Ever since launching in 2012, Already Heard has constantly highlighted new music. Today, we’re doing just that as we premiere the new single from Promise Nothing. The track is called ‘Empty’ and is the duo’s second single.
Based out of Derby, ‘Empty’ sees Tom Slack (vocals) and Alex Highly (guitars) showcase a heartfelt spin on pop-punk. It’s rooted in raw and relatable lyricism with a driving, anthemic rhythm section. When paired up with their debut single, ‘Inside Out,’ Promise Nothing is a band with urgency and has something to say. They aim to be honest while weaving in themes of overthinking and anxiety.
Founded on a long-term friendship with a background in the UK’s independent pop-punk scene, Promise Nothing‘s arrival is energetic, mature, and serves as a reinvigorated spark for its members.
To learn more about the emerging pop-punk outfit, we spoke to Promise Nothing vocalist Tom Slack about ‘Empty,’ its Stateside video, their influences, and future plans.
‘Empty’ is only your second single. Can you bring us up to speed on the history of Promise Nothing so far?
Sure. Promise Nothing came about because our guitarist Alex and I have been in bands together for the past 15 years or so. Most notably, we formed the band High Tides in 2015, which went on to have some minor success. The band split in 2018, and since then, neither of us has really been doing a lot with music. I know Alex had tried to start a few things that didn’t really materialise.
Then in 2025, we decided to get together just to hang out and jam at a local practice room and see what would come out of it and that was the birth of Promise Nothing. Both of us are dads in our 30s, and for me, especially, it started as a cool way to reconnect with a really good friend, explore new ideas, and be creative again, something that had definitely been missing from my life since High Tides.
We wrote and released our first single, ‘Inside Out’, in January without really knowing what kind of response we’d get. It was also the first time I’d ever been the lead vocalist in a band, so I didn’t know how people would take to my voice. But we were met with an amazing response. We quickly started to build a following, and people genuinely connected with the song. That was the moment it felt like this could actually be something.
Tom, you’ve described ‘Empty’ as being about getting trapped in your own thoughts and going over the same things on repeat. Was writing the song a way of processing that feeling, or did putting it into a pop-punk context make it feel more cathartic than therapeutic?
Yeah, I think a bit of both, really. Writing the song definitely helped me process and put into words some things I deal with personally, and helped me understand them better. Most of the time when I write lyrics, it comes from a personal place. It’s about working through feelings or situations in a way you don’t usually get to in everyday life.
I think what’s really interesting is that most people connect to music by singing along to songs that help them process their own struggles and realise they’re not alone. So it’s a pretty unique position to be able to write from that place and have people relate to it. It can be scary putting yourself out there and being that vulnerable, but at the same time, it’s really therapeutic and cathartic when people connect with it not just musically, but on a personal level too.
The video for ‘Empty’ sees you travelling across the States. Is there a reason for this, or was walking around Derby not attractive enough?
I just happened to be over in the States at the time we got the master for the song back, so I wanted to make the most of the opportunity to shoot a video in a cool setting. I think we could make a really cool video in Derby, but yeah, I wasn’t going to pass up the chance to film it out there.
Despite the emotionally heavy nature of the track, it has a unifying, anthemic quality. How do you balance the tension between lyrical weight and the energy of the music? Is that a conscious decision in the writing process, or does it just happen naturally?
It really just happens naturally, and a lot of that comes down to Alex’s writing when it comes to riffs and leads. They shape the melodies that I create, and that naturally creates a really nice juxtaposition between the lyrics and the energy of the song.
From day one, the biggest thing I wanted was to write big, hook-driven, memorable choruses and for the songs to feel massive. A lot of extra credit has to go to Myroslav at Jigsaw Audio, who produced the track. He’s honestly a bit of a wizard, and I’d genuinely consider him part of the band at this point. He has a way of taking what we write and helping us transform it into that big, anthemic sound while pushing us to get the best out of ourselves. He’s a true master of his craft.
Both ‘Empty’ and ‘Inside Out’ feel rooted in pop-punk. Who are the bands that shaped the Promise Nothing sound? Are there any influences outside of music that have shaped Promise Nothing so far?
Yeah, in terms of music, both me and Alex have always been huge pop-punk fans and have been involved in the UK scene for a long time. We’ve got deep roots in it, so naturally our influences come from the music we love. I think I can speak for both of us when I say we draw influence from bands like The Story So Far and The Wonder Years. To be honest, there are probably too many influential bands to really mention. Personally, I also take a lot from bands like Living With Lions, Polar Bear Club, Like Pacific, and Trophy Eyes.
We’re also heavily influenced by bands like Basement, Title Fight, and Citizen, as well as hardcore bands like Trapped Under Ice, Turnstile, and Have Heart. We always toy with the idea of writing a heavier, more hardcore-style EP, and I wouldn’t take that off the table.
Although you have just released two songs, what are Promise Nothing’s short-term and long-term plans?
Short term, we’re just going to keep writing songs that we enjoy writing and playing. We don’t really like staying within the lines of a particular genre, we just start writing and see what comes out. It’s more about whether the end result is something we both connect with and get excited about. We’ll keep writing, keep defining our sound, and most importantly, keep having fun with it.
Long term, it would be great to get a few EPs under our belt and build on what we’ve started, see how people connect with what we’re putting out. As long as we’re both enjoying it, that’s what really matters.
At the end of the day, it’s honestly just been really cool to reconnect with one of my best friends and create music again. You forget how much you love it when you’ve been away from it for a while, and it’s really reignited that creative spark for me.
‘Empty’ by Promise Nothing is released on April 17th (pre-save here).
Find Promise Nothing on: Instagram | TikTok | Spotify | Apple Music
