Led by goth siren Layla Reyna (Strap On Halo), darkwave / goth rock quartet Licorice Chamber from Tacoma, Washington, have just released their new Remnants EP on Tuesday, 24 February 2026, ahead of a string of US West Coast live dates. Remnants is Licorice Chamber’s third EP since forming in 2021, and the first to feature new drummer Cory Sorrentino in place of the drum machine: joining guitarist Marc Jones (also a former member of Strap On Halo), and bassist Joe Fox. Discussing the themes explored by the new three-song Remnants EP, Layla Reyna says:
“The EP title Remnants suggests aftermath, what survives destruction. Rather than romanticizing despair, the songs feel like they’re exploring what’s left when illusions fall away.
‘Heavy’ explores the invisible weight of self-condemnation and the lasting impact of what we carry in silence.
With ‘Never the Same’, I was thinking about that moment when you realize there’s no going back and that something changes you permanently. Its origin is a dream I had that tasted like falling — the idea behind my first EP, and what ultimately convinced me to start Licorice Chamber.
‘Feign’ explores the armor we wear. The ways we perform strength when we’re actually unraveling.”
The Remnants EP’s lead video-single, ‘Heavy’, premiered with Post-punk.com on 3 February 2026, with both the single and advance reviews of the EP drawing praise from around the US and UK, alongside DJ and radio playlisting from around the world.
“Heavy feels like a reckoning conducted under fluorescent lights: no theatrics, no escape hatch. Licorice Chamber sound settled into this configuration, dangerous in their discipline, and newly comfortable carrying the load.”
– Alice Teeple, Post-punk.com, USA
“Remnants is the sound of a band writing a new chapter for themselves. It is recognisably part of the ongoing story, but it is also full of new and exciting developments… something all good stories must have. And as stories go, this is compelling stuff.”
– Dave Franklin, Dancing About Architecture, UK
“If anyone had asked me up front if I would have liked to hear what Siouxsie and the Banshees could have sounded like with John Bonham on drums, I might have demurred on the face of it, but the proof is in the pudding… a rare case of a Gothic Post-Punk Band moving in a Rock direction without boring me to tears.”
– Jim Donato, Post-Punk Monk, USA
“On Remnants, Licorice Chamber serve up three brooding slices of classic contemporary goth which are thematically linked under the banner of the EP’s title… Remnants is dark, but bold, and in its own way, uplifting.”
– Christopher Nosnibor, Aural Aggravation, UK
“Heavy sounds like it crawled out of a foggy bedroom at 2 a.m. carrying a notebook full of bad thoughts and zero interest in cheering up. The song wastes no time announcing its emotional mass, leaning hard into the feeling of being crushed by your own interior monologue. It is gloomy in a very intentional way, the kind that feels less like sadness and more like commitment…”
– Ryan Martin, Jammerzine, USA
“The gothic feel rings true throughout; a shaded greyscale of emotion greets poetic imagery that punches in symbolism. Doomy and dirge-like, the miserable feelings play nicely with the sense of adventure, provided the storyline is heavy enough. That it is.”
– Rowan Blair Colver, Sound Read Six, UK
On the upcoming tour dates between Oregon, Washington State and California, Layla adds:
“I love touring! Long drives, late nights and being completely immersed in the music. I’m looking forward to connecting with people face to face and performing the new tracks.”
The Remnants EP by Licorice Chamber is out on both CD and digital download formats, available now from Bandcamp. From 26 February, Licorice Chamber embark on a tour of the US West Coast, joined by The Palace of Tears for selected shows.
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