So Much Hope, Buried. Album WITHER | GROW Tells A Hauntingly Emotional Story
- Ann Schlottman
- Jun 20
- 7 min read
Written by: Annie Schlottman Photo credit: Sarah Novroski, @captainninj
So Much Hope, Buried., a melodic post-hardcore band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, released their second full-length album, WITHER | GROW, June 12th. It is a perfect, beautiful work of art that deserves a lot of attention. This band is starting to turn heads in the industry, not just in their area affectionately known as “NEPA”, but nationally and internationally as well.
Before I get into the band and the album, I want to tell the story of how I found So Much Hope, Buried. because I think it’s interesting. I’m actually a little sad and very shocked that I didn’t know about them sooner, but I suppose late is better than never, right? Last fall I was having a lot of medical issues, and because of that I was unable to attend a lot of rock and metal shows I had been planning on going to. One of those was a show featuring Central Pennsylvania metalcore band What Lies Below as the headliner. So Much Hope, Buried. was a part of that show’s lineup.
I had made some comments on social media about being sad to miss it, especially to see SMHB perform, as it would have been my first time. I had started diving into their music and was really enjoying it. The band responded to some of my comments, I started communicating with them via Instagram messages. They seemed really cool.
Around the same time my good friend Louis, who owns Endless Era Promotions based in the Lehigh Valley, only about an hour south of Wilkes-Barre, had given me the green light to find bands to play a birthday show for myself and my friend Amy in February. Little did I know that would be my “comeback show” after getting back on my feet following my medical situation. I took a chance and asked So Much Hope, Buried. if they would perform at the show. They kindly agreed. I was so honored and grateful that they were willing to come be a part of the celebration.
We had a great time at that show Saturday, February 28th at Inkwell in Allentown, Pennsylvania. SMHB was absolutely phenomenal, as I knew they would be. Everyone at the show loved them. That night I spoke with them about keeping me in mind to write about their band. When they announced the album release, I connected with them and they agreed to an interview.
Members of So Much Hope, Buried. are: Derek Nowak (vocals, piano, saxophone); Andrew Blank (guitar, vocals); Gavin Jacobs (bass, vocals); and Eric Novroski (drums). Andrew and Derek answered my interview questions for this story.
Andrew told me about the history of the band. SMHB started with Derek in 2020. Andrew joined a few weeks into the project, and Eric joined not too long after that. Originally the band was a five-piece melodic hardcore band, but that version of the band no longer exists.
In 2023, Derek, Eric, and Andrew breathed new life into the band and started fresh with a
different sound and a broader idea of what they wanted to sound like overall. That led to a few singles, and eventually their first full-length album, I’d Be Lying to Say I’m Not Weak, which came out in May 2024. Gavin jumped on board while they were finishing up that first album.
Derek Nowak
I asked what the story is behind the band’s name, So Much Hope, Buried. Derek explained it. “I would say that our band name comes from the same place as our lyricism. We write about heavy emotions, loss, struggle, and reflections, but always with the belief that there’s something worth holding onto. So the main purpose of this band is to bring light and love to the places where hope feels buried.”
Andrew Blank
Derek took me through how the songwriting process works for SMHB. “The songwriting process usually starts pretty organically for us. We’ll be rehearsing our set, and then we’ll kind of drift off jamming and improvising just for fun. That’s often where a lot of ideas begin. So usually, the instrumentals come first, and then I’ll come in afterwards with melodies and lyrics once the foundation is there.”
He continued, “For our new record specifically, since it’s a concept album, we already had a clear direction going into it. We knew the first half needed to feel more gloomy and heavy, and the second half more hopeful and uplifting. So writing with that mindset really shaped how everything progressed and helped guide the emotional arc of the album.”
The band is very hands-on with their production, with drummer Eric Novroski spearheading the majority of the work. Andrew called Eric the “musical workhorse” of the band. He owns and operates his own studio, Novro Studios, in Swoyersville, Pennsylvania. That’s home base for most of SMHB’s recording.
