The Molotovs are wasting no time. Just six months after their debut album Wasted On Youth crashed into the UK Top 3, London siblings Matt and Issey Cartlidge announce their second album, Welcome To Urbia, alongside the release of its driving title track. Set for release on 9th April 2027 via Marshall Records, Welcome To Urbia marks the next chapter for a duo whose rise has been built not on overnight hype but through an extraordinary commitment to the live circuit.
The Molotovs @ King's Cross Summer Sounds, London - 2026.08.13 - © Pauline Di Silvestro
The first single, Urbia, arrives today and provides an immediate indication that The Molotovs aren’t content simply to repeat the formula that brought them their debut success. Recorded at the legendary Konk Studios in North London and produced by Tony Hoffer, the track introduces a more expansive and adventurous side to the band’s sound while retaining the raw energy that has become central to their live performances.
Hoffer brings an impressive production history to the project, having previously worked with artists including Beck, The Kooks, M83 and Belle and Sebastian. His involvement at Konk — the studio founded by The Kinks — gives Urbia an appropriate setting as The Molotovs continue to develop their own take on British guitar music.
For Matt Cartlidge, the song became a clear indication of where the second album should head almost as soon as he began writing it: “When I wrote it, it just immediately felt like something different and was steering in the direction that I wanted to go for this next album. I really wanted to shake it up.”
Years of relentless touring have also broadened the band’s musical horizons. With hundreds of performances behind them, The Molotovs have had the opportunity to absorb influences from the countless venues, towns and audiences they’ve encountered along the way. “My influences have also broadened, the more we played,” Matt explains. “When we went into the studio, I’d only recently written it so it was all pretty fresh – it’s got a real energy.”
The Molotovs @ King's Cross Summer Sounds, London - 2026.08.13 - © Pauline Di Silvestro
That energy is matched by the song’s arrangement. Urbia builds around a huge chorus in which Matt and Issey’s voices combine, opening up the track after its darker, more driving verses. “It really blossoms,” says Issey. “It’s quite moody and driving, quite industrial, and then you get to the chorus that kind of opens up. It’s sweet.”
The title Urbia is inspired by the places The Molotovs have encountered during their time on the road. The duo have spent years travelling around Britain and beyond, with the live circuit becoming as important to their development as the recording studio.
In just five years, they have played close to 700 shows, an astonishing schedule for a band whose members are still only 18 and 20. That experience has helped transform The Molotovs from young musicians busking on the streets into a highly accomplished live act capable of commanding increasingly large stages.
Their rapid progression reached a major milestone earlier this year when Wasted On Youth entered the UK album chart at No.3. The debut record’s arrival followed an extraordinary 12 months in which the siblings had moved from street performances to national attention, including a memorable television appearance and an arena support run with Yungblud.
Yet Wasted On Youth was never simply about celebrating youthful rebellion. Across the record, The Molotovs challenge the idea of a generation defined by apathy and uncertainty, instead pushing messages of individuality, optimism and engagement. Songs such as More More More More capture the band’s restless live energy, while Today’s Gonna Be Our Day carries a more overtly socially conscious message. That combination of attitude, melody and urgency has helped establish the siblings as part of a new generation of British guitar bands determined to make rock music feel relevant to their own era. Welcome To Urbia now offers an opportunity to build on those foundations.
The album announcement comes as The Molotovs begin their headline Welcome To Urbia UK tour, taking them around the country throughout September before heading to Belfast and Dublin in October. The run opens in Cardiff on 3rd September before moving through Nottingham, Brighton, Glasgow, Newcastle, Sheffield, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham. The tour then reaches London for two consecutive nights at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town on 25th and 26th September. The final UK & Ireland dates take place at Limelight 2 in Belfast on 2nd October and The Button Factory in Dublin on 3rd October.
The band will also continue their rapid ascent with support dates alongside Razorlight later in the year, including a major appearance at OVO Arena Wembley on 4th December. For The Molotovs, the journey from busking on the streets to a Top 3 debut and arena stages has happened at remarkable speed, but the band’s story has been built on a far more traditional foundation: getting out there and playing. That commitment to the road remains at the heart of their identity. Urbia takes the places, people and experiences accumulated through those years of touring and turns them into a new starting point.
The Molotovs
If Wasted On Youth established The Molotovs as one of the most energetic new guitar acts in the UK, Welcome To Urbia looks set to test just how far that momentum can carry them. With a new album already on the horizon and the duo continuing to rack up shows, Matt and Issey Cartlidge are entering their next phase with the same restless ambition that has taken them from street corners to chart success — only now, the stages are getting considerably bigger.
Welcome To Urbia is released on 9th April 2027 via Marshall Records.
Upcoming UK & Ireland Live Dates:
SEPTEMBER
3rd – Cardiff, Tamshed
4th – Nottingham, Palais
5th – Brighton, Chalk
10th – Glasgow, TV Studio
11th – Newcastle, Digital
12th – Sheffield, Foundry
17th – Leeds, Beckett SU
18th – Liverpool, Arts Club
19th – Manchester, Academy 2
24th – Birmingham, O2 Academy 2
25th – London, O2 Forum, Kentish Town
26th – London, O2 Forum, Kentish Town
OCTOBER
2nd – Belfast, Limelight 2
3rd – Dublin, Ireland, The Button Factory
The Molotovs Leave Fans Wanting More, More, More At King’s Cross Summer Sounds 2026
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