Second Time Around drops June 19 via Red Scare — and it sounds like the follow-up they never got to make in 1992.

Sludgeworth — the Chicago punk band who came up alongside Naked Raygun, Steve Albini, and Ministry in the city's legendary 1980s underground — are making one of the most unlikely and welcome returns in punk rock. Second Time Around arrives June 19 via Red Scare Industries, and it's the first new LP from the band in 35 years.

"I don't think anyone had Sludgeworth putting out a full-length record in 2026 on their Bingo card," jokes drummer Brian McQuaid. "But during the hiatus, there were plenty of moments where I found myself imagining the record we never got to make — the one that should have come out as a follow-up in 1992. I think we finally made that record."

Lead single "Hold Steady" is out now via Riot Fest and sets the tone for the album's 12 tracks — full of the band's signature hooks and melodic punch. Singer Dan Schafer describes it as "a song about allowing difficult emotions to simply pass without clinging to them. A painful yesterday doesn't have to define today. We're always allowed to begin again."

The reunited lineup brings back McQuaid and Schafer alongside guitarists Dave McLean and Adam White, with new bassist Simon Lamb (The Methadones). McQuaid's son Max, of up-and-comers Feral Tact, also contributed instrumentation to the record.

Sludgeworth originally disbanded in 1993, but their legacy never faded — Joe Principe of Rise Against once called them "the most underrated Chicago punk band ever." Their 2023 comeback show at Cobra Lounge sold out in five minutes. This summer they'll tour with Teenage Bottlerocket and play record release shows in Chicago with The Copyrights and The Brokedowns.

Watch "Hold Steady" on YouTube and pre-order Second Time Around at Red Scare.