ONE FALL harness a collective rage with relentless new EP ‘Cut & Run’
Salem melodic punk band raise the riffs to address social inequality and systemic oppression on an unapologetic new EP out Thursday, June 5
Vinyl release party set for August 8 at Deep Cuts in Medford
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Photo Credit: Brittany Rose Queen
BOSTON, Mass. [June 5, 2025] -- By now we’ve all heard the phrase “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” But in 2025, it’s impossible to not be mindful and aware of the horrific things that are playing out in American life each and every day. So what to do with our outrage, our fury, and our unwillingness to capitulate to the rise of fascism and all its overreaching tentacles?
For ONE FALL, the answer is simple: Harness a collective rage under a maelstrom of riffs, channel the disheartening things we see on the news into an empowered and melodic call for action and awareness, and offer the world perhaps the most blistering and relentless EP we’ll hear this year – all with a unified message that, like Churchill once said, the only way out of this hell is to keep pushing forward.
And push forward is what we’ll do. The Salem melodic punk band unleash Cut & Run on Thursday, June 5, ahead of a string of shows that include – with more to soon be announced – a hometown gig on June 21 at Moon Base One; the EP’s vinyl release party August 8 at Deep Cuts in Medford with Cape Crush, Blame it on Whitman, and Tired Radio; and a debut appearance at Donde la Abuela Fest in the Dominican Republic come November.
But first, there’s a message ONE FALL – the power quartet of Helen McWilliams on vocals and rhythm guitar; Caleb Wheeler on drums; Phill Hunt on lead guitar; and Darren Lourie on bass – is intent on delivering. And it explodes out of the speakers in the band’s third and most ambitious EP, their first since October 2023’s Spine First!, which arrived a few short months after the band earned victory at the Rock and Roll Rumble, the city’s vaunted “World Series of Boston Rock.”
If the prior EP was that of a band finding its footing, the dynamic Cut & Run is ONE FALL using that foot to kick all sorts of ass at the loudest volume possible. And they aren’t making any apologies.
“There is a lot of rage against the Trump administration and against various power structures that serve to oppress us,” says McWilliams. “Across the EP, there are themes about the rightful and justifiable uses of violence against oppressors and about survival mechanisms in general. And through it all, there is a romanticism around escape and survival against internal and external forces that hold us down.”
It doesn’t take long to get the point across.
EP opener “The Modern Age” barrels out of the gate with ONE FALL’s trademark speed punk, as a holy riff of ‘80s metal magnitude crashes down like lightning while the track tackles inequity American women face in defending themselves from abusers. “There are women, particularly women of color, in prisons all over this country for killing, or even just threatening to harm, their abusers, rapists, and traffickers,” notes McWilliams. “Members of marginalized groups only have the illusion of self defense. That’s fundamentally what this song is about, but of course it also reflects the rage we feel against this administration – which is a throughline across the EP.”
Next up, the searing and arena-ready “Lights Out (Love and Class Warfare)” was inspired by recent headlines, and under the barrage of riffage and rock and roll thunder the band poses a question of whether a murder is ever justified. “There’s inspiration and fortitude that oppressed groups can draw from folk heroes like John Brown who use violence to defend the defenseless,” reasons McWilliams. “It’s also a romance fantasy about escape – I have a sort of deeply-held, dystopian vision of holding an ally’s hand and running hard until you hit an ocean, which is, unavoidably, a recurring theme in our songs and certainly makes itself visible in this one. My wish is that it evokes hope in dark times.”
The aggressive poignancy does not let up, musically or lyrically, on the EP’s second half. The anthemic “Keep Walking” stands shoulder-to-shoulder with those who have experienced street harassment and unwanted attention while out in public: “This one is for the members of marginalized genders who are navigating the potential for harassment,” McWilliams adds, “and the threat of violence whenever they leave their homes.”
And perhaps unexpectedly, EP closer “Harder Days” takes ONE FALL to previously unassumed heights, thematically balancing the reality of our despair and attempts to escape mental prisons of regret with a slight glimmer of hope that tomorrow could be a better day. And those two sides are illustrated as the song, midway through, shifts gears with a drastic tempo drop as a battle cry mantra emerges to help escape a bad situation and find hope in the future. It goes from a cautionary tale ripper to all inclusive main-stage sing-along, all while retaining ONE FALL’s penchant for sonic intensity. It’s a closer worthy of an overwrought concept double-album, let alone a four-track EP.
