One Step Closer Announce New Album Zero and Share Two New Singles, ‘Blue Hour’ and ‘Was It Ever Enough?’
The Wilkes-Barre post-hardcore favourites return with their most anthemic record to date, combining emotionally charged songwriting, melodic intensity and the cathartic spirit of hardcore.
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania’s One Step Closer have announced their new album, Zero, set for release on 19 February via Run For Cover Records. Alongside the announcement, the band have unveiled two new singles, ‘Blue Hour’ and ‘Was It Ever Enough?’, each accompanied by a music video directed by the band.
Renowned for their explosive live performances and emotionally uncompromising approach to hardcore, One Step Closer have built their reputation on turning personal struggles into moments of collective release. Zero captures that spirit, embracing the highs and lows of life while finding catharsis in uncertainty, hardship and the determination to keep moving forward.
The new singles offer two distinct perspectives on the record’s evolving sound. ‘Blue Hour’ marks the band’s boldest sonic step yet, beginning in the fading light of dusk before building into a raucous, emotionally charged climax. Its accompanying video sees the band performing on a homemade skate ramp alongside friends, with fireworks and makeshift pyrotechnics adding a chaotic DIY energy to the proceedings.
In contrast, ‘Was It Ever Enough?’ opens with jagged guitar riffs and fast-paced rhythms built for the circle pit before shifting into a groove-driven, sing-along outro that showcases the band’s instinct for balancing hardcore aggression with memorable melody.
Together, the tracks highlight the dynamic range and emotional depth at the heart of Zero.
Watch the music videos for ‘Blue Hour’ and ‘Was It Ever Enough?’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgH5qLqYSUk
Stream both singles: https://osc.lnk.to/bluehour
Pre-order Zero: https://lnk.to/osc-zero
One Step Closer Push Their Sound Further on Zero
Following their acclaimed 2024 album All You Embrace, which earned praise from Stereogum, Uproxx, BrooklynVegan and FLOOD Magazine, One Step Closer are continuing to expand the boundaries of their sound.
Recorded with longtime collaborator Jon Markson, whose credits include Drug Church, The Story So Far, Drain and Koyo, Zero finds the band embracing their most anthemic songwriting to date. Ambitious arrangements and soaring melodies collide with the biting intensity of hardcore, while vocalist Ryan Savitski’s singing voice takes on an increasingly central role alongside his trademark ferocious delivery.
Beneath the record’s expansive sound lies a palpable sense of sadness. Reflecting on the album’s emotional foundations, Savitski explains:
“This may have been the hardest year for us, and that’s reflected in the songs. There’s so much desperation on this record but I think people can relate to that–these songs will always mean something different to me than everyone else, no one is living the same exact experiences, but I want people to take these songs and mold them to fit their own.”
That openness is central to One Step Closer’s appeal. Rather than simply documenting difficult experiences, the band transform them into songs that offer listeners a way to confront their own struggles and find connection through shared emotion.
Nostalgia, Uncertainty and the Search for Catharsis
For Zero, One Step Closer drew inspiration from what they describe as “older brother music” — a nostalgic reference to the formative experiences of growing up around alternative music culture.
For Savitski and guitarist Ross Thompson, that means printed MapQuest directions to VFW shows, music video blocks on Steven’s Untitled Rock Show, burned CDs filled with songs discovered on Myspace and sneaking into Warped Tour in 2005. It recalls an era defined by DIY shows, youthful recklessness and the excitement of discovering music that made sense of the world.
That spirit informs an album created against a backdrop of contemporary anxiety and global uncertainty. Much as earlier generations channelled their experiences of a post-9/11 world into music, One Step Closer seek to capture their own form of catharsis amid a climate of persistent unease.
“I think there’s just a general sense of doom that I’m left feeling every time I turn on the TV or look on social media,” Savitski says, “and this record reflects the impact that has on my own mental state.”
With Zero, the band turn those feelings into something immediate and communal: music that acknowledges the weight of the present while offering the possibility of release through melody, energy and connection.
Zero — Tracklist
- Numb With Sleep
- Until You Bloom
- About a Boy
- August
- Blue Hour
- Write My Wrongs
- Drowning Skies
- Was It Ever Enough?
- A Fleeting Face
- For Them
Upcoming Live Dates
One Step Closer will continue bringing their emotionally charged live show to audiences across North America and Europe, with festival appearances and dates alongside Hot Mulligan, Riley!, wakelee, Pain of Truth, Madball, Rotting Out and Senses Fail.
- 30 October — London, ON, London Music Hall*
- 31 October — Montreal, QC, MTELUS*
- 1 November — Ottawa, ON, History*
- 3 November — Worcester, MA, The Palladium*
- 4 November — Portland, ME, State Theatre*
- 6 November — Providence, RI, The Strand*
- 7 November — New Haven, CT, College Street Music Hall*
- 9 November — Baltimore, MD, Nevermore Hall*
- 10 November — Charlotte, NC, The Fillmore*
- 11 November — Charleston, SC, Charleston Music Hall*
- 13 November — Miami, FL, Miami Beach Bandshell*
- 14 November — Tampa, FL, MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre^
- 15 November — Orlando, FL, Vans Warped Tour*
- 17 November — New Orleans, LA, Civic Theatre*
- 19 November — Birmingham, AL, Avondale Brewing Company*
- 20 November — Nashville, TN, The Truth*
- 12 December — Los Angeles, CA, For the Children Fest
- 19 December — New York, NY, Warsaw+
- 20 December — Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts+
- 29 January — Barcelona, Spain, Can’t Keep Us Down Fest
*With Hot Mulligan, Riley! and wakelee
^With Pain of Truth, Madball and Rotting Out
+With Senses Fail
With Zero, One Step Closer continue to prove that hardcore can be both fiercely confrontational and deeply melodic, turning personal uncertainty into something powerful enough to be shared.
Zero arrives on 19 February via Run For Cover Records.
Stay tuned to Apnin Music for more alternative music news, album announcements and the latest from the world of post-hardcore.
Credit Image Elyza Reinhart