– Announce new album ‘Not Here Not Gone‘ out Jan 30th via Suicide Squeeze Records
– Share new single “Heavy, Why?”
– Announce European Tour
Credit: Magdalena Wosinska
Blackwater Holylight have carved a heavy niche in the Los Angeles underground, following their dispatch from Portland, Oregon. Today, the hard rock trio announce the full-length Not Here Not Gone, out January 30, 2026 via Suicide Squeeze Records. The album is shaped by location change, refining a strain of heavy, ethereal doom and shoegaze. Nowhere is this stronger than lead single “Heavy, Why?” Pondering the experience of being disembodied, moody riffs build to an electric climax. The fierce outcome is timeless and innovative.
On the track, singer Sunny Faris shares: ”Heavy, Why?’ Is a lyrically light and instrumentally heavy arrangement that cryptically but intentionally speaks to the experience of being disembodied and poses the question, simply, of: ‘Why? Why is it such a hard, lonely, agonizing and heavy experience to be turned away from Self.'”
As with their previous work, Not Here Not Gone explores the duality of light and dark- menacing riffs provide the bedrock to beguiling melodies; dense walls of shoegaze guitars pair with lighter-than-air synths; and heavy subject matter is delivered by siren song vocals. Across their work, the listener gets a sense of empowerment at one turn, vulnerability the next. As drummer Eliese Dorsay describes it, “some songs we’re the predator, and some songs we’re the prey.” The juxtaposition of confidence and uncertainty is never in as such stark relief as when one makes a life changing decision, which may explain how the band’s relocation intensified their study in contrasts to intoxicating new heights on Not Here Not Gone.
The title is the perfect description of the band’s adjustment. “It’s one foot in, one foot out,”vocalist and guitarist/bassist Sunny Faris explains. “It’s about how you can lose people in your life but still have their presence and energy around you.” And indeed, listening to Not Here Not Gone, you get the distinct sense that Blackwater Holylight dragged some of the Northwest gloom down into Southern California. The opening chords of “How Will You Feel” are drenched in the muddy weight of perpetually overcast skies. But a Jacob’s Ladder of light shines through the scuzzy guitars in the form of Faris’ lilting vocals and Sarah McKenna’s blissed-out ambient synth work, guiding the listener out of the mire and into the garden.
Not Here Not Gone was recorded at Sonic Ranch outside of El Paso TX by Sonny Diperri (Narrow Head, DIIV, Emma Ruth Rundle), allowing the band to once again step outside of their comfort zone and isolate themselves in a place where they could focus exclusively on their art. The result is the crown jewel of Blackwater Holylight’s catalog—a rich and immersive study in tonal chiaroscuro, where light finds its way out of the shadows. Suicide Squeeze Records is proud to release Blackwater Holylight’s Not Here Not Gone to the world on Limited Edition Deluxe LP, standard LP, and CD on January 30, 2026.
Tour dates:
13 Feb – San Diego, CA – Casbah
14 Feb – Phoenix, AZ – Last Exit
15 Feb – Albuquerque, NM – Sister
17 Feb – Austin, TX – Radio/East
18 Feb – Houston, TX – White Oak
19 Feb – New Orleans, LA – No Dice
20 Feb – Pensacola, FL – Handlebar
21 Feb – Atlanta, GA – Drunken Unicorn
22 Feb – Asheville, NC – Eulogy
24 Feb – Charlottesville, VA – Southern Cafe
25 Feb – Baltimore, MD – Metro
26 Feb – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
27 Feb – Brooklyn, NY – Meadows
28 Feb – Braintree, MA – Widowmaker Brewing
02 Mar – Youngstown, OH – Westside Bowl
03 Mar – Indianapolis, IN – Black Circle
04 Mar – Chicago, IL – Sleeping Village
06 Mar – Denver, CO – Hi-Dive
07 Mar – Denver, CO – Hi-Dive
08 Mar – Salt Lake City, UT – Aces High
10 Mar – Seattle, WA – Nuemos
11 Mar – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
12 Mar – Sacremento, CA – Starlet
13 Mar – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
14 Mar – Santa Cruz, CA – Moe’s Alley
21 Mar – Los Angeles, CA – Pacific Electric
18 Apr – NL Tilburg – Roadburn Fest
06 May – BE Brussels – Ancienne Belgique
07 May – DE Hamburdg – MS Stubnitz
08 May – DK Copenhagen – A Colossal Weekend fest
09 May – NO Oslo – Desertfest
10 May – SE Gothenburg – Monument
12 May – PL Poznań – Pod Minoga
13 May – DE Leipzig – UT Connewitz
14 May – DE Berlin – Desterfest
15 May – DE Nuenkirchen – Stummsche Reithalle
16 May – BE Brussel – Obsidian Dust fest
17 May – UK London – Desterfest
18 May – UK Newcastle – The Cluny
19 May – UK Glasgow – Stereo
20 May – UK Manchester – The Deaf Institute
22 May – FIN Helsinki – Sonic Rites fest
DeClunk 