“We want to do stuff that moves us forward, whether that means reaching a new audience, connecting with new bands or promoters, or leveling up musically,” says Wheeler. “On this EP, we push ourselves hard in a few different directions… It’s less about branching out, and more about going deeper. We know what kind of music we want to make, what we’re good at musically, and what our audience responds to, so we’re focusing on digging deeper into that well rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.”
Cut & Run takes the band’s electric cocktail of ‘80s-inflicted arena rock ambition, classic metal, and skate punk energy and pushes the boundaries of what one might expect from the band.
“I would say this record is more us deciding to do what comes naturally rather than try and fit into a pre-existing box,” says Hunt. “This time around we didn’t ‘try’ to write anything, we just went with the flow of how the songs were shaping up. I think that’s evident in ‘Harder Days’. The first half of the song is a rager and the latter half is a lullaby. We didn’t try and write it that way, but it felt natural to the song. If you take that latter half out of context of the entire song, we don’t sound like a punk band at all. We felt more comfortable this time around to take those risks and follow the song rather than follow the genre.”
All four songs on Cut & Run will get the music video treatment, as well. Thorn & Petal films captured a behind-the-scenes-of-recording for “Keep Walking”; Matt Kristek created a Dungeons & Dragons-adventure-themed visual for “Lights Out (Love and Class Warfare)”; and Josh Hand of Stigmata Merch filmed live scenes for both “The Modern Age” and “Harder Days” at Moon Base One in Salem. The various visuals and aesthetics aim to showcase the various sides of ONE FALL and the family system they’ve created.
“The entire recording process was the most fun I’ve ever had in the studio, and I can’t wait for the world to hear what we’ve created,” says Lourie, the band’s newest member. “I met the gang in the studio during the recording of Spine First!, and did get a gang vox cameo at that time, and we became fast friends. I’m honored and grateful to be a part of something so special, and sincerely love and appreciate the time we’ve spent together. We are truly a family, and it’s beyond refreshing to work (and play! and eat!) with people who are this kind, respectful, and supportive of one another.”
Cut & Run was recorded at New Alliance Audio in Somerville, Massachusetts, and engineered and mixed by ONE FALL’s longtime collaborator Kyle Paradis. Engineering assistance was provided by Ollie Becker, the record was mastered by Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East Mastering, and the album art and design was created by Adam Cutler at Motionless Visions.
The family notion also extends well into the tracks themselves, as Cut & Run was a collaborative effort that saw ONE FALL inviting in a slew of voices to contribute to the record. Guest vocalists include Oh the Humanity’s Paradis (“The Modern Age”), The Promised End’s Paul Picillo (“Lights Out (Love and Class Warfare)”), The Iron Roses’ Nat Gray and Becky Fontaine (“Keep Walking”); and Oh the Humanity’s Kevin Athas and Blame It On Whitman’s Max Davis on “Harder Days.” Paradis, Picillo, Athas, Davis, and 10-year-old future punk rock superstar Cora Amittay come together to supply gang vocals.
If we’re gonna get out of this mess, it makes sense that we’ll need the help of our friends.
“Getting to work with these incredible vocalists that we admire so much was the best part of making this record,” says McWilliams. “I think there’s something really special happening in our scene right now – it was honestly hard to decide who to ask first. Bands like The Promised End, Oh the Humanity, and Blame it on Whitman are really moving the needle in our genre. And of course it was a huge honor to have Nat Gray and Becky Fontaine of the Iron Roses appear on the record. We are all awed by the Iron Roses on a daily basis. How fucking cool to have all these stars on this little four-song EP?”
While ONE FALL is stretching some musical muscle, in the end, it all comes back down to having something to say and being unapologetic in how to say it. Across 15 spirited minutes, ONE FALL is just letting it rip – and bringing a community together in the process. It’s a record one can skate to, and a record one can protest with. Because right now, that’s our lives, regardless of how much we’re paying attention.
“We’re inspired by the other bands in the melodic hardcore/skate punk scene who are pushing the boundaries of the genre,” McWilliams concludes. “We try to always be pushing ourselves and there’s a healthy tension between wanting to experiment with weird musical choices and trying to, you know, write hooks.”
Media Contact: Please direct all band inquiries to Helen McWilliams
and ONE FALL at onefallma@gmail.com.
