Philadelphia shoegaze heavyweights NOTHING have kicked off 2026 with the release of their new single toothless coal, the latest track to be taken from their forthcoming fifth studio album a short history of decay, due out on 27th February.
NOTHING
Following the previously released cannibal world and purple strings, toothless coal highlights another distinct facet of NOTHING’s evolving sound. Where cannibal world leaned into a baggier, groove-driven aesthetic and purple strings stripped everything back to acoustic guitar and unfiltered vocals, toothless coal introduces a grinding, industrial edge. It’s a darker, more abrasive track that underlines the band’s refusal to sit still, setting the tone for an album that promises to be their most sonically expansive and emotionally direct to date.
Recorded with a newly solidified lineup featuring guitarist Doyle Martin, bassist Bobb Bruno, drummer Zachary Jones and guitarist Cam Smith, a short history of decay captures frontman Domenic “Nicky” Palermo at his most unflinching. The album confronts aging, illness, memory and truth with stark honesty, widening the emotional scope that NOTHING have been building since their early releases. Palermo’s vocals, increasingly exposed and vulnerable, reflect the themes at the heart of the record, particularly as he openly addresses his experience living with essential tremors.
The album follows 2020’s The Great Dismal and sees NOTHING pushing further into both intimacy and intensity, blending towering walls of distortion with moments of stark clarity. It stands as a reckoning with time and the physical body, and a continuation of the band’s long-standing role as transgressors within shoegaze—reshaping the genre in their own bruised and uncompromising image.
In support of the new album, NOTHING will return to the UK and Ireland this spring as part of a wider international tour. The dates mark their first run across the region since announcing a short history of decay and promise a powerful live presentation of the new material alongside fan favourites.
UK & Ireland Live Dates:
APRIL
9th – Dublin, Button Factory
10th – Belfast, Oh Yeah Centre
12th – Glasgow, Stereo
15th – Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
16th – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
17th – London, Moth Club
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