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Mental Gymnast have released a new single called "I Want To Believe," the first taste of the band's upcoming second EP (out August 14th). For a band whose members bonded over their mutual love for bands like Ruiner, both the synths and vocal delivery were giving me serious Atom & His Package vibes before anything else. Lyrically, "I Want To Believe" reflects on how exhausting it can be to exist in an increasingly hostile world while arguing that kindness and sincerity still matter. "The world is broken and sometimes you just want people to tell you nice things rather than being brutally honest," says vocalist Adam Gecking. "Kindness can go a long way in this fucked up world of ours." Check out "I Want To Believe" below and make a mental note that the band's second single 'IN4U' - a fiery plea to gatekeep shitheads out of our scene and areas - will be out July 16th.

Mental Gymnast started as a conversation during Fest between vocalist and longtime scene fixture and Scotty Sandwich (DTFH Records, Wolvesx4, Almost People, Worthington's Law). Bonding over a mutual appreciation for bands like Ruiner, the pair decided to start a new project, with Scotty writing the music from his Durham, North Carolina studio while the rest of the band gradually came together through friendships built over years in the punk and hardcore scene.

The lineup has since grown to include Erica Clayton (Binary Heart, Reclawed, Freya Wilcox and the Howl), Chris Ruckus (Dissidente, Mutiny, Stuck Lucky), Jon Greco (Dog Park Dissidents, Binary Heart, Reclawed), and drummer Sam (formerly of Sarah and the Safe Word, currently in Cascadent). In a fun twist, the band has never actually been in the same room together. Hell, they don't even have an official band photo yet. That will finally change this August though when they'll meet for the first time while recording their third EP.