026.

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Track List:

1. Missing No.

2. Mike Nolan’s Long Weekend

3. For Those Who Come Home After

4. Floaroma Town

5. The Need For A Post-Credits Scene

6. The Outlaw Star

7. A Hero’s Grave

8. There Will Come Soft Rains

9. Deviancy

10. The Dollar General Store Ain’t Gonna Rob Itself

11. The Waters Of Life