On Their New Album Word Eater, Some Fear Are Writing Slowcore for a Burning World

Oklahoma City’s underground has long thrived on a kind of dust-caked defiance, the city’s flat expanse giving its DIY scene a bruised, self-sufficient edge. Money, cursetheknife, Downward, and Photocopy have each helped define the area’s current strain of heavy, grunge-tinged rock, and some fear bring a slower, more restrained edge to the scene.

What began in 2021 as Branden “Bran” Palesano’s pandemic-era solo project became a full-band outfit after drummer Ray Morgan joined at what was supposed to be their final show. Bassist Lennon Bramlett and guitarist James Tunell soon rounded out the lineup. Their self-titled debut, released in January 2025, was met with strong reception, with songs balancing themes of grief, self-preservation, and the stubborn hope of moving forward.

On Word Eater, the sound sharpens up. The album dials back the lo-fi haze in favor of more open space, letting the band’s slowcore arrangements breathe across eight tracks. Beneath the stillness, Bran takes aim at rent stress, resentment, and capitalism, even skewering “blood-sucking billionaire vampires” in one of the record’s more pointed moments. But Word Eater isn’t content to stay in rage mode; it gradually settles into something more grounded, finding its emotional center in local-community intimacy and the small acts of showing up.

In this interview, we talked to Bran about slowcore’s minimalist pull, what sparked Word Eater, and why the industry’s social-media obsession feels so vampiric.

I think what’s vampiric about it is that the industry has become social media-focused. Having to “pitch” your band or art in a 20-second video, hoping that something sticks and you blow up—I personally despise that and can’t buy into it.

How did some fear first come together, and at what point did the project start feeling like a full band rather than a solo outlet?

I was making this more of a solo project at first with a very minimal sound. I love playing live music and wanted to challenge myself to be a frontman in a band. A lot of members have come and gone throughout our short life, but the roster now feels very cohesive to our sound. It really started coming together once Ray, our drummer, started playing in the band. He actually convinced me to keep the project going. His first show with me was going to be our last, but here we are.

What did Oklahoma City bring to this project that you don’t think it would have had anywhere else?

I think the local scene here has been changing recently, and for the better. We’re seeing more rock bands these days, and it’s great. I think just going to shows and building that community of bands really impacts everyone’s creative endeavors.

What first pulled you toward slowcore, and what does the genre allow you to express that other styles don’t?

Minimalism in songwriting really stands out to me in that genre. I also love the liminal aura it brings. Honestly, it’s just one of my favorite genres of music.

You’ve cited the Numero Group’s slowcore archives as an early inspiration, and names like Duster or Codeine naturally come to mind. Beyond the legends, which specific "found artifacts" or records from that catalog were most formative for the sound of some fear?

Bedhead’s WhatFunLifeWas really inspired Word Eater. I always love records that sound like you’re in the room with the band, and we tried to capture that in this record. Should’s Feed Like Fishes was also a major inspiration.

Your press kit recommends the band for fans of cursetheknife, Knifeplay, Starflyer 59, trauma ray, and Horse Jumper of Love. What do you think you share with those shoegaze-adjacent acts, and where does Some Fear diverge from them?

With those bands specifically, I believe some louder parts on the record tend to vibe with those bands. "Shoegaze" is a term that has been super overused in today’s indie scene, and I don’t necessarily think that we are that. Some bands in that genre inspire us for sure, but that’s just not the thing we’re going for.

What was the idea behind the title Word Eater? What message or emotional thread did you want the record to carry?

Word Eater came from the line, “I ate it up, all the words I said,” from the title track of the record. For me, it’s kind of like, “Oh, I believe this to be true," or "I’m starting to believe in something again.” And then shit just hits the fan, and the universe says otherwise. I think the record thematically starts out as jaded and pessimistic, but as you go through the record, it becomes more positive, showing that the relationships you have are the only thing worth a damn in this world—whether they be romantic or platonic.

The record explores things left unsaid, as well as “financial burnout” and the pressure of modern life. 

Why did those themes feel important to write about now?

The world is on fire, and we are in survival mode. That feeling has been all-encompassing to me recently.

You describe billionaires as 'blood-sucking vampires' in "I Don’t Want to Spend My Money." As an independent band in 2026, do you feel like the music industry is just a smaller version of that same 'vampire' system, or have you found a way to build a community that exists entirely outside of that greed?

I would say both. I think what’s vampiric about it is that the industry has become social media-focused. Having to “pitch” your band or art in a 20-second video, hoping that something sticks and you blow up—I personally despise that and can’t buy into it. I know it works for some people, but for me, it feels disingenuous. Ultimately, it is the nature of the beast and you have to play into it. On the other hand, I’d say the community of bands that we surround ourselves with are great people and musicians, and I’m so happy to be a part of that.

We’re always looking to expand our radar. Aside from Some Fear, who are the Oklahoma-based bands we should be paying attention to—the ones that really move you?

Shout-out to Photocopy, Bliss, Lust Online, Downward, and Money.