On The Table Read Magazine, “the best arts and entertainment magazine UK“, MX Lonely unleashes their explosive debut album All Monsters on February 20th 2026, a raw, cathartic alt-rock journey confronting inner demons, gender dysphoria, and personal shadows through snarling riffs, soaring vocals, and unrelenting hooks that demand you face and destroy your own monsters.
All Monsters
Brooklyn-based band MX Lonely has joined the roster of Philadelphia’s Julia’s War Recordings, marking a significant step with the release of their debut full-length album. All Monsters is set to arrive on February 20, 2026, delivering a collection of intense alt-rock tracks filled with emotional depth, heavy riffs, and cathartic energy.
The album’s lead single, “Big Hips,” is available now and delves into the complexities of gender dysphoria during trans adolescence. The track combines angst-driven riffs with memorable, hook-heavy lyrics, transforming personal turmoil into a bold, reclaiming anthem through self-mocking humor.
The accompanying music video, directed and edited by Owen Lehman, shows the band performing in a school setting. It emphasizes their dynamic live energy while evoking nostalgic and uneasy memories of puberty, turning everyday struggles and inner conflicts into powerful, release-filled rock moments.
Exploring Monsters: Themes of the Album
In the world of MX Lonely, monsters take many forms—childhood shadows, real-world abusers of power, personal vices, neurodivergencies, and mental health challenges that can make one feel flawed or dangerous. The band’s name itself stems from vocalist and synthesist Rae Haas’s experiences with sleep paralysis and a recurring shadowy figure.
All Monsters focuses on shadow work, confronting internal and external demons rather than succumbing to them. The lyrics encourage bringing these issues into the light to dismantle negative self-perceptions, promoting confrontation and exorcism over defeat.
Band Origins and Evolution
The trio—Rae Haas (vocals/synthesist), Jake Harms (guitar), and Gabriel Garman (bass)—first connected at AA meetings amid their individual musical pursuits. During the pandemic, they collaborated on songs originally written by Harms as a solo project. They released an initial album titled Dog under the name v0idb0ys in 2020, rebranding to MX Lonely in 2022 just before their debut live performance. This was followed by EPs Cadonia (2022) and SPIT (2024), the latter earning acclaim from outlets like Alternative Press, BrooklynVegan, and The FADER for its blend of raw emotion, edged riffs, and solid bass lines.
Influences range from Pixies, Elliott Smith, and Weezer to heavier acts like Chat Pile, Show Me the Body, and black midi. The band amplifies introspective feelings through loud, visceral volumes, allowing for mental release, while incorporating softer elements for deeper reflection.
Live Performance and Intensity
Live shows have always been central to MX Lonely’s identity. Early performances featured crowd interaction, influencing their songwriting to prioritize movement and audience engagement. Their energetic stage presence often involves physicality, challenging norms and releasing inhibitions in a communal, shocking-yet-liberating way.
The band has gained traction in the New York scene and toured with acts such as The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, Trauma Ray, Cryogeyser, and Midrift.
Recording and Musical Growth on All Monsters
As their first fully self-recorded effort, All Monsters captures a raw, analog immediacy that mirrors their live intensity while expanding into longer, more nuanced compositions. The album features expansive guitars, soaring vocals, and deep low-end, creating their most ambitious work yet.
Key tracks include:
- Opener “Kill the Candle,” addressing lostness and self-sabotage.
- “Big Hips,” exploring gender dysphoria.
- “Shape of an Angel,” tackling addiction and codependency.
- “Anesthetic,” a grunge-infused love song to addiction.
- “Return to Sender,” examining uncontrollable perceptions.
- Midpoint standout “Blue Ridge Mtns,” a reworked folk song depicting a drive to rehab with themes of family and vulnerability.
- Title track “All Monsters Go to Heaven,” balancing hope for redemption with frustration over unpunished cruelty.
- Closer “Whispers in the Fog,” a seven-minute build evoking childhood fears and lifelong anxiety.
Future Plans and Community Building
Looking ahead, MX Lonely plans extensive touring to foster shared catharsis. They are also constructing their own studio to maintain creative control and collaborate with others, viewing the band as an expanding family network. Ultimately, the group aims to provide spaces and tools for everyone to process personal and collective struggles.
About Julia’s War Recordings
Julia’s War Recordings, founded in 2021 by Douglas Dulgarian of They Are Gutting a Body of Water, is a Philadelphia-based, community-oriented label focused on providing physical releases for boundary-pushing rock and experimental acts.
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