Oxford, UK alt-rock/post-hardcore trio Civil Villains are pleased to reveal the official video for their new single ‘Punching Down’, released 21st April 2026.
Following a support slot with rising Bristol trio Mould last month, the band are also pleased to announce a run of spring 2026 UK tour dates in support of the album, with tickets on sale now (see below for listings).
‘Punching Down’ is a brutal reflection on power, corruption, and collective complicity, where the noose is already tightened, and the only choices left are to resist, to collapse, or to take control of the fall. Ironically wrapped in bright, upbeat instrumentation that masks its darker core, the song’s sudden ending echoes the disorientation often felt in the face of today’s increasingly unbelievable world events.
The single is the final cut to be taken from their forthcoming second album, A Sleeper, Underneath, set for release on 8th May 2026 via Thundersnuff Records.
Recorded at Shaken Oak Studios and Safehouse Studios in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, the album was produced and mixed by Mike Bannard and Civil Villains, and mastered by Alain Paul Mastering, Germany.
The album’s title comes from the line “A sleeper, underneath which my flower grows” -a nod to transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau’s classic book Walden, in which he describes the arrival of the railroad and each sleeper – “each wooden tie”- as a person being crushed or trapped under the weight of progress.
“I’ve always found that image really powerful,” explains vocalist James King, “The idea that society pushes forward so quickly that people, and the natural world, often get crushed in the process. But I liked imagining something still managing to grow through all of that pressure- rising up, blooming, refusing to stay buried.”
Forthcoming new album A Sleeper, Underneath marks a shift toward something more open and instinctive from Civil Villains’ sound. While still rooted in the band’s characteristic contrast – angular guitars, dynamic structures, and rhythmic unpredictability – the new material places greater emphasis on clarity, space, and emotional immediacy.
It’s a natural evolution: tighter, more distilled, but still unmistakably Civil Villains, as the three-piece continue to refine their identity, creating music that remains inventive and expressive while reaching toward something more immediate and resonant.
These early glimpses of their new material expand on the trio’s signature tension between aggression and intricacy, offering a sound that’s both cerebral and cathartic; proof that Civil Villains continue to evolve with purpose and precision every step of the way.
Live Dates:
25.04.26 – London – The Victoria
14.05.26 – London – The Cav (album launch show)
15.05.26 – Oxford – The Library (album launch show w/ A-Tota-So and EB)
31.05.26 – Brighton – The Pipeline