Denver, Colorado post-metal band ONLY ECHOES return with “Steps Ahead Of Drowning,” the first single from their forthcoming full-length album Born Adrift, due out August 14, 2026 on Braeburn Records.
Built on towering riffs, slow-burning atmosphere, and crushing dynamic shifts, “Steps Ahead Of Drowning” captures the band’s signature approach to instrumental post-metal: immersive, emotionally charged, and relentlessly heavy. Accompanied by a new music video, the seven-minute track serves as the first glimpse into Born Adrift, a record shaped by isolation, movement, collapse, and survival.
ONLY ECHOES describe themselves simply:
“No gods, no vocals.”
Without relying on lyrics, the Denver quartet channels weight and tension through layered guitars, massive low end, and cinematic percussion, crafting songs that feel equally meditative and catastrophic. “Steps Ahead Of Drowning” moves from fragile restraint into tidal waves of distortion, embodying the album’s themes of drifting, endurance, and transformation.
Born Adrift was produced, engineered, and mixed by guitarist Austin Minney at All Aces Studio, with mastering handled by Brad Smalling at Evergroove. The album artwork features an original 1876 engraving by Gustave Doré, reimagined with color and illustration work by Celeste Hayes (@chayesart).
About ONLY ECHOES:
ONLY ECHOES are a post-metal band from Denver, Colorado crafting massive, cinematic instrumental music built on towering riffs, immersive atmosphere, and emotional weight. Since forming in 2018, the quartet has developed a sound that bridges the expansive textures of post-rock with the crushing heaviness of sludge and post-metal, drawing influence from bands like RUSSIAN CIRCLES, PELICAN, ISIS, BARONESS, DEAFHEAVEN, and GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT.
Comprised of guitarists Austin Minney and Dustin Yourishin, bassist Ben Rosenberg, and drummer Zach Sirotkin, ONLY ECHOES write longform compositions that communicate emotion without relying on vocals. Their music moves through waves of clean ambience, layered guitars, melodic leads, and crushing low-end, often drawing comparisons to film scores while never losing sight of the band’s core heaviness.
The band released their self-titled debut EP in 2018, followed by their first full-length album Sunsickness in 2022. A concept album centered on the search for truth, Sunsickness helped establish ONLY ECHOES as one of the emerging names in modern instrumental post-metal. The track “War Thorn” was recognized as one of the Top 20 Post-Metal Songs of 2022 by @postrock.instrumental and was later featured on the Post Metal Essentials Spotify playlist curated by the same outlet.
In August 2026, ONLY ECHOES will release their sophomore full-length album Born Adrift through Braeburn Records. Expanding on the emotional and conceptual depth of their previous work, Born Adrift explores the search for meaning through monumental riffs, ethereal atmospheres, and dynamic songwriting that remains both devastatingly heavy and deeply melodic. The album artwork reimagines an 1876 Gustave Doré engraving from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, colored and illustrated by Denver artist Celeste Hayes (@chayesart).
Though the band originally intended to include vocals, no one ever stepped forward to sing. Over time, ONLY ECHOES realized vocals were unnecessary entirely. Their music speaks through dynamics, melody, and sheer sonic force alone, summed up in the band’s defining ethos:
“No gods, no vocals.”
A relentless DIY band at heart, ONLY ECHOES have played more than 75 shows across the United States everywhere from bookstores and backyards to theaters and festivals. Their touring history includes multiple DIY west coast and midwest runs alongside performances with PALLBEARER, BIG|BRAVE, STRAWBERRY GIRLS, and THE ONGOING CONCEPT, including an appearance at the inaugural Ghost Canyon Fest.
Offstage, the band maintains a hands-on approach to nearly every aspect of their operation. Austin Minney screen prints much of the band’s merchandise by hand, often producing shirts just hours before heading out on tour.
With Born Adrift, ONLY ECHOES continue their mission to push instrumental post-metal forward, carrying the torch for a genre with few modern American bands operating at this intersection of atmosphere, melody, and crushing heaviness.
ONLY ECHOES is:
Austin Minney — Guitar
Dustin Yourishin — Guitar
Ben Rosenberg — Bass
Zach Sirotkin — Drums
Connect with ONLY ECHOES:
Official Website: https://www.onlyechoesmusic.com
Bandcamp: https://onlyechoes.bandcamp.com/album/sunsickness
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onlyechoesdenver
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/only_echoes_denver/?hl=en
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@onlyechoesdenver
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3dRWQve9w41F9eUAwlHP4A?si=vjHVbz3VTWy1CapE7sq3og
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/only-echoes/1437048557
Born Adrift Tracklist:
- Born Adrift — 5:48
- Tempest — 8:41
- So Tightly Bound — 6:12
- Inter — 2:05
- Steps Ahead Of Drowning — 7:09
- Shimmering Death — 5:14