Since 2022, songwriter James Barrett has kept busy as the organizer behind Scranton, Pennsylvania’s annual Good Things Are Happening fest—a pop-punk-focused celebration of the scene which, as the name suggests, negates the increasingly common notion that good things are no longer happening. Since launching the endeavor, Barrett has only put out one song of his own with 2023’s “Lovely.” Yet today, we not only get that single’s follow-up, but the promise of a full album of new material some time next year.
Penciled in for 2026 is Now That I’ve Seen the Light, an LP previewed by the soaring pop-punk cut “Fragile Assertion” which debuts today. In contrast with the minimal, bedroom-pop feel of his previous single, the new track is far more geared toward a festival crowd. “This was the first song I started working on when I decided I was going to self-produce the record,” he explains. “It came together fast and quickly became a part of our live setlist. It feels right to finally get this one out.”
Barrett will, in fact, be playing next month’s Good Things fest, along with headliners The Menzingers and a slew of acts including Hit Like a Girl and Pretty Rude. Check out a video for the new track and the full festival lineup below.
