Chicago-Based Belmont Presents Triumphant “By My Side” in Wake of Latest Signing

Midwest progressive-punk quintet Belmont have unveiled their newest single and video, “By My Side,” to celebrate their recent signing with Pure Noise Records. On this, guitarist Sam Patt shares, “We've been longtime fans of the label and their approach to working with artists, and we're beyond excited to join a roster as expansive and unique as Pure Noise's.”

Directed by Michael Herrick, the video for “By My Side” reflects the band’s growth from straight edge easycore to their current multifaceted and versatile sound. Opening with ominous cyber trap electronics before slamming the door open with howling vocals and wanton percussion, the song incorporates a refreshing contrast of quick musical movements over shots of slow and aimless wandering.

Employing irony further, Belmont plays off a number of punk music video tropes, from graffiti-adorned walls to singing in the rain, from throwing a chair off a stage to performing for an empty room. Sandwiching these scenes of decrepitude, lead vocalist Taz Johnson is portrayed with a black bar across his eyes, lending a sense of anonymity that is immediately stripped by a cacophony of scratched vocals, visceral guitar riffs, and smashing drums staged in the back of a moving truck.

It makes sense, then, that the Chicago emo-pop-punk band comes from such a non-traditional range of influences including prog, metal, hip-hop, grunge, and jazz. Having formed in 2014, the five-piece has garnered a sizable following in the Chicago area since Johnson initially came together with members of his previous band in high school. After a couple of personnel changes, the lineup has solidified with the addition of drummer Brian Lada, guitarists Sam Patt and Jason Inguagiato, and bassist Alex Wieringa.

After self-releasing their debut EP and catching the attention of local label Mutant League Records, the band saw their sound steadily develop and broaden with a smorgasbord of subtle influences from a diverse set of genres. They have come a long way from their humble DIY roots, however, seeing their eponymous debut album hit #146 on the Billboard 200 chart. The critically lauded album, mixed and mastered by Dan Korneff— who has worked with Breaking Benjamin, Paramore, and A Day to Remember— also landed at #2 on Billboard’s Heatseekers, #2 on the Alternative New Artist Albums, as well as #14 on the Current Alternative Albums list.

However, their self-awareness as a punk band, evident in their music and videos, keeps them firmly tethered to their unassuming origins. In an interview with the Columbia Chronicle, they describe the band’s name inspiration, “Our first month of practices started in a loft on Belmont [Avenue]. We thought, ‘Hey, this is a catchy name.’ It’s one word and it rolls off the tongue right, so we might as well name it after the street we practiced on. At the time we thought, ‘Whoa, this is pretty pop-punk of us.’”

Belmont’s passion to perform takes shape in the form of a series of intensive back-to-back tours alongside the likes of Such Gold, Southpaw, Four Year Strong, Hot Mulligan, and several others. As a result, the high-energy band has received countless accolades, proclaimed as “bursting with heart-stopping urgency…” by Pure Grain Audio and “…the shape of punk to come” by Rock Sound Magazine.

In wake of their overwhelming success, vocalist Taz Johnson imparts, “Thank you everyone for the support over the years, we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the love and dedication we receive from our fans and friends. This is just the beginning of a long road ahead and we can’t thank everyone enough for the continued support.”

Belmont, having just wrapped up a North American tour with Grayscale, is set to head across the pond to support Real Friends in the UK and Europe.

Tour Dates

Oct 17th - Bristol, UK @ Thekla

Oct 18th - London, UK @ Electric Ballroom

Oct 19th - Birmingham, UK @ Academy 2

Oct 21st - Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms

Oct 22nd - Leeds, UK @ Stylus

Oct 23rd - Glasgow, UK @ King Tuts

Oct 25th - Manchester, UK @ Club Academy

Oct 26th - Southampton, UK @ The Loft

Oct 28th - Hamburg, DE @ Headcrash

Oct 29th - Leipzig, DE @ Moritzbastei