HOPESFALL PREMIERES MUSIC VIDEO FOR “BRADLEY FIGHTING VEHICLE” WITH NPR
“Much like the album as a whole, [‘H.A. Wallace Space Academy’] ebbs and flows with the larger-than-life riffs and brooding melodies that Hopesfall fans grew to love…” – Loudwire
“With Arbiter, they pen a collection that rattles and hums through a series of peaks and valleys, ultimately offering a thoughtful transmission that is exactly what fans have been tuned into and craving for years.” – Cryptic Rock
“…it’s also a distillation, refinement and blend of everything that came before; an uplifting, radiant and engaging record that comfortably speaks to the potential of a bright future.” – Kill Your Stereo
Melodic hardcore legends Hopesfall have shared a brand new music video for their song “Bradley Fighting Vehicle,” premiering now exclusively on NPR. The band filmed the video while in New York City for two special sold out shows at the legendary Saint Vitus, capturing the thrill and excitement surrounding Hopesfall’s long-awaited return to the stage.
“Our first shows back were more gratifying than than we could’ve imagined. It felt right to make some noise again. We played two great venues that provided a high energy and intimate atmosphere. It’s the way Hopesfall shows were meant to be. Nothing matches the energy of a hardcore show and that’s what it felt like,” shares Jay Forrest. “I was shocked that the crowd was singing along to our new songs. The response to our new album has been overwhelmingly positive. We’re very grateful for all the opportunities we’ve had to make music and play some shows.”
“Bradley Fighting Vehicle” comes from Hopesfall’s latest album Arbiter, which was released on July 13th via Graphic Nature / Equal Vision Records, and secured the #1 spot on the Top New Artist Albums Chart, as well as #13 Independent, #14 Top Rock, #17 Internet, #32 Digital, and #41 Top Current Albums. The album has been heralded online and in print by Loudwire, Alternative Press, Metal Injection, New Noise Magazine, and more. It is now available for streaming via Spotify and Apple Music, and purchased online at hopesfall.lnk.to/arbiter.
Hopesfall formed in 1998. Over the next decade, the band would undergo numerous line-up changes but always drew from the same core group of lifelong friends to source new members. The bond between the group was so strong that even after disbanding in 2008, guitarists Joshua Brigham and Dustin Nadler and drummer Adam Morgan continued to get together on Wednesday nights to work on new music despite having no plans to release it. It was during these jam sessions that the music that would eventually find its way onto Arbiter first began to take shape.
In 2012, Brigham and Morgan visited frontman, Jay Forrest, in Chicago culminating in the decision that Forrest would add vocals to the demos. The lineup for the band’s reformation would then be cemented in August of 2015 when bassist, Chad Waldrup, joined the group to see Hum and Failure. Still, the idea of putting out new music as Hopesfall wasn’t part of the plan. With the lineup complete, the band brought their demos to another trusted collaborator – producer Mike Watts (Glassjaw, Dillinger Escape Plan, O’Brother) whom they had worked with on two previous releases, Magnetic North and A Types. It was Watts who brought the demos to Dan Sandshaw and Will Putney of Graphic Nature / Equal Vision Records where the idea of releasing it as a Hopesfall record was finally discussed. A testament to the band’s hard-earned legacy, the famed label immediately jumped on the opportunity to release the project.
Arbiter has a decidedly unique bend to it, but Brigham points out that it is built off of the same principles as Hopesfall’s previous catalog – “big riffs and dark melodies.” Forrest adds that the driving message of Arbiter remains the same as well: “Hopes fall. Tragedies happen. But that doesn’t mean you should give up or not stay the course.”
Arbiter is out now via Graphic Nature / Equal Vision Records. It is at once a reminder of why Hopesfall has become so influential and a beacon of its continued evolution.