July 24, 2026
Cartel return with two singles and announce their first new album in 13 years
Big news for pop-punk nostalgists: Cartel have broken their silence and announced “Learning How To Cope”, their first new album in 13 years. The announcement came with two new songs, giving fans an early sense of where the Georgia band are heading this time.
Release details
Artist: Cartel
Song titles: “Deadbeat Drag” and “Shirts & Skins” (two advance singles)
Format: Two singles ahead of the album “Learning How To Cope”
Release date: July 24, 2026 (sources: Chorus.fm, Prelude Press)
Label: Field Day Records (source: Chorus.fm)
Album: “Learning How To Cope”, announced for September 18, 2026 (source: Rock Sound)
According to the band, the two new songs emerged in connection with the ICE incidents in Minneapolis, giving them a distinctly more political edge than earlier Cartel releases (source: Rock Sound). Singer Will Pugh explains that working on the new music quite literally saved him: “This music saved me. It helped me reconnect with empathy, with community and with the idea that everybody belongs.” Discussing the album’s themes, he also says it is time to stop avoiding uncomfortable subjects.
After a break of more than a decade, “Learning How To Cope” is apparently more than a straightforward comeback for Cartel: it is also a statement. For a band who were part of the first wave of the US pop-punk scene back in the mid-2000s, the September album is likely to be keenly anticipated.
We’ll keep you posted on POP PUNK 101 as soon as there’s more pop-punk news. Stay tuned!