If you have been feeling down, the indie-alternative powerhouse We Are Only Human Once has just delivered the perfect antidepressant with their spectacular June 2026 release, ‘harbinger‘. Hailing from Dublin, Ohio, project mastermind Adalyn Clarke channels a brilliant fusion of indie rock, alt-country, and shoegaze influences that makes this 11-track collection an absolute joy to experience. Born from an “intoxicated flow state” of leftover tracks, the record feels less like a gloomy omen and more like a joyful musical party you never want to leave. The tracks perfectly capture a raw, wonderfully unpolished charm that manages to strike a magical balance between heavy thoughts and the urge to dance around your living room in your underwear.
The tracklist is full of highlights, but three specific tracks immediately stood out to me as kick-ass songs with fun songwriting. First up is “Another year in the hive,” a brilliant anthem that masterfully turns the daily corporate grind into a catchy, foot-tapping celebration of survival. Next, the beautifully titled “Throwing up outside the venue” wins the award for the most hilariously relatable track of the year, pairing a wild name with a gloriously upbeat melody that will have you singing along at the top of your lungs. Finally, the cosmic journey of “Artemis” rounds out the top picks, injecting a beautiful burst of starry atmosphere into the album, keeping the momentum soaring. Honorable mention, I guess, would be the album’s closer/ title track, where Adalyn gets possessed by the ghost of Sonic Youth’s past and rips through a sonic two-minute, making you want more.
‘Harbinger’ proves that while we might We Are Only Human Once, this is a great musical journey you’d be proud to take multiple times in this short life. It is a delightfully energetic and deeply comforting reminder that life’s messy moments are always much better when they have an amazing, fuzzy soundtrack blasting in the background. The next time you find your daily routine getting a bit too dull, do yourself a massive favor: load up ‘harbinger‘ on your favorite media player, and let these tracks completely take over your brainwaves on a sunny afternoon.
Links of interest:
https://www.instagram.com/wohomusic/
https://wereonlyhumanonce.bandcamp.com/album/harbinger