5 Chicago Bands You Need to Know, Chosen by Footballhead

Footballhead by Calla Flanagan

If you like emo, grunge, and other rock subgenres of the ’90s and early 2000s, you should be getting excited for Chicago band Footballhead‘s upcoming sophomore album Weight of the Truth, which arrives March 20 via Tiny Engines (pre-order). Three singles are out from it now, including “Used To Be” (which we named one of the best punk & emo songs of November) and the newly-released “Diversion,” which you can listen to below.

As we await the new album, we caught up with vocalists/guitarists Ryan Nolen and Snow Ellet (the latter of whom is also a solo artist and the producer of The Academy Is’ new album) who told us about five Chicago bands that everyone needs to know. Their list ranges from peers/friends of theirs to ’90s power pop veterans to a later-period album from a certain group of 2000s-era radio rock hitmakers. They had plenty of compelling commentary on each pick, as you can see for yourself by watching this video:

Footballhead are also gearing up to open Ben Quad‘s spring tour, alongside Riley! and Aren’t We Amphibians, and that awesome four-band bill hits Asbury Park’s House of Independents on March 14 and Brooklyn’s Elsewhere Hall on March 15. All dates are listed here:

Ben Quad / Riley! / Aren’t We Amphibians / Footballhead — 2026 Tour Dates
March 7 – Atlanta, GA at Aisle 5
March 8 – Durham, NC at The Fruit
March 9 – Richmond, VA at Canal Club
March 10 – Baltimore, MD at Metro Gallery
March 12 – Boston, MA at The Sinclair
March 13 – Philadelphia, PA at Ukie Club
March 14 – Asbury Park, NJ at House of Independents
March 15 – Brooklyn, NY at Elsewhere
March 17 – Buffalo, NY at Rec Room
March 18 – Lakewood, OH at Mahall’s
March 20 – Detroit, MI at The Sanctuary
March 21 – Chicago, IL at Reggies
March 22 – Minneapolis, MN at The Green Room
March 24 – Denver, CO at Meow Wolf
March 27 – Portland, OR at Hawthorne Theatre
March 28 – Seattle, WA at El Corazon
March 29 – Boise, ID at Treefort Music Festival
March 31 – Reno, NV at Holland Project
April 1 – San Jose, CA at The Ritz
April 3 – San Diego, CA at House of Blues
April 4 – Anaheim, CA at Parish at HOB
April 5 – Mesa, AZ at Rosetta
April 8 – Houston, TX at Secret Group
April 9 – San Antonio, TX at The Rock Box
April 10 – Dallas, TX at Three Links