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ONE FALL is:
Phill Hunt: Guitar and Vocals
Darren Lourie: Bass and Vocals
Helen McWilliams: Vocals and Guitar
Caleb Wheeler: Drums and Vocals
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‘Cut & Run’ EP artwork:
Design Credit: Adam Cutler at Motionless Visions
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‘Cut & Run’ EP credits:
Recorded at New Alliance Audio in Somerville, MA
Engineered and mixed by Kyle Paradis
Engineering assistance by Ollie Becker
Mastered by Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East Mastering in Somerville, MA
Album art and design by Adam Cutler at Motionless Visions in Worcester, MA
Press photo by Brittany Rose Queen
“The Modern Age” guest vocals by Kyle Paradis (Oh the Humanity)
“Lights Out (Love and Class Warfare)” guest vocals by Paul Picillo (The Promised End)
“Keep Walking” guest vocals by Nat Gray and Becky Fontaine (The Iron Roses)
“Harder Days” guest vocals by Kevin Athas (Oh the Humanity) and Max Davis (Blame It On Whitman). EBow guitar by Kyle Paradis
Gang vocals by ONE FALL, Kyle Paradis, Kevin Athas, Paul Picillo, Max Davis,
and introducing Cora Amittay
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Media praise for ONE FALL:
“Triumphant…” _That’s Good Enough For Me
“They take the best parts of punk, metal, and hardcore and make something that's all them. Once you figure out how Spine First! is going to go, they come in with a song like ‘Raleigh,’ which is a mid-tempo (as far as One Fall goes) near power ballad. (Power ballad is a relative term, as this might be the fastest and heaviest song on another band's release.) ‘Back to the Wall’ reminds me of Anthrax's experiments with hip-hop. Just when I start wondering if One Fall made this EP just for me, they close it out with a cover of Bruce Springsteen's iconic ‘Born to Run,’ so maybe they actually did?” _If It’s Too Loud
“Spine First! is a blistering five song effort, complete with a closing Bruce Springsteen cover, that blurs One Fall’s genre lines even further. _The Punk Site
“The quartet has an emphatic and melodic approach to punk rock that incorporates hints of hardcore for a substantial edge. _Worcester Magazine
“The Salem group was quick to shred the evening’s final competing set into epic snapshots: Pleather boots perched on monitors, sweaty locks of hair tossed back and snapped forward, concentration funneled into fast fingers skating across a golden Gibson. And good luck to anyone trying to take a photo whenever lead singer and guitarist Helen McWilliams punched a riotous fist in the air, causing a legion of North Shore devotees to follow suit right in front of every camera lens.” _Vanyaland
“If you catch the reference in the band name ONE FALL, the melodic punk rockers’ music will make perfect sense… Regardless of genre or labels, ONE FALL’s sound captures some of the attributes of pro wrasslin’ with its high-energy.” _Salem News
“If you like melodic punk – and c’mon, who doesn’t – the Salem quartet will slay you. Helen McWilliams voice has never, ever sounded better than on ‘Rats Abandon Ship.’ It’s impossibly big and framed so expertly by a tidal wave of sneering, cheering hooky punk guitars and drums.” _Boston Herald
“One Fall delivered an energetic set that mixed an Old School NYHC aesthetic with West Coast Punk vibe as vocalist/rhythm guitarist Helen McWilliams launched into a Davey Havok meets Glenn Danzig hybrid behind the mic as they ripped through a stellar set…” _Rock And Roll Fables
“One Fall is a Salem, MA punk rock supergroup. The band just released their debut three song EP, and to call it melodic hardcore is an understatement. Musically ‘Slingshot’, ‘Rats Abandon Ship’... fit squarely into the melodic hardcore genre. It's loud and hard like hardcore should be, but there is still a melodic element throughout the songs. It's not just fast and loud, but it's catchy as hell. And then there's the vocals. McWilliams has a voice not typically heard in music this loud. It's more of a pop style of vocal, but somehow One Fall make it work with the more aggressive music. Plus, there is some crazy great harmonizing going on here, the kind you'd normally hear with a band like The Beths than punk or hardcore.” _If It’s Too Loud
“The new melodic punk quartet out of Salem dropped a lightning bolt of a self-titled EP last month, boast some significant Boston music DNA (Razors in the Night, Giant Target…), and are fronted by do-no-wrong vocalist and rhythm guitarist Helen McWilliams (Tijuana Sweetheart). ONE FALL’s three-track EP, a polished hit machine recorded and mixed by Kyle Paradis, is a high-energy punk powderkeg that’s both brash and inviting, packing the type of infectious ragers that squat in your dome and refuse to vacate.” _Vanyaland
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Band Contact: Helen McWilliams at onefallma@gmail.com
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