Downcast Reveal Politically Charged New Single “Brainless”
New Single / Lyric Video Out Now!
August 2026 UK Tour Kicks Off Next Week
Best known as one of the UK’s rising emo bands over recent years, downcast’s new single takes them in an entirely new direction. Their new single, brainless, is a topical, politically charged rager, with both a style and subject matter that one might expect from the likes of Rise Against or boysetsfire, rather than the Bristol natives.
Never a band to shy away from difficult subject matter (as recent single falling to pieces demonstrates perfectly), downcast’s new single brainless covers numerous topics. Most prominently, the theme of right wing demonising of immigrants and desensitisation to the fact that there are real people suffering, not just meaningless faces on the end of a screen. As the outro says, “How many kids have got to die, before you open up your eyes?”. There are powerful messages in this song, that would make a difference if some people took it to heart.
The lyric video for brainless can be found below:
brainless can be streamed on your platform of choice on this link.
To explain more about brainless, here’s downcast frontman Liam Edwards:
“Our new single is about my frustrations with the rise of far-right ideologies in the UK in recent years. I’ve witnessed so many people become radicalised by false information, and it’s sad knowing that their hatred is completely misplaced. To see people convinced that those who they have the most in common with are the reason for their struggles, while praising the billionaires who are destroying our planet and making us poorer, is so disappointing.“
The release of brainless follows on from downcast’s last single, the very successful and hugely personal falling to pieces. Written about frontman Liam Edwards’ little brothers’ passing from medical complications arising from alcoholism, falling to pieces is the most heartfelt, heartbreaking downcast song so far.
falling to pieces features a guest appearance by Tyler Zanon of Youth Fountain, adding his distinct tones to further increase the emotional heaviness of the track.
You can check out the lyric video for falling to pieces below:
You can also stream falling to pieces on this link.
Having now released two new singles, downcast’s UK headline tour is almost here! Taking in shows in London, Birmingham, Cardiff and Bristol, the tour will also see downcast trade places with their support band, UK pop punks Stay Safe, to take on support duties for the last two dates of the tour in Manchester and Huddersfield.
CF98 will also provide additional entertainment at the London, Birmingham and Cardiff dates.
The full list of shows follows below:
downcast Summer UK Tour 2026 w/ Stay Safe and CF98
Aug 25th – London – New Cross Inn
Aug 26th – Birmingham – Subside (free entry)
Aug 27th – Cardiff – Fuel Rock Club
Aug 28th – Bristol – The Louisiana
Aug 29th – Manchester – Lion’s Den (Stay Safe headline)
Aug 30th – Huddersfield – The Parish (Stay Safe headline)
For ticket information for all shows please visit linktr.ee/downcastuk.
About downcast
After carving an impressive reputation for themselves in their local scene, Bristol natives and alt-rock/emo specialists downcast released their debut album “i saw hell when i was with you” in 2022 to huge critical and fan acclaim. Featuring the singles “catharsis“, “a weight that i can’t stand“, “mistakes that i have made” and “i want to love again“, the album was forged from a collection of the life experiences of the band, particularly frontman Liam Edwards. Produced by Ian Sadler (Cold Bones, Delaire The Liar) “i saw hell when i was with you” took downcast all around the UK, winning them new fans wherever they went. The album and singles also won them backing from Kerrang, Rock Sound, Punktastic, State Of The Scene, Spotify and YouTube official editorial playlists, to name just a few.
2024 saw downcast blast back to life with a vengeance. Beginning with their single “bittersweet“, the release of their 90’s retro nostalgia themed WTF HAPPENED EP was a highlight of the UK emo/alt-rock scene, topped off with the other excellent singles raincheck and your absence.
After a period of writing, downcast returned in September 2025, embracing their fun side to the maximum with their unique take on the Backstreet Boys’ Just Want You To Know. The hugely successful singles Nothing Left To Give (featuring Jessie from Dream State) and Home (featuring Sammy from WSTR) followed. Having now released the full Nothing Left To Give EP, the Summer of 2026 sees downcast hitting the road again for their first full headline tour in some time. Armed with their two new singles, falling to pieces and brainless, downcast are set for some of the best live shows of their career so far, with more to come in the rest of 2026…..
