Chance Smith doesn’t love summer. While many people mark the season with road trips, backyard beers, and sweltering festival afternoons, the Kerosene Heights vocalist finds that he’s counting down the days until the crisp air of fall. “I famously am a summer hater,” Smith admits over Zoom from Asheville, North Carolina. It’s not about darkness or gloom so much as the rhythm of his own life: summer is when he turns inward, writes more, and lets songs take shape away from the oppressive heat.

That inward gaze has crystallized on Blame It on the Weather, the band’s second full-length and first for SideOneDummy, out August 15. The title came almost accidentally, a working name for the demo that became the album’s closer. It stuck, partly because weather, and the changes it signals, kept appearing in Smith’s lyrics without deliberate intent. Then, last fall, Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina, leaving devastation in its wake, and the phrase gained an extra layer of resonance. “The record is about transition and change,” Smith says. “Weather became a metaphor that kept showing up, and after the hurricane, it felt even more fitting.” Only later did he realize he’d lifted the line from a favorite Defiance, Ohio song, one that had been lodged in his subconscious since his teens.

Kerosene Heights have only been together a few years, but the road to Blame It on the Weather has been one of steady build. Smith met guitarist Justin Franklin in 2020 through their now-wives, bonding over DIY recordings made on an iPhone. Bassist Elle Thompson initially joined as a drummer before moving to bass, and the lineup solidified when drummer Benji Bennis came aboard in 2024 after approaching the band at a Sweet Pill show. His hardcore-informed playing style shifted the group’s sound, giving it a sharp, driving backbone that helped shape the new record. “The drummer really curates a vibe for a band,” says Smith. “He comes from more of a hardcore background. I think it had a big impact on us as a band. He’s also a really good person to bring creative ideas to the table and change things around. Him joining the band changed the trajectory of what this record is versus what it would be.”

Unlike their 2023 debut Southeast of Somewhere, which felt like a snapshot of where they were in the moment, Blame It on the Weather was written to feel like a single arc. Smith wanted it to be dynamic and cohesive. Something that could be listened to front to back, with peaks, valleys, and an emotional through-line. It’s also the band’s most collaborative work yet. “This time, we spent more time hashing out ideas together,” Smith explains. “Everybody’s personality is in there.”

That blend of voices comes through in the songs themselves: the jittery, confessional “Forget It,” the resilient urgency of “Sink,” the cathartic weight of “Waste My Time,” and the searching swell of the title track. There’s a thread of optimism in Smith’s writing, even when the subject matter leans heavy. “I want there to be a positive through-line,” he says. “Things can get better. Being in this band makes me happy, and I want that to come through—even in the sad songs.”

The record also marks Kerosene Heights’ debut on SideOneDummy, a label with a storied emo-punk history. The connection started with a cold Instagram DM from Smith to label rep Phil, followed by months of weekly conversations before any contracts were signed. “They signed us off demos,” Smith recalls. “We didn’t have huge streaming numbers or anything. We have a few friends on Side One like Carpool, Cliff Diver, World's Greatest Dad who all had nothing but good things to say. It felt good. The label obviously means a lot to us, with bands like Jeff Rosenstock, Title Fight, list Goes On. But they just seemed to truly believe in what we were doing, so it felt right. And it has been ever since. Everything that they have said would happen has. And it's really cool to be friends with the people that are helping you do this thing, because a lot of times it can feel like a business interaction or whatever, and it doesn't feel that way with Side One.”

Kerosene Heights will spend the fall on their first full U.S. tour, including runs with Trash Sports, Thoughts on Bowling, and Camping in Alaska. Canada isn’t on the calendar yet, but Smith says it’s a goal. For now, the band is heading into the season that matches the mood of their record—brisk air, shifting leaves, and an undercurrent of renewal. Blame It on the Weather feels perfectly timed—a soundtrack for change and the quiet thrill of knowing that nothing stays the same.

Blame It on the Weather: Kerosene Heights Soundtrack the Season of Change

Family Man Turn Their Sound to the Max on Latest Tracks