THE UPSIDES Release IN THE MAZE Sophomore Album

New York City indie rock band The Upsides have released their sophomore album, In The Maze, via Dream Wolf Records. The band will play an album release show at New York City's Mercury Lounge on 10/17.

Comprised of brothers Matt and Dan Fullam alongside longtime friends Hart Mechlin, Pat Freeman, and Matt DaSilva, The Upsides have spent years shaping their sound through friendship, collaboration, and experimentation. On In The Maze, their first album with Dream Wolf Records, the band ventures beyond their jangly garage-rock roots into bolder, more emotive territory, exploring the uncertainty of life and the choices that shape it.

Mixed by Austin Asvanonda (Sam Fender, The War on Drugs) at One Cue Recording in Burbank, California, and mastered by two-time Grammy Award-winning engineer Steve Fallone (Kacey Musgraves, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga), the album features additional production by Nick Perri (Silvertide, Luke Spiller) and string arrangements by Richard Jones and Laura Moody of Elysian Collective. Their arrangements appear on four tracks, with strings recorded by Elysian Collective at Snap Studios in London. The album also features guest vocals from B. Miles on its closing track, 'Sepia.'

'I view In The Maze as succumbing to the chaos and unpredictability of life, and so it's up to you individually to sort out which path you want to take within that thresher so to speak,' Fullam shares.

'So many people live with regrets that they chose a comfortable, cookie-cutter life, while so many people love the stability of a certain job, the warmth of family which keeps them sane and away from chaos and that's beautiful too. I think the smartest people, regardless of what they accomplish in life, find that there are zero universally 'right' answers to anything. You do your best, and then you're dead basically. So go for what you want - the job, the partner, the creative endeavor - and go for it now. This is the mindset we took when writing these songs. The album has a sense of urgency and focus on being present via stories that all happened in our recent and distant pasts.'

That sense of urgency took shape early in the band's songwriting process. Much of In The Maze came together during a ten-day retreat in Parksville, New York, just one month after the release of The Upsides' self-titled debut. Matt, Dan, and Hart used the time to experiment with new sounds before the full band reconvened to record the album at The Building, a converted rural church in Marlboro, New York.

Across In The Maze, the band draws on specific, lived experiences to explore universally resonant themes: coming to terms with the past, reaching a turning point, and confronting the reality that life rarely offers simple answers. Ultimately, the album is an invitation to embrace uncertainty, stay present, and pursue what matters before the opportunity passes.

In The Maze Tracklisting

1. In The Maze

2. Very Bad Kids

3. Say Follow

4. Pretending it Fades

5. New Jersey In The 90s

6. Telepathic

7. Fast Angel

8. Twist Our Fate

9. Space Monkey

10. Limbo

11. Sepia

About The Upsides

The Upsides are an indie rock band based in New York City consisting of brothers Matt (guitar and vocals) and Dan Fullam (drums) alongside longtime friends Hart Mechlin (lead guitar), Pat Freeman (keys, guitar) and Matt DaSilva (bass). Long-standing relationships, chance encounters and a transformative songwriting retreat have continued to shape and refine the group as they enter a new era with In the Maze, their second album and first on Dream Wolf Records.

More than half of In The Maze came together in June 2024, one month after the release of their self-titled debut album. Matt, Dan and Hart spent 10 days tucked away in Parksville, New York experimenting with new sounds and even swapping instruments. After a year of working on demos, The Upsides left their New York City base yet again and went upstate to record at The Building, a converted rural church in Marlboro, New York. The band all sensed they were heading into bolder, more emotive sonic territory than their jangly garage rock roots.

After post-production was complete in February 2026, In the Maze was mixed in Burbank, California by Austin Asvanonda (Sam Fender, The War on Drugs). The album was mastered by Steve Fallone, with additional production by Nick Perri (Silvertide, Luke Spiller) and string arrangements by Richard Jones and Laura Moody of Elysian Collective (Florence + The Machine, Fontaines D.C.).

The tracks on In The Maze are full of universal themes told through specific, lived-through stories; about coming to terms with the past, reaching a make-or-break point in life, and realizing there are no simple, easy answers.