I Promised The World, formerly known as Sinema, is making waves in the scene as they’re bringing back that classic MySpace-era post hardcore sound. Their last album, Fear of the Fall, was a gritty, raw, and stunningly unpolished album that reminded me a lot of something you’d hear from a CD with a roughly Sharpie’d track listing scrawled on the disc that was handed to you at a local show. It’s unapologetic in its rough execution, and a refreshing listen in a world of quantised, perfectly tracked music. So, just two years later after signing with Rise Records, we have their self-titled EP, and it’s just as I’d hoped…
I Promised the World’s self titled EP is a blend of both polished modern post-hardcore with a healthy dose of classic, raw production. It still contains the same charm as Fear of the Fall but with some slightly smoother edges. The instrumentation in this EP is much fuller, the drums hit way harder and sit well within the mix, and the vocals are balanced well amongst the chaos of the music. It’s a testament to just how well put together this band is, evolving their sound slightly from their debut, cleaning it up a little, but maintaining the core of what they had out of the gate.
What I find most impressive about this band is how well they’ve captured a sound from my youth. I know full well I would have eaten this shit up as a kid, and to be honest, I have a mouth full now. Think The Changing of Times era Underoath, Waiting/Full Collapse era Thursday, and even Frailty of Words era Hopesfall and you have a pretty good idea how this EP sounds; the only difference is that it’s a 2026 release. I’m positively giddy that this music is getting a resurgence.
Full disclosure, I came into this EP blind, and I’m so glad I did. To promote the EP, I Promised The World dropped two singles Bliss in 7 Languages and A Pure Expression and upon reflection, these were two perfect examples of what to expect on this EP. The self titled release also includes a remixed and mastered version of the track, Future Worth Dying For, which was released as part of a split EP with onewaymirror and Kiowa. I mentioned I didn’t catch any of these ahead of the EP (my fault for not really following single releases) and I’m glad, as hearing this as a complete body of work has really blown me away.
The only real criticism I have for this EP is honestly more of an objective look at Hunter Wilson’s unclean vocals, as they might not be to everyone’s tastes. They’re a little more on the fry-scream side of things and sometimes stand out a little from the mix. I personally don’t mind the harshness they give, but I can also understand how it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. That being said, the blending of screams and cleans in this EP are top tier and not something I’ve heard done well from a modern band in a few years.
Overall, I’m impressed with I Promised The World’s self-titled EP. It’s a natural evolution of a band that sat well within the underground emo core/post-hardcore scene, got signed, and cleaned up their sound without overproduction killing what made them great to begin with. I expect only great things to come from this band and can’t wait to see where they go from here.
I Promised The World’s self-titled EP is available January 16 via Rise Records.
Rating: 8.5/10