Durham, NC Southern gothic rock band WAILIN STORMS have announced their fifth album, The Arsonist, set for release on July 10, 2026 via Season of Mist. The announcement arrives with a music video for the album's title track, directed by Reid Haithcock — watch it below.
Recorded entirely in analog by Matt Talbott of HUM, The Arsonist strips the band back to their raw blues punk roots while throwing heavier splashes of surrealism into the mix. Vocalist and guitarist Justin Storms cites David Lynch and René Magritte as creative touchstones, and painted the album's cover art himself — a heavily shadowed image of a tiny house engulfed in flames.
"The Arsonist was forged in the fires of our hearts. The title track was the initial spark for the album. It's about the fear of losing the person you love most in life — a love that is so consuming that it takes on many forms: a car crash, a tumultuous sea, vines wrapping around a tree, a house fire." — Justin Storms
The band have received widespread acclaim from NPR, The Needle Drop, Brooklyn Vegan, Decibel, and Metal Hammer, and have shared stages with City of Caterpillar, This Will Destroy You, Acid Bath, and Eyehategod.
Pre-order & pre-save The Arsonist: orcd.co/wailinstormsthearsonist
To support the album, WAILIN STORMS will headline a U.S. tour through July and August, performing songs off The Arsonist live for the first time alongside favorites from their back catalogue.
WAILIN STORMS — The Arsonist U.S. Tour 2026
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| July 17 | Durham, NC | Stanczyk's (Album Release Show) |
| July 29 | Johnson City, TN | The Hideaway |
| July 30 | Atlanta, GA | Star Bar |
| July 31 | Knoxville, TN | The Pilot Light |
| August 1 | Cincinnati, OH | Motr |
| August 2 | Youngstown, OH | Westside Bowl |
| August 3 | Columbus, OH | Dirty Dungarees |
| August 4 | Pittsburgh, PA | The Government Center |
| August 5 | Baltimore, MD | Metro Gallery |
| August 6 | Brooklyn, NY | The Gutter |
| August 7 | New Hope, PA | John and Peter's |