Sparta – Cut a Silhouette

Momentum has been steadily building for Jim Ward and his longtime project, Sparta. While Ward has always served as the band’s creative nucleus, the two releases that followed the group’s 2017 revival—Trust the River and Sparta—often felt like solo efforts released under the band’s name. This time around, however, everything seems to have clicked back into place as a true power trio. Reuniting with longtime bassist Matt Miller and bringing drummer Neil Hennessy into the fold, this latest incarnation of the project results in one of their most spirited since their 2000s heyday.

Over the past few years, glimpses of the band’s strengths have surfaced in intermittent bursts. Yet “Crater,” the album’s urgent lead single, feels like the fullest realisation of what the post-hardcore outfit does so well. Paired with “Everything You Say,” where Ward delivers a grounded reflection on the depths of long-term relationships, these songs strike an effective balance of melody and heaviness, akin to some of their most recognisable singles. “Mouthbreather” even evokes the sweeping scope of Porcelain, an unsung fan favourite, as its shimmering arpeggios showcase Ward’s knack for crafting songs that resonate on a stadium-sized scale.

Ward, always a vulnerable songwriter, shows his tender side on the piano-led ballad “See You Soon,” which fits seamlessly alongside the album’s crunchier moments despite echoes of his alt-country solo project, Sleepercar. But it’s the delayed, interlocking guitars of “Mystery of Missing” that immediately remind you this is Sparta through and through: hook-driven arrangements that are as smooth as they are splintered. Aside from a slightly subdued finish (“Glimmer”) and a driving, by-the-numbers pop-punk approach (“Without Your Hands”), Ward and his bandmates lock in with ease in Cut a Silhouette, proving that their influence—just look at the newer bands on Warped Tour 2026 for proof—remains as strong as ever.

Cut a Silhouette is out now via Equal Vision Records (US) and Dine Alone (Canada).