Eric Novroski
However, for drums and keys on the new album, they wanted to experiment with different room sounds and have a real grand piano at their disposal. So drums and some keys were recorded at The Foundry Recording Studio in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Justin Mitchell helped out with engineering so Eric and Derek could just focus on playing drums and piano instead of wearing multiple hats. Everything else was tracked at Eric’s studio, and he mixed and mastered it in-house as well.
Eric’s wife, Sarah Novroski, is heavily involved in the band’s creative process, including videos, photography, artwork, and design. Andrew told me that in the band’s group chat she is called “The Fifth Beatle”. Sarah is the visionary of the band who is able to conceptualize an idea, then bring it to life start-to-finish. She’s just as much involved in the band as the others, and is THE essential person that makes their “brand” what it is.
Gavin Jacobs
When I watched the music videos released so far for a few of the songs on the WITHER | GROW album, I noticed they are separated into “Chapters”, which right away gave me the impression that the album is meant to tell a story. Derek confirmed that it is, indeed, a concept album.
As he explained, “On the surface, it follows a character as they navigate loss, transformation, and contentment The first half of the record lives in a much darker place, while the second half shifts towards peace, hope and growth. At its core, the album is about carrying something inside of you that refuses to go out, even in your darkest moments. I would also love our listeners to be able to take their own meaning from it and interpret their own story within the record.”
What are some words I would use to describe the WITHER | GROW album? Beautiful. Exquisite. Emotional. Interesting. Surprising. Perfect.
Simply put, this album is a masterpiece. Each song has a uniqueness that makes you want to come back to this album and listen to it over and over. I highly recommend listening from start to finish to get the full meaning out of the album.
The songs have an ebb and flow that take you on a journey. The style goes from melodic to heavy and back to melodic. The vocals are lovely, and the piano contrasts with the guitar riffs and the drum rhythm to form instrumentals that showcase the talents of these wonderful musicians.
What you won't hear on this album are hard vocals. Now as a metalcore fan, I do enjoy a combination of singing and screams. These songs don't need the screaming, however. They are perfect just the way they are and make you feel the emotions deep within your soul as you listen.
As Derek said, WITHER | GROW is an album that you can interpret for yourself and get your own meaning from. For me, it makes me think about our existence on this earth, and that time is fleeting. What legacy will we leave? If you knew your time to depart was near, how would you handle it? On the flip side of that, what if you were the loved one of someone going through this end of life cycle? How would you react? Would you find compassion and kindness and stick around, no matter how painful it is to witness?
This actually makes me think of my aforementioned health issues at the end of last year and beginning of this year. I still face daily challenges, though things have gotten better. My boyfriend, Mike, stayed with me and was there for me the whole time, never once thinking of leaving. He showed me true love and compassion.
As mentioned above, Sarah Novroski directs and edits the music videos for So Much Hope, Buried. So far off the new album, the band has done videos for "Fever Bloom", "Falter", and "Paper Thin", as well as the interlude on the album, "Respite". All the videos include Rebecca Joy Thomas and John Shimp as a couple going through a series of life events. They really portray the stories of the songs perfectly. The videos are visually stunning and very moving. The band is included performing the song in each video, and you get to experience their energy, which they also have on stage, as I have been lucky enough to witness. I'm not sure if there will be any more videos for other songs on the new album. I hope so, because they are wonderful and something the band and Sarah should be very proud of.
So Much Hope, Buried. will be having an album release show Friday, June 26th at River Street Jazz Café in Plains, Pennsylvania. They will be joined by Look Back Luna and Feverton. Other than that show, the band is working on putting together shows to support the album. They’re trying to block out the rest of the year, so keep an eye out on their socials!
You can follow So Much Hope, Buried. on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X. Don't forget to check out the band's YouTube channel for their awesome music videos. In addition, more information is available on the band’s website, www.somuchhopeburied.com, where you can also order vinyls and merch.
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