Wendy’s was not joking. A day after teasing an emo album with a restyled mascot and the caption “It was never a phase”, the fast-food chain has released a six-song EP featuring singers from some of the best-known bands in emo, pop-punk and post-hardcore.
Songs To Listen To In A Wendy’s Parking Lot came out today, September 23, through Wendy’s and Rise Records. It runs to about 22 minutes and is on all major streaming services. Each track has its own video with its guest singer on the Wendy’s YouTube channel.
Rather than full bands, every song is built around a single vocalist. Matty Mullins of Memphis May Fire opens the record, followed by Chloe Kinnon of Winona Fighter, Shane Told of Silverstein, Beau Bokan of Blessthefall, Derek DiScanio of State Champs and Kat Leon of Holy Wars.
The song titles lean fully into the brand:
- “She Said She Didn’t Want Fries” (featuring Matty Mullins)
- “Salt In The Wound” (featuring Chloe Kinnon)
- “I Miss The Sunroom” (featuring Shane Told)
- “The Best Combo Meal On The Worst Night Of My Life” (featuring Beau Bokan)
- “It’s Not A Phase, It’s A 10 Pc” (featuring Derek DiScanio)
- “My Frosty’s Funeral” (featuring Kat Leon)
The campaign began on Monday, when Wendy’s posted an image of its mascot with her red hair swept over one eye in the style of the mid-2000s emo scene, alongside the caption: “It was never a phase, album out 9.23.26”. The post gave no hint of whether the album would contain real music, or who would be on it.
It is the chain’s second music release. In March 2018, Wendy’s put out We Beefin?, a five-track hip-hop mixtape aimed at McDonald‘s and Burger King. This time the record is released through an established label, with vocalists drawn from long-running bands in the scene.
