Hold On Fire never tried to bring the emo back it just stayed

Mason Carter 09/15/2026

Some musical alchemy happens when a band pulls from the sound that shaped them without turning into a mere tribute act. The riffs feel familiar, the hooks land perfectly, and the resulting music sounds like right now, escaping the confines of a museum piece. That feeling is the essence of Hold On Fire, a five-piece that has forged a unique sound through a collaborative process that feels both organic and astonishingly smooth.

The Montclair, New Jersey-based group consists of vocalist Andrew Padilla, guitarists Joe Loforese and Jon Bernstein, bassist Jeremy Bernstein, and drummer Andrey Golushko. While the band formally formed in 2024, their history is a tapestry woven from years of shared musical experience. Jon and Jeremy Bernstein, for instance, are cousins who grew up playing together, and Joe Loforese had already been part of a band preceding Hold On Fire. Padilla met the core group years earlier through the Linkin Park Underground fan club, and Andrey Golushko had previously played alongside Padilla in a different project during the mid-to-late 2010s. This foundation meant that when Hold On Fire began, they already understood the language of one another.

The origin story of the band itself is almost too perfect to be true. It began with a seemingly casual text message about a video game name. In late 2023, Jon was deep into a session of Final Fantasy XVI when the game’s fantastical naming conventions sparked an idea that led him to text Loforese about a potential band name. This throwaway concept quickly snowballed into a full project.

The process of turning that idea into a finished entity was equally collaborative. Jon sought out producer Fred Mascherino, and the conversation naturally led to studio time before the group even had a singer or a finished song. Mascherino, who had known Padilla from previous work, suggested Padilla take the mic, unaware that the core trio had already played together in high school and college. Andrey Golushko was brought in to fill in for a show, and his successful performance quickly turned the temporary gig into a permanent fixture.

Hold On Fire released their debut EP, Half Alive, in the summer of 2026. The single “Dead and Spent” featured a collaboration with Dan Marsala of Story of the Year, a track that Jon had pursued as a fan turned friend for years. The song originated as a piece Jon and Marsala wrote for an earlier, now-defunct band, and the group reworked the vocals to fit the new sound, adding their own spin.

The creative flow continued seamlessly. The record felt complete until Loforese introduced a new demo. When they were not even planning on writing another song initially, the collective enthusiasm led to an immediate recording session. The track “Can I Find My Way Out of the Dark” went from idea to fully recorded, complete with a music video, in just two days.

Half Alive and their forthcoming companion EP, But Still Dreaming, were both recorded at Diver Down Studios in West Chester, Pennsylvania, with producer Mascherino and Stephen Angello. Over roughly a year, the band tracked ten songs, which they subsequently organized into two connected five-song EPs. The instrumentation was rich, with Jeremy playing bass on several tracks using an instrument previously owned by Gareth Davies, and Jon and Loforese pulling guitars, amps, and pedals from Mascherino’s own collection, several of which were tied to Taking Back Sunday.

The band’s energy translated directly to the stage. Hold On Fire’s first show helped sell out the Gramercy Theatre in New York City, and they have since returned, including a memorable performance at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. They started, as most bands do, in basements, but their reach has expanded significantly, connecting with audiences across major venues.

Now, the band is continuing their momentum, with the single “Deep Enough to Drown” arriving this fall, featuring Mascherino himself, and the companion EP But Still Dreaming slated for release later in 2026. Hold On Fire has proven that true musical chemistry doesn’t require a grand plan; it simply requires showing up for the music you love and letting it guide the way.