Sludgeworth have returned, the Chicago punk band who came of age alongside the likes of Naked Raygun, Steve Albini, and Ministry in the city’s legendary 1980s underground scene have today released their first new album in 35 years. Three and a half decades after their debut album, What’s This?, rattled punk kids everywhere, the veteran outfit is coming out of dormancy, ready for the Second Time Around that is out today via Red Scare Industries. The album is full of the band’s tried-and-true hooks and daggers like the tongue-in-cheek anthem, Can’t Change Yesterday, and the friendship anchor, Hold Steady. The dozen tracks feel like a natural progression for the beloved pop punk band that ultimately disbanded in 1993, but not before making a sincere impression on fans and future generations of music makers.
The roots of the band go back to 1989 when Brian McQuaid and Dan Schafer (The Methadones / Riverdales / Noise By Numbers / Dan Vapid & The Cheats) left Screeching Weasel, and found just as much attention with their new project. But, really, it begins even before then when all the members were cutting their teeth in teenage riot acts in the Chicago suburbs, including Schafer fronting hardcore band Generation Waste. The album follows on from 1995 compilation, Losers of the Year, that was reissued via Red Scare Industries in 2022, and 2024’s Together Not Together EP. This summer, Sludgeworth will be hitting the road with Teenage Bottlerocket with hometown record release shows set to take place in Chicago.
“I don’t think anyone had Sludgeworth putting out a full-length record in 2026 on their Bingo card. But during the hiatus, there were plenty of moments where I found myself imagining the record we never got to make — the one that should have come out as a follow-up in 1992. I think we finally made that record.” (drummer Brian McQuaid)
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