Photo Credit: Scryer Photo A certain type of alchemy happens when a band pulls from the sound that shaped them without turning into a tribute act. The riffs feel familiar, the hooks land somewhere between your ribs and your throat, and it still sounds like right now instead of a museum piece. That's the needle Hold On

Photo Credit: Scryer Photo A certain type of alchemy happens when a band pulls from the sound that shaped them without turning into a tribute act. The riffs feel familiar, the hooks land somewhere between your ribs and your throat, and it still sounds like right now instead of a museum piece. That's the needle Hold On Fire is threading, and they're doing it with the ease of people who've been playing together, in one form or another, for close to two decades.The Montclair, New Jersey five-piece, comprised of vocalist Andrew Padilla, guitarists Joe Loforese and Jon Bernstein, bassist Jeremy Bernstein, and drummer Andrey Golushko, formed in 2024, though calling it a formation undersells what actually happened. Jon and Jeremy are cousins who grew up playing music together, and Joe played alongside them in the band that immediately preceded Hold On Fire. Padilla met them years ago through the Linkin Park Underground fan club, and Golushko played alongside Padilla in a different project through the mid-to-late 2010s. Everyone had already learned how the others played.More from Spin: Sudley on His Tomorrowland Set: The B2B With blooom and the Tribute to His Mom Marcus King Reflects on Gratitude, Authenticity and the Legacy He’s Building at Sold-Out Nashville Dreamland Show Angine de Poitrine at Ottawa Bluesfest The origin story sounds almost too on-brand to be true. In late 2023, Jon was deep into a session of Final Fantasy XVI when the game's fantastical naming conventions sparked something, and he texted Loforese that it might make a decent band name. What started as a throwaway idea about a three-song project snowballed fast. Jeremy came on as bassist without so much as a conversation, since he'd already played in bands with both of them. Jon went to see producer Fred Mascherino perform, mentioned the new project, and talked his way into studio time before the band had a singer, a drummer, or a single finished song. Mascherino, who had seen Padilla fill in on vocals for one of Jon and Jeremy's earlier bands, suggested he take the mic, unaware the three had already played together in high school and college. Golushko was brought in to fill in for a show, but handled it well enough that the fill-in gig became permanent."None of us are hired for a specific role," the band explains. "We all hang out outside of rehearsals, though conversations often drift back to the band."Hold On Fire released its debut EP, Half Alive, in summer 2026. The single "Dead and Spent" features Dan Marsala of Story of the Year, a collaboration Jon had chased for years as a fan turned friend. The song began as a piece Jon and Marsala wrote for an earlier, now-defunct band, and Jon knew it had to come with him when Hold On Fire started. "Joe took Dan's original vocal take and wrote an almost entirely new song around those vocals," the band says. Marsala re-recorded his vocals to match the retooled sound and added a few surprises of his own."Can I Find My Way Out of the Dark" almost didn't exist. The record felt finished until Loforese showed up with a new demo. "We weren't even planning on doing another song initially," the band recalls. Everyone loved it enough to call Mascherino immediately, and the track went from idea to fully recorded in two days, complete with a music video.Half Alive and its forthcoming companion EP, But Still Dreaming, due later in 2026, were both recorded at Diver Down Studios in West Chester, Pennsylvania, with Mascherino and Stephen Angello. The band tracked ten songs over roughly a year, then split them into two connected five-song EPs. Jeremy played bass on several tracks using an instrument once owned by Gareth Davies of Funeral for a Friend, and Jon and Loforese pulled guitars, amps, and pedals from Mascherino's own collection, several previously tied to Taking Back Sunday. The next single, "Deep Enough to Drown," features Mascherino himself and arrives this fall with a video.Most bands play a basement first. Hold On Fire's first-ever show helped sell out New York City's Gramercy Theatre, and they've returned twice since. In October 2025, they played the second intermission of a New Jersey Devils game at Prudential Center, a booking memorable enough to earn a return invite for 2026–27. Half Alive is out now. Stream it on Spotify, and follow Hold On Fire on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. "Deep Enough to Drown" and But Still Dreaming are coming.It started with a text about a video game name. Two years later, it's a sold-out room in New York, a hockey arena, and a producer who plays guitar for one of the bands they grew up on. Hold On Fire didn't set out to prove anything about the genre they love. They just kept showing up for it.SPIN Magazine newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content. To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.