11/11/2025
๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐๐๐:
What does the expression โever afterโ mean? Most people assume itโs preceded by โhappily,โ but that isnโt always the case. By calling their second full-length Ever After, Chicagoโs Action/Adventure lean into that ambiguity.
Since forming in 2014, the bandโlead vocalist Blake Evaristo, vocalist/guitarist Brompton Jackson, drummer Adrian Brown, bassist Manny Avila, and guitarist Oren Traceโhave built a name on honesty and energy. They went viral in 2020 with โBarricades,โ their first TikTok post, and followed it with Pure Noise releases Pulling Focus (2021) and Imposter Syndrome (2022), the latter turning their self-doubt into strength.
Their new record, Ever After, continues that story with fresh confidence. It reflects the duality of band life versus everyday lifeโand the struggle to make them coexist. โThis is literally the hardest thing Iโve ever done,โ says Jackson. โItโs really easy to get lost along the way.โ
With producer Alan Day (Four Year Strong, Knuckle Puck), Action/Adventure pushed themselves further than ever. Recorded at Ghost Hit Studio in Massachusetts, its 11 songs form a narrative from the frantic โDAYTERRORโ to the reflective โDaydream.โ
Featuring Dan Lambton (rationale.), Ben Jorgensen (Armor For Sleep), and Noahfinnce, Ever After is their heaviest work yetโabout the price of living your dream and the persistence to keep going.
โItโs not necessarily happily or unhappily ever after,โ says Jackson. โIt just never ends. The horrors of this record persistโbut so do we.โ
