Already Dead enter a new era with an exit strategy on ‘I Think It’s Time To Leave…’
Massachusetts wrecking crew are rebooted n’ reloaded with a confrontational new hardcore punk EP out Friday, June 20
Listen: Crushing lead single ‘Time’ is out now
EP release party set for Saturday, June 28 at Koto in Lowell
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Photo courtesy of the band
BOSTON, MA [June 20, 2025] – Over the past three (very loud) years, Already Dead have often been described as a "sampler platter of punk." And there are several reasons for that, as the Massachusetts band has dabbled in various strains of the genre, all while brashly tackling a spectrum of social issues and human causes, since first crashing the scene in 2022. From ska-punk, activist folk, and hip-hop crossovers to rallying for workers’ rights and calling out the absurd cost of living, the constantly evolving project has continued to embrace the unexpected – and take a sledgehammer to expectations.
But sometimes it’s best to just wind it back and let ‘er rip, and that’s what the band does with I Think It’s Time To Leave…, an all-killer, no-filler hardcore punk EP that unleashes on vinyl and digital on Friday, June 20. Lead single “Time” sets a confrontational tone by hitting the streams June 6.
The new record comes hot on the heels of last year’s explosive Something Like a War album – which earned the band mentions and microphones everywhere from WGBH’s The Culture Show and WBUR, Boston’s NPR to New Noise, Maximum Rocknroll, and Dying Scene – and delivers Already Dead’s first-ever vinyl issue. The 7-inch release party goes down Saturday, June 28 at Koto in Lowell alongside Vauli, The McGunks, and Autumn Astronauts.
The new record also shows off a reloaded and rebooted Already Dead lineup, as founding members Dan Cummings (vocals and guitar) and Brandon Bartlett (vocals and guitars) are now rounded out by Ian Killpartrick (bass) and Forgie (drums). Cummings and Bartlett, who also split writing duties on this record, with Bartlett taking on an enhanced role in the band’s creative process, did not have to look far for the new members. In fact, they just had to look at their own teenage backyards located just outside of Boston.
“The whole band is now from the same damn small town, born and raised,” Cummings says with a laugh. “We all know each other in different ways, and are somewhat separated by age, but there is a certain camaraderie when you grew up partying in the same woods or neighborhoods. It made it really easy to be comfortable and start creating immediately.”
I Think It’s Time To Leave… was co-produced by the band and longtime collaborator Jim Corbett, and recorded and mixed by Corbett at The Bridge Sound and Stage in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The record was mastered by Stephen Pettyjohn at Ethereal Mastering, and as for all Already Dead releases, the artwork is illustrated and designed by Mark Saffie of Saffie Design.
“These were the first batch of songs we had after Something Like a War and we were really happy with them,” Cummings says. “All five felt pretty cohesive together, and it’s five songs in 10 minutes. All killer, no bullshit. It felt like the right move after the long process of making an album.”
The unrelenting force of I Think It’s Time to Leave… is apparent right off the jump. With each track between one and three minutes in length, the punchy EP hardly gives the listener a chance to keep up. But as with most Already Dead songs, there is a lot going on just underneath the surface.
Each song centers around a loose theme of getting out of somewhere – whether it be a bad relationship, a difficult situation, a person’s expectations, or simply an annoying conversation. And as usual, the brute force Already Dead deliver this theme provides enough motivation to just get up and leave with purpose and distinction.
“All the songs on this record felt cohesive, so I tried to think of something to tie them together,” says Bartlett. “Pretty quickly I Think It’s Time to Leave… popped into my mind because I equated it to making sense, in some way, for each song. Adding an ellipsis after the title leaves it open to what we’re leaving behind in each song.”
EP opener “I’ll Go Mine” addresses leaving a toxic friendship, relationship, or situation with Already Dead’s trademark skate punk fury. “I sent Brandon the music demo and asked his thoughts on it being an instrumental,” Cummings admits. “He said ‘fuck that, why write good music and not follow through with the good words?’ I was so fuckin motivated I wrote those words in like a half hour [laughs].
