London indie rockers The Howlers will release their second studio album ‘Heavy’ on 9 October.
The release caps a huge run for the pair, who’ve spent the past few months tearing through UK + European stages alongside Alice Cooper, ZZ Top, Deep Purple and Wolfmother.
With a mammoth run of instore dates in support of the release, catch them at venues around the nation performing tracks in a town near you for the first time – full dates and details below.
Some songs take months to wrestle into shape. Others arrive almost fully formed, like they were always waiting to be found. The Howler’s latest single “D.R.I.V.E” is the latter: heavy-hitting, driving, and armed with an insatiable groove, it’s quintessential Howlers: a shot of momentum built for the road, sticky club floors and everything in between.
“’D.R.I.V.E’ is one of those songs that comes together so quickly that it all becomes a blur and you’re left thinking ‘did I write that,'” says frontman Adam Young. “The vision of this album was to write a heavier record than our debut — a record that can be played in a club, in a mosh pit, and also behind the wheel. The song itself is about the thrill of meeting someone you can’t resist, someone who, when they walk across the room, you’re fixated.”
Following a period of transition at the end of 2024, The Howlers entered a new phase, with frontman Adam Young rebuilding the project as a two-piece alongside drummer Toby Richards — a shift that redefined both the band’s sound and creative direction, bringing a renewed sense of focus and identity.
That reset came off the back of a breakthrough year. Their self-funded debut album ‘What You’ve Got To Lose To Win It All’ landed to widespread European acclaim, breaking into the UK Independent Breakers Chart Top 10 while securing multiple positions across independent, vinyl and physical sales charts. Radio support followed from BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, Radio X and Absolute Radio, alongside international backing and editorial playlisting across Apple Music and Spotify.
That momentum translated directly to the stage. A sold-out 18-date UK headline tour established the band as one of the country’s most exciting live acts, followed by a European run that saw them sell out shows across eight countries — road-testing new material that would ultimately shape what came next.
Where that debut was defined by grief and personal loss, ‘Heavy’ emerges from a very different place. Driven by the tension between desire and consequence, recklessness and reality, it’s an album lit by the pull of the night, the thrill of impulse and the cold clarity that follows.
Written and produced alongside long-time collaborator Chris Ostler (Black Honey), the record deliberately sidesteps traditional studio methods. Instead, it was built remotely, with demos, ideas and reworked compositions exchanged across digital platforms, stripping everything back while pushing each track to its strongest form. Only in the final stages did the band enter rehearsal spaces to capture live drums, grounding its more experimental edges with a raw, physical energy.
Young adds: “This album is those late-night experiences, the after-dark conversations, late-night phone calls, the seductive nature of impulsiveness that seems so alluring and losing yourself in the addictive nature of recklessness — but it’s also the mirror in the morning, the wake-up call, and the harsh reality of knowing those feelings won’t always last. It’s the moment you find yourself again.”
For a band that has always worn its honesty as a badge of honour — and built a fiercely loyal following on the back of it — ‘Heavy’ feels like the album The Howlers were always moving towards. With an extensive UK and European headline tour to follow, 2025 is shaping up to be their biggest year yet.
Instore Tour
9th October – Apple Stump, Nantwich
9th October – Wax & Beans, Bury
10th October – Pie & Vinyl, Portsmouth
10th October – Banquet Records, Kingston
11th October – Intense Records (Viaduct), Chelmsford
12th October – Rough Trade, Bristol
13th October – Rockabuy Records, Oakham
13th October – Rough Trade, Nottingham
14th October – Rough Trade East, London
15th October – A.S.L.O.V, Gosport
15th October – Vinilo, Southampton
16th October – Sound Knowledge, Marlborough
16th October – Truck, Oxford
17th October – Jacaranda Records, Liverpool
18th October – Assai, Glasgow
18th October – Assai, Aberdeen
19th October – Assai, Edinburgh
20th October – Beyond, Newcastle
20th October – Crash, Leeds
21st October – Vinyl Tap, Huddersfield
Album Tour
3rd March – Mash House, Edinburgh
4th March – The Cluny, Newcastle
5th March, The Deaf Institute, Manchester
6th March – O2 Institute 3, Birmingham
10th March – Exchange, Bristol
11th March – The Joiners, Southampton
12th March – Bush Hall, London
13th March – Arts Centre, Norwich