{"product_id":"the-haunted-youth-boys-cry-too","title":"The Haunted Youth - Boys Cry Too","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEMBARGO 11TH FEBRUARY\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTHE HAUNTED YOUTH\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eANNOUNCE DETAILS OF 2ND STUDIO ALBUM, \u003cem\u003eBOYS CRY TOO.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOUT ON 8TH MAY 2026.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSIGN TO PLAY IT AGAIN SAM\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFIRST SINGLE, ‘deathwish’ FEATURING MAX FRY \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLISTEN \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e| \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWATCH\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing the release of their debut, \u003cstrong\u003eThe Haunted Youth\u003c\/strong\u003e return with details of their 2nd studio album, \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBoys Cry Too\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e, set to drop on \u003cstrong\u003e8th May 2026\u003c\/strong\u003e. Beginning as the solo project of artist \u003cstrong\u003eJoachim Liebens\u003c\/strong\u003e, the band today reveal the first single to be lifted from the record, ‘\u003cstrong\u003edeathwish\u003c\/strong\u003e’, featuring fellow collaborator and Orlando-based singer-songwriter, \u003cstrong\u003eMax Fry\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCheck out the official video for ‘deathwish’\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ehere\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBoys Cry Too\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e, Joachim Liebens abandons the fragile, bedroom-pop innocence of \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eDawn Of The Freak\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e - a debut that has since earned cult status back home - in favour of something far more confrontational and emotionally charged. From the towering eight-minute opener \u003cstrong\u003e‘in my head’\u003c\/strong\u003e to the closing track \u003cstrong\u003e‘ghost girl’\u003c\/strong\u003e, the album lets go of restraint in favour of something more raw, blending fragile melodies with distortion and aggression to create a sound that feels both intimate and explosive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“I was a kid on Dawn Of The Freak,\u003c\/em\u003e” reflects Liebens today. \u003cem\u003e“It sounds almost like nursery rhymes to me – everything is so fragile and childlike, like a cry for attention.”\u003c\/em\u003e He pauses before breaking into a wide, Cheshire Cat grin.\u003cem\u003e “And now I’m angsty and kicking in doors.”\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBoys Cry Too\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e certainly feels like a more fiery and red-blooded record than \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eDawn Of The Freak\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e. While you can lose yourself in ‘\u003cstrong\u003ewake up\u003c\/strong\u003e’s icy morning-after-the-night-before regret, or the propulsive optimism of the New Order-like ‘\u003cstrong\u003ei hear voices\u003c\/strong\u003e’, the mood is frequently one of anguish and aggression. Take ‘\u003cstrong\u003emurder me\u003c\/strong\u003e’’s goth grunge thrash, or the ground zero annihilation represented in instrumental epic ‘\u003cstrong\u003efalling to pieces\u003c\/strong\u003e’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“I very much felt like a boy on this record. The last album was more androgynous in that respect, but this time I was really in touch with the male side of my emotions,”\u003c\/em\u003e explains Liebens. \u003cem\u003e“The first half of the record is basically how everyone sees a boy when he’s heartbroken: he puts his walls up, he’s paranoid, he’s angry, he’s aggressive. But then the second half is this whole other story – it’s vulnerable,”\u003c\/em\u003e he continues. \u003cem\u003e“I want to show the vulnerable part of men and boys and celebrate it instead of making it this whole stigma that’s been going on for so long.”\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s a wide emotional spectrum reflected in a change of instrumentation for \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBoys Cry Too\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e, with live drums and guitar coming more into focus ahead of the layers of sun-bleached synths that characterised \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eDawn Of The Freak\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e. The shadowy ‘\u003cstrong\u003ecastlevania\u003c\/strong\u003e’, for instance, is described by Liebens as \u003cem\u003e“the perfect triangle of Nirvana, Alice In Chains and My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless.”