Bartlett agrees: “Instrumentals always leave me bummed because lyrics and singing along to songs are so important to me. So when he sent me that fast powerful instrumental I felt with his strong songwriting he could put some great words behind it and in my opinion make it a super sick full song. And of course he delivered.”
The pummeling “Time” follows quickly, the type of track that warrants repeated listens, where Bartlett’s guttural vocals are an appropriately aggressive vessel for a lament over how we waste our days getting nothing accomplished.
“You know those days where to get what you need done, you need more time? But, all day long you find yourself complaining about how hard the day is and how it’s dragging on? That’s what this is about,” Bartnett says. “Also, do you know those days where you're dragging ass and need the day to be over? You need it all to stop for some peace of mind, but you find yourself complaining that you’ve got nothing done? That’s what this is about. It seems like everyday is either of these days and at some point something’s got to give.”
Nothing gives on I Think It’s Time to Leave… “Gettin By,” perhaps the most classic-sounding Already Dead track that sonically throws it back to 2022 debut album My Collar Is Blue, a reflection of Cummings’ day job as a Boston union pipefitter, soars with an anthemic chorus and relatable career reflection.
“I wrote the hook driving to work on a day I knew I was getting laid off,” Cummings adds. “Just thinking about work/life balance and how people choose to always strive for more or choose to be content with where they have ended up.”
The hardcore fervor picks back up with “Sick Talk,” another Bartlett-led composition that would be a raised fist if it wasn’t busy punching us in the face. “Everyone knows this person or has been in this ‘conversation’ – they just take over the conversation and only talk about themselves in some weird braggy way,” Bartlett offers. “Even better is when you know their stories are fabricated. And as they are talking you're giving physical signs of not paying attention and not caring, and thinking to yourself ‘Sick talk dude. I don’t give a fuck’.”
Things wrap with “Nothin Wrong,” perhaps the first track to offer thinly-veiled callbacks to both Operation Ivy and Beastie Boys. “The goal was to come up with some hopeful or positive lyrics, which is basically new territory for me,” Bartlett laughs. “It’s about going through some hardships but really trying to make some positive changes to habits and ways of thinking.”
The closing track also came together almost immediately, and helped launch the new EP’s writing sessions. It’s a testament to the growing collaboration between longtime friends Cummings and Bartlett.
And though Already Dead have several releases under their collective belt in a few short years, this EP feels like a rebirth. Add another punk rock happy meal to that sampler platter.
“As this band has evolved, it has evolved into a songwriting partnership,” Cummings concludes. “We work well together, and the songs we write alone work really well when put together on a track list.”
And when one leaves, they all leave.
Media Contact: Please direct all press and radio inquiries to Michael O’Connor Marotta at michael@knyvet.com and reach Dan Cummings of Already Dead at alreadydeadmusicc@gmail.com
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Already Dead is:
Daniel Cummings: Guitar and vocals
Brandon Bartlett: Guitar
Forgie: Drums
Ian Kilpatrick: Bass
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EP release party:
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‘I Think It’s Time to Leave…’ production credits:
Words and Music by Already Dead
Produced by Jim Corbett and Already Dead
Recorded and mixed by Jim Corbett at The Bridge Sound and Stage in Cambridge, MA
Mastered by Stephen Pettyjohn at Ethereal Mastering
Artwork by Mark Saffie @saffiedesign
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‘I Think It’s Time to Leave…’ EP artwork :
Artwork by Mark Saffie @ Saffie Design
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Already Dead short bio:
The sound of punk has changed, and so have the bands that define the genre. But some attitudes remain steady, and one of the more vocal and proactive groups to hit the scene is Already Dead, a three-piece band hailing from Massachusetts. Led by songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist Dan Cummings, Already Dead is composed of blue collar musicians (rounded out by bassist Brandon Bartlett and drummer Nick Cali) that unequivocally support the middle class and the true builders and visionaries of every city and town. Before forming Already Dead, its members were raised on punk, ska, and hardcore bands, and mix in other influences across a spectrum of genres to create a sound that’s entirely their own.
