23 October 2026
Dad Hats Go Full Emo-Pop-Punk Groundhog Day on 'wash. rinse. repeat.'
Nashville five-piece Dad Hats have released their third full-length, wash. rinse. repeat., and it does exactly what the name suggests: it circles around the habits, regrets and small daily disasters that never quite go away. The album landed on 23 October 2026 through Mind Over Matter Records, the label home the band has used for earlier records.
Following 2023's Spill and 2024's Claustrophobia, this is the band's third album and a loud, hooky one. It runs 11 songs and was recorded at Costume Party Records, with James Paul Wisner handling the mix. Reviewers have filed the sound under emo and pop-punk, with guitars up front, big choruses and a darker, more self-mocking take on grown-up life than you might expect from a band named after a dad's favourite accessory.
The singles and the title track
The first taste was "hope ur down", which arrived in early October with a video and was described by one outlet as a song made for emo kids. It features a gang vocal section built for getting your angst out in a crowd. The title track followed, and the band has been upfront about what it is: a song about making the same mistakes over and over while knowing full well you are doing it. One review praised its mix of pop-punk and emo with hardcore-tinged riffs and punk-style drumming, and singled out "goth boy scout" as another track worth hearing.
Where they fit
Critics have been dropping familiar names around the record. Release listings compare it to The Wonder Years, PUP, The Menzingers, Arms Length and early Fall Out Boy, while another review slots the band in with The Menzingers, Tigers Jaw and The Wonder Years and jokes they could tour with Yo Mom Jeans. If those bands are on your regular rotation, this one belongs in the queue. The title track is on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music, and the full album is out now.