Cleveland, Ohio post-hardcore act Ritual Bronze is a band born in the desolate isolation of South Amherst, featuring Ryan Hardwick (Last Gasp) alongside Bob Adams, Justin Scardami, Mike Wyant, and Seth Hansen. Its self-titled debut, which sees release via Steadfast Records / Sweet Cheetah Records on June 12, arrives as one of the most emotionally honest records to come out of the region in recent memory.

Rooted in the quiet/loud dynamic of early-millennium emo and post-hardcore, the record channels the aching melodicism of On the Might of Princes, The Casket Lottery, and The Appleseed Cast without sounding like a nostalgic exercise.

The record feels lived-in because it is. The debut wrestles with addiction, heartbreak, the strange process of aging out of punk rock, and the creeping dread of watching the world reshape around you — handled with a vulnerability that makes hard songs feel like a hand on the shoulder.

The album is available for preorder now. Pick it up here. Look for the band to tour regionally this Summer.