Already Dead crashed the scene in Summer 2022 with debut single “Stability,” which instantly caught attention in their native New England. Debut album My Collar is Blue, recorded at The Bridge Sound and Stage in Cambridge, followed in October, and the seven-song sampler platter of punk helped earn Already Dead a nomination for Punk Artist of the Year at the 2022 Boston Music Awards.
Unable to rest or sit still for very long, new music quickly followed in 2023: A genre-bending collaboration with BOS The Rapper titled “Don’t Wake Me”; a punk rendition of the “Bread & Roses” protest song for Labor Day, complete with a live performance at the Bread & Roses festival in Lawrence; and acoustic rager “Landlord”, an impassioned rally to highlight our society’s collective financial instability. New album Something Like A War arrived with a fury in Summer 2024, led by first single “The Spirit of Massachusetts” in May. A new EP, I Think It’s Time To Leave…, quickly followed in Summer 2025.
Cummings has also been a vocal presence on the front lines of labor movements, performing his music in solidarity for the working class and speaking openly about the rights of blue-collar citizens to the media and on radio. With growing support in their backyard and beyond, Already Dead has been featured on WBUR, Boston’s NPR Station, and GBH’s The Culture Show, as well as Dying Scene, New Noise Magazine, If It’s Too Loud, Rock & Roll Fables, Worcester Magazine, The Struggling Artist Podcast, That’s Good Enough For Me, Hump Day News, and elsewhere across the digital media landscape.
Call it punk, call it whatever you want. It’s Already Dead.
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Media praise for last year’s ‘Something Like A War’ album:
“What strikes me is the emotion behind the song [‘The Spirit of Massachusetts Avenue’] — you are calling this out and you are forcefully calling this out.” _Jared Bowen on GBH ‘The Culture Show’
“Already Dead's 'Landlord' is a protest song for the modern labor movement.” _WBUR, Boston’s NPR
“Something Like A War features 14 tracks of punk fury, driven by aggression, observation, and self-reflection.” _New Noise
“Already Dead have managed to create an album that demands to be heard in its entirety, each song tells a story and together they form a powerful statement about life and the struggles of the working class.” _Wave Pressure
“‘Landlord’ furthers Already Dead’s growing legacy as New England’s independent punk rock voice for the working class.” _Jammerzine
“With ‘The Spirit of Massachusetts Avenue’ Already Dead gave a promise it seemed impossible to deliver upon. It did though with a great punk album that stands out there with the best in history.” _WoNoBlog
“Something Like A War really blew me away. The album and band have a controlled aggression about them at times with tracks that are full of social discourse and become thought provoking with their observative cogitations, self-reflection, and share the battles we all face from external forces and internal demons. Wonderful stuff.” _Maximum Volume Music
“With the amount of material that’s been previewed ahead of its’ release, Already Dead’s Something Like A War is something like a ‘Greatest Hits’ because of the awareness of a lot of the new music out, ahem, already. Which is fine by us as we can’t seem to get enough of Already Dead’s clashing of styles which boils down to some classic SoCal Punk (Read: Rancid) by way of Southie.” _Rock & Roll Fables
“Brilliant.” _The Whole Kameese
“It’s electrifyingly cohesive with each song having the ability to hit the senses like a ton of bricks. Something Like a War is a stellar example of the sheer emphasis and force that punk rock can provide. It’s also going to make whoever is listening a one-person mosh pit right when they press play.” _Culture Beat
“Talking about getting alive. This new manic missile [‘The Spirit of Massachusetts Avenue’] speeds up across the Massachusetts roadway with all engines on. Feet on the gas pedal, going everywhere fast, motorized by Blink-182 echoing guitars, fearless drums, intertwining shouts-and-screams and a flaming chorus. This is a great moment to get your hot rod out of the garage, pretend you’re an easy rider, pull-up like a Formula 1 bolide and raise your middle to all the bad guys along your trip. Fasten your seatbelt, the race starts here.” _Turn Up The Volume
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Press Contact: Michael O’Connor Marotta at michael@knyvet.com
Band Contact: Dan Cummings at alreadydeadmusicc@gmail.com
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