Emerging from the heart of Leeds’ flourishing alternative scene, Love Rarely may have only formed in 2023, but they’re already making huge moves.

After kicking off 2026 on the road supporting The Callous Daoboys for a sold-out run of UK dates, the band’s debut album ‘Pain Travels’ is now here via Big Scary Monsters. Introducing their volatile hybrid of math rock, emo, and hardcore to the world, it’s an emotionally fearless collection of songs chronicling family trauma, toxic households, and the messy reality of navigating adulthood with scars that shape but no longer define you.

Blisteringly cathartic and brutally heavy, ahead of the release of ‘Pain Travels’, we caught up with vocalist Courtney Levitt to talk about how quickly things have escalated for the five-piece, the story behind their debut album, and the catharsis of making something that doesn’t just sit in the pain – but tries to move through it.

Rock Sound: You only formed in 2023, but you’ve already signed to Big Scary Monsters, have a debut album on the way, and have hopped on a sold-out tour with The Callous Daoboys. Was that pace of forward motion something you set out for when you started?

Courtney Levitt: Absolutely, but we still didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. We’ve had to get professional really early on, which we weren’t prepared for, but we’ve adjusted. We always knew that we wanted to do the cool stuff, though, and I think sometimes it works out for the best when you get pushed into the deep end. You just have to do it. The tour with The Callous Daoboys will be the most shows in a row that we’ve done, and I’m worried about whether my voice will be okay, but you’ve just got to do it.

RS: That mentality comes through on the album, too, because ‘Pain Travels’ is full of ballsy moves. It’s an album that feels so focused and serves as such a statement of intent for this band. Where were your heads at going into the process?

Courtney: When we started writing, it seemed to just flow. The tracks and themes came together smoothly, and I think that was proof that we were ready for the first album. If that wasn’t the case, I don’t think we’d have had as much faith in it as we do. We entered a bit of a flow state, and when it ended… We had an album. 

RS: Talk us through the title of ‘Pain Travels’. What did those two words capture for you about this record and the stories you’re telling on it?

Courtney: I think our generation has collectively decided that we’re going to stop whatever is happening. There are a lot of people trying to heal whatever the hell has been going on with the past generations in order to create a better future for our children. We’ve figured a lot out, and that has made us look deeper to the root of the problem. We’ve figured out that if our parents hadn’t put these things on us, and their parents hadn’t put them on them, we wouldn’t be here doing this. That’s what the title captures.

RS: The way you approach that topic in these songs has two sides to it. There’s a reckoning with the hand you’ve been dealt and the struggles that come with that, but it’s also a record that assures you it’ll be okay in the end. Was it important to find that balance between honesty and positivity with these songs?

Courtney: Definitely, and that’s why the album ends on ‘Through Families’. It’s the deepest song on the album, and it comes down to the line, “I can’t change you // but I tried.” It’s acknowledging that you’ve tried your best to help someone, but now you’re leaving them to it. It’s saying, ‘I’m going on my own journey. You go on yours.’ 

The album focuses on a bit of a rare theme, but I know that people will identify with it. It’s about being heard, which is important because when you feel like you’re on your own, it feels ten times heavier. When we finished the album, I felt like I’d endured the most intense therapy session of my life. I felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders. I hope it is cathartic for the people listening to it. 

RS: Sonically, Love Rarely sit between the worlds of math rock, emo, and hardcore, and the album tightens up your sound in a lot of ways. When you were shaping ‘Pain Travels’, what were the non-negotiables in terms of how you wanted to approach it?

Courtney: I want every single thing that comes out of my mouth to be either unexpected or perfect. We entered this project as total perfectionists, and I think that has paid off for us. Now, when I listen to the album, there is not one part of it that I would change. We’ve done the best we can, and ultimately that will help us deal with however the album goes. We can’t do better, and now it’s out of our hands. If people like it, they like it. If they don’t, it’s one of those things. We’re at peace with that.

RS: The emotionally sprawling side of things is something you lean into on tracks like ‘Mould’ and ‘Disappear’, but a huge part of Love Rarely’s sound is being able to swing between different dynamics and keep people guessing as to what lane a song is going to take next. Was that something you were consciously focusing on with this album?

Courtney: I got a message the other week from one of our fans in Germany saying, ‘The transitions in your songs are so exciting.’ That’s something that Dan [guitarist] has become obsessed with, and I didn’t realise how important it was until that fan pointed it out. Now, when I listen to the songs, I can hear it. I love the shock of it, and that people never know what to expect. Every time we release a new song, we want it to be completely different to the last thing we released. That’s exciting to me. It’s almost got this advent calendar feel to it.

RS: A huge part of this album’s identity comes down to the fact that it was recorded in such a DIY way too. Do you think that recording it in the way you did plays into how the songs ended up sounding?

Courtney: Definitely, because it was our way or no way. One of the first things we asked Big Scary Monsters before we signed with them was whether they had any creative input. When they said no, we knew it was the right choice. I think when bands are torn from their sound, they lose their identity. They become this mainstream thing that isn’t who they are and doesn’t make sense. For us, we have our own little world where we can write this album. Then, Lew [guitarist] is the one mixing it, so he totally understands what we’re going for. It feels so intimate, and that’s important to us. When we got the test press through for the vinyl, we realised that this is ours forever. It was hard at points to create, but now this album exists forever, no matter what happens.

RS: You’ve come up in a thriving Leeds alternative scene, and what’s happening around you will always bleed into what you create. How did having experience of playing shows and seeing the crowd reactions first-hand impact the way you approached this album?

Courtney: That’s something I get carried away with in my head sometimes. I feel my heart racing whilst we’re writing, and I realise that I’m performing it live in my head. Writing our first EP was a learning curve because I didn’t consider the live performance at all with that. Now, I feel like I’m dying when we’re performing it! We’ve had to put a bit of it onto a track just to make sure I don’t pass out on stage. 

That made us think more about the live performance, and whilst writing the album, I was imagining what the crowd would do at certain points. I was especially thinking about the parts where people might try to grab the microphone, and that’s something we’d love to see at our shows in the future. We always watch videos of American hardcore shows because the energy is so crazy. I hope one day that we’ll get to experience that, and that definitely factored into our writing. 

RS: Ultimately, ‘Pain Travels’ is an album about turning pain into something you can use to find a way forward. What do you hope people are able to take from this record when they sit down with it for the first time? 

Courtney: I just hope it resonates, even if it’s not in a familial way. I know there are people out there who haven’t grown up with family issues, but these songs can still relate to friendships or even relationships. It’s palatable for any scenario, even though I wrote it about my experiences. I want it to be something that people can identify with no matter what is going on in their lives. I hope that it can be a little comfort blanket for them.