Summerbruise - Infinity Guise

Indianapolis’ self-described “fake emo” collective Summerbruise has always thrived in contradiction: grief delivered with a wink, humour steeped in heartbreak, and raw sincerity tucked inside self-deprecating jokes. With their latest release, Infinity Guise, which is out now, the band makes their debut on SideOneDummy Records, and the step-up feels both earned and inevitable. Across twelve tracks, the band sharpens the duality that has defined their career so far, crafting a record that is equal parts gut-punch and grin.

From the opening chords of “Making It Worse,” it’s clear Summerbruise isn’t interested in reinventing themselves so much as refining their voice. Frontman Mike Newman’s lyrics remain brutally candid, circling death, self-doubt, and fractured friendships with the kind of sardonic wit that’s long been his calling card. Yet this time around, Newman is no longer steering the ship alone: the album marks the band’s first project written as a full five-piece, and the expanded lineup breathes new life into the material.

Tracks like “What Do You Mean ‘Guise’?” and “Meet Hell Halfway” thrive on the interplay between jagged guitars and punchy rhythms, proving that Summerbruise’s instrumental muscle is every bit as compelling as Newman’s storytelling. Meanwhile, “Never Bothered” stands out as one of the most devastating cuts in their catalogue—a bitter, unflinching meditation on suicide, regret, and the fallout of a fractured community.

But Infinity Guise isn’t a wall-to-wall dirge. For every moment of heavy reflection, there’s levity and absurdity to counterbalance it. “Man! I Feel Like a Dumbass!” plays like an inside joke set to shimmering guitar riffs, while “Rusev Day (Say Hi To Kate)” nods to their love of pro wrestling and friendships in equal measure. However, these moments of levity never cheapen the record’s emotional core—instead, they highlight Summerbruise’s unique ability to capture the complexity of being both broken and laughing about it.

Perhaps the album’s most intriguing moment comes with “Cookie Monster Snapback,” featuring Tades Sanville of Hot Mulligan. For the first time in their decade-long career, Summerbruise ventures outside autobiography, telling the story of a student Newman once taught who sought escape through toxic online “Sigma” culture. What began as a tongue-in-cheek jam inspired by Dave Matthews Band’s “Ants Marching” morphed into one of the record’s sharpest commentaries—catchy, biting, and deeply relevant.

Elsewhere, collaborations further enrich the record: “VAN” brings in Carpool for a burst of youthful emo exuberance, while the rest of the band flexes newfound confidence as arrangers and vocalists. The harmonies and playful experimentation, especially on tracks like “Man! I Feel Like a Dumbass!” and “Bottle Episode,” demonstrate just how much Summerbruise 2.0 has grown into a genuine unit.

Recorded with producer Nick Starrantino at Deadend Studio on Long Island, Infinity Guise manages to sound both scrappy and ambitious. The guitars ring with warmth, the drums crack with urgency, and Newman’s vocals—equal parts weary sigh and exasperated shout—sit front and center without losing the sense of a band playing shoulder-to-shoulder in the same room.

By the time the album's closing number “Was The Grink There?” fades out, Summerbruise has delivered their most complete statement yet: an album that wrestles with mortality, mocks its own despair, and finds comfort in collective noise-making. Infinity Guise doesn’t pretend to have answers—it’s emo poetry for the perpetually overwhelmed, a coping mechanism for life’s mundanity and its tragedies alike.

More than a decade since their inception, Summerbruise has never sounded more alive. On Infinity Guise, they embrace their contradictions, lean into their quirks, and prove once again why they’re one of the most refreshingly human voices in modern emo.

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