If Not For Me Release Prove They’ve Made Their Place in the Scene
by Ashlyn Siples | August 20th, 2026
Coming to us out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, If Not For Me has proven to be a force to be reckoned with in recent years. Inspired by the foundations of heavy music, while working to push genre boundaries and keep it unique to themselves, If Not For Me has made a place for themself in the metalcore music scene. They’ve had a chance to tour with amazing bands such as Memphis Mayfire, Set It Off, and Electric Callboy, as well as appearances at Warped Tour and Welcome To Rockville. Their latest, highly anticipated album release, “Where The Light Begins To Fade” is just another step in their path towards becoming a household name.
“Where The Light Begins To Fade” explores a wide range of themes, from betrayal and loss to healing and resilience. The album gave the band a chance to branch out a little bit more stylistically, but they still stayed true to the If Not For Me sound that you’ve come to love. Vocalist Patrick Glover shares the following about the release of the album:
“‘Making Where The Light Begins To Fade’ was a very new experience for me. It felt like I had to approach songwriting very differently than ever before. This was the first time we had to write and record an album in between heavy touring. This was the first time we tried writing songs with as many people as we could to try and figure out what works or doesn’t work for us. This was the first time we had to leave so many demos that never made it to the finish line behind (something that’s really hard for me to do). And not to say this album doesn’t have a lot of extremely personal moments, but this was the first time I didn’t write an entire record from a place of my own sadness, anger, guilt, or grief. I had to get creative to get some of these songs where they needed to be. I had to make sacrifices for things I could let go and fight for things that I needed to be heard. And it was so constant and physically, mentally, and emotionally draining that I often felt like I had to turn off my feelings and separate myself from the process to focus on writing the best songs I possibly could. Whether or not that’s a good thing, who knows? But I do know that it brought us some of the most versatile and diverse music we’ve ever put out. I do know that it taught us so much about what we do best as a band. And I do know that we wrote some of the best songs we’ve ever written for this record.”
The album kicks us off with a few of the single releases, and ends with all new material we hadn’t yet heard. “Retrograde” and “Lie Awake (ft. Wind Walkers)” are pretty true to the If Not For Me sound I’ve come to love over their past two albums, but with a heavier kick to it that I’m definitely enjoying. “Prey For Me” was a song I instantly fell in love with, having that classic INFM sound and heavy guitars. I also happened to love “Pretty Lies,” with its driving beat and faster pace than some of the other songs on the album. And don’t worry, if you’re a fan of stripped-down, emotionally raw songs, this album has that for you in the form of “Save Me.”
Overall, the album felt cohesive but varied enough to not all sound the same. I think the band succeeded at keeping their classic sound while branching out a bit further into the heavy genre, and it’s working well for them. If Not For Me is always a band that’s on repeat in my car, and I’m excited to add this album into the mix.
Catch If Not For Me on their upcoming tour with Wind Walkers and True North: