Over the past year, Calgary heavy alternative outfit Howells have quietly been doing something radical: they haven’t just been releasing music; they’ve been building an entire world.

On October 30, 2026, that vision comes to fruition with the release of Fade Into Being Pt. 2. The upcoming full-length record completes an ambitious two-part body of work that effortlessly bridges gothic emo, post-hardcore weight, shoegaze atmosphere, and massive pop-punk hooks—a genre-blending soundscape the band aptly terms „Halocore.“

Momentum and Collaborative Roots

Carrying significant indie momentum, Howells enter this release cycle fresh off the success of Fade Into Being Pt. 1 (released this past April), which has already surpassed 70,000 streams. The band’s fiercely independent rise has also earned them back-to-back Rock Recording of the Year nominations at the 2025 and 2026 YYC Music Awards, extensive Canadian radio play (CBC, X92.9, CJSW), sold-out hometown headline shows, and a fiercely loyal community known as The Rose Court.

Produced alongside award-winning producer Devin Taylor (a five-time Nail The Mix winner), Fade Into Being Pt. 2 captures Howells at their most expansive and emotionally unguarded. The record also features key collaborations from across the Canadian alternative landscape, including Alberta midwest-emo favorites Astrology Girl on „Overflow,“ Edmonton post-hardcore duo Folded Hand on „8 Fold Fence,“ and veteran pop-punk mainstays 90’s Winona on „94.“

Inside Sylphae: Where Music Meets Multimedia

What truly sets Howells apart, however, is how the songs serve as mere doorways into a connected neo-gothic narrative universe called Sylphae.

Through cinematic music videos, striking photography, characters, and physical artifacts, the band has transformed their art into an immersive lore. Recent singles like „Broken Roses“ utilized Calgary’s Reader Rock Garden for cinematic sequences that introduced fans to the stark, haunting aesthetic of Sylphae. Meanwhile, „94“—a euphoric pop-punk summer anthem about aging and lost time—saw the band partnering with James of 90’s Winona, transforming a vintage-soaked basement into the fictional „Archive of ’94 complete with analog CRT television setups and custom-marked VHS relics.

The visual storytelling extends even into their photography, utilizing infrared techniques to morph natural green foliage into surreal pastel pinks that mirror the album’s otherworldly artwork.

Track Listing and Physical Releases

With Fade Into Being Pt. 2, all the pieces finally lock into place, offering a comprehensive journey through heavy alternative catharsis and acoustic introspection.

Track Listing:

1. The Pressure

2. 8 Fold Fence (feat. Folded Hand)

3. 94 (feat. 90’s Winona)

4. Overflow (feat. Astrology Girl)

5. Door Is Open

6. Mea Culpa

7. Dissolve

8. Broken Roses

9. Guardians of the Ember Veil

10. The Pressure (Acoustic)

11. 8 Fold Fence (Acoustic)

12. 94 (Acoustic)

13. Mea Culpa (Acoustic)

14. Broken Roses (Acoustic Piano)

Fade Into Being Pt. 2 drops on October 30, 2026. Fans can pre-save the album to unlock an exclusive, never-to-be-publicly-released track, or secure physical copies via Elastic Stage and digital pre-orders (alongside listening party RSVPs) via Bandcamp.

As frontman Benjamin Howells notes, the long-term vision is clear: eventually, the music will just be the beginning, and live shows will invite fans to physically step right into the world they’ve built.