For followers of DC emo band Cuni, September was a month of omens: a cryptic teaser video of a sword resting on a stone somewhere in the Maryland woods; a neocities website featuring grim poetry and a painting of a rider astride a black horse; and, finally, the announcement of their upcoming EP. A concept record, Harbinger draws its imagery from the Biblical book of Revelation, with each song named for one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Today, Cuni breaks the first seal with the single “Famine,” where they apply the anthemic self-loathing of their 2024 debut album Prescribed Burn to a cautionary tale of climate collapse.
“Lyrically, it’s the last will and testament of an Earth that can no longer sustain its people,” explain Jared Cunanan and guitarist Aaron Millison in a press statement. “‘Famine’ personifies a polluted and ravaged home that’s crumbling under the pressures of consumption.” Riffs twinkle like falling stars, the pillars of the Earth tremble, and Cunanan cries out: “I run on empty / On endless greed / If I beg for mercy / Don’t let me breathe…the only peace that I know / The stars return the favor / The sun will swallow you whole / And I won't be your savior.”
Harbinger was recorded and mixed by Ryland Heagy of Origami Angel and mastered by Will Yip. Shortly after the release date, Cuni will make their first appearance at The Fest in Gainesville, Florida, sharing the poster with emo titans Algernon Cadwallader and their DC peers Pretty Bitter. Find more info here, and listen to “Famine” below. Harbinger will be released October 23 via We’re Trying Records.
