Colorado Springs-based band Tradition shares their latest song, “Revel,” which explores the multitudes of feelings that come with loss and grief through emo/alternative sounds. This song absolutely shreds. Listening closely, it’s also a tearjerker with lines like “Your voice used to comfort / My favorite sound / I don’t think I’d even remember it now.” Musically, the song pushes the listener forward, signaling the need for acceptance even in the face of heavy grief.
According to drummer and vocalist Caden O’Brien: “‘Revel’ is a song about loss and grief. It’s mostly about the loss of my grandfather, but it’s really about anyone whom I’ve lost, whether that’s other family friends or even just the simple losses of things on a smaller level, like relationships ending or times changing. One of the things that has always hurt me the most about death is thinking of all the things I’ve wanted to say to those people and knowing that I will never be able to say them. The desire to know what they would think of me as I am now, compared to the me they experienced, and if my choices would make them proud. In the end, it’s about accepting the truth that I will never know the answers to those things, and it will always hurt, but that is okay and a natural part of life.”
“Revel” is the first look at Traditions’ upcoming four-song EP Dogwood, out May 19th via Mean World Records. Dogwood was produced by Connor Haines at Corruption Recordings and mastered by Seth Munson at Omniaud.io.
Tradition was founded by members Christopher Schmidt, Caden O’Brien, and Devin De Leon, releasing their debut EP, Flora, in 2025. That record was an energetic exploration of anxiety and depression, mixing genre influences ranging from post-punk/post-hardcore to emo/alternative. Fans of My Chemical Romance and Pierce the Veil pay attention: Tradition is one to watch.
You can listen to “Revel” and watch the accompanying music video directed by Thomas Helvenstine below:
Written by Emma Hums