\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYet despite its squalls of guitar noise, Liebens says he was largely listening to hip hop artists during the record’s competition, citing emo-rap outlier Lil Peep as a key influence as he crafted his own set of lyrical signifiers. \u003cem\u003e“The lyrics in a lot of non-hip hop music try to bring resolution, but it’s so much more powerful to have these lines that people just instantly engage with,”\u003c\/em\u003e he notes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor all the killer lyrics on the record that grab you by the scruff of the neck, it was crucial for Liebens to leave space in his writing for the listener to impart their own experience into the songs. \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBoys Cry Too\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e may have been born from his own pain, but he wants it to resonate with other people’s lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe new record is fuelled by emotional turmoil, something evident in the self-destructive roar on first single, ‘deathwish’. Some of what is verbalised on this track might feel incredibly raw to the listener, but for Liebens, it was important to be honest to the emotion behind the song, as he half-jokingly refers to the album as his \u003cem\u003e“80s coming of age punk rock movie”\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Haunted Youth are set to embark on UK \u0026amp; EU headline shows including sold out dates, and major festival appearances later this year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHeadline Tour - Max Fry as support\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApril 3: Colours Hoxton, London - \u003cstrong\u003eSOLD OUT\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApril 4: Trabendo, Paris\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApril 6: Paradiso, Amsterdam - \u003cstrong\u003eSOLD OUT\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApril 7: Paradiso, Amsterdam - \u003cstrong\u003eSOLD OUT\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApril 9: Hole44, Berlin\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApril 10: Molotow, Hamburg - \u003cstrong\u003eSOLD OUT\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApril 11: Luxor, Cologne - \u003cstrong\u003eSOLD OUT\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApril 24: Mon, Madrid (w\/o Max Fry)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApril 29: Cirque Royal, Brussels - \u003cstrong\u003eSOLD OUT\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApril 30: Cirque Royal, Brussels - \u003cstrong\u003eSOLD OUT\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMay 1: Cirque Royal, Brussels - \u003cstrong\u003eSOLD OUT\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMay 3: Cirque Royal, Brussels\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFESTIVALS \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMarch 12: SXSW Austin (US)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMarch 28: Ik Zie U Graag, Breda (NL)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApril 16th: Le Printemps de Bourges (FR)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMay 13\/16: The Great Escape (UK)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJune 20: Pinkpop (NL)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJuly 4: Rock Werchter (BE)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJuly 10: Les Nuits Secretes (FR)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJuly 12: Cactusfestival (BE)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJuly 24: Rock Olmen (BE)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Haunted Youth\u003c\/strong\u003e - the band behind \u003cstrong\u003eJoachim Liebens\u003c\/strong\u003e - might be the biggest Belgian indie rock sensation of the last few years. With their debut single \u003cem\u003eTeen Rebel \u003c\/em\u003ein 2021, The Haunted Youth quickly became a dream pop phenomenon in Belgium and beyond. Their hazy indie sound and melancholic charm won hearts across the globe. Debut album \u003cem\u003eDawn of the Freak \u003c\/em\u003ewas\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003enamed album of the week in \u003cstrong\u003eRolling Stone France\u003c\/strong\u003e and song of the day at \u003cstrong\u003eKEXP\u003c\/strong\u003e in the US.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrontman Joachim Liebens blends dreamy guitars, nostalgic synths, and deeply personal lyrics into songs that, while dark in theme, offer comfort and connection. Since the release of debut album \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eDawn of the Freak\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e in November 2022, the band has toured relentlessly, playing to packed crowds from London to Madrid. Festivals like \u003cstrong\u003eRock Werchter, Pukkelpop, Lowlands, Sziget, and Iceland Airwaves\u003c\/strong\u003e eagerly welcomed them - The Haunted Youth came, played, and conquered.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Haunted Youth’s Discography: \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eDawn of the Freak\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e (2022)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"[PIAS]","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":54181278253379,"sku":"RPT-17556","price":28.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0821\/1601\/8499\/files\/214b392300524af92fb977233523326e.png?v=1770738789","url":"https:\/\/www.recordplant.co.uk\/products\/the-haunted-youth-boys-cry-too","provider":"Record Plant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}