SLEEPING WITH SIRENS CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF NEW ALBUM ‘AN ENDING IN ITSELF’ IN RALEIGH

June 18, 2026

4–5 minutes

Sleeping With Sirens | The Ritz | Raleigh, NC

June 11, 2026

Photographed By Cheyne Ford

On the eve of the release of their eighth studio album, An Ending In Itself, Sleeping with Sirens brought the house down in celebration with a sold-out, one-night-only show in Raleigh, North Carolina. Immediately upon walking into The Ritz, I saw fans of all ages packed into the 1.4k-capacity venue, creating a sea of nostalgic band tees, scene haircuts and studded belts galore.

Over their almost twenty-year career as a band, Sleeping With Sirens have continuously dominated their scene. From selling out venues worldwide to achieving multi-platinum single status on their 2014 single “If You Can’t Hang,” they’ve easily solidified their place in the scene for a lifetime.

As soon as the first notes from “Kick Me” started playing, a foot never touched the ground again between the rambunctious crowd surfing and moshing. The high-energy rebellious track was the perfect way to open this show. Fans crowded each other on the barricade, pointing and screaming the lyrics back to lead singer Kellin Quinn. It was evident that all of the members could feel the energy and anticipation of the crowd from the second they stepped on stage.

One thing I’ve always admired about Sleeping With Sirens shows is their stamina. Over the years, they have flawlessly perfected the art of evenly distributing their energy throughout their performance, keeping their fans engaged throughout the whole show.

The vibe mellowed out when Quinn slowed down a few songs later; the other members — Justin Hills (bass), Tony Pizzuti (touring lead guitar) and Matty Best (drums) — stepped back, leaving rhythm guitarist Nick Martin softly plucking the intro to the next song. With Quinn front and center, he gave a small speech about the next song, “Better Off Dead,” taking the time to really emphasize the song’s meaning of pushing through, leaning on your people and showing love and appreciation for your life. He went on to encourage the crowd that if someone in the room needed help, not to worry about what others may think, and that there is no shame in asking for help.

Immediately following the heartfelt moment, the band live-debuted a new song, “Forever/Always,” from their new record, and the crowd was instantly flooded with phone lights. From the balcony, I saw multiple groups of fans turning to their friends, bringing them into tight embraces and swaying along to the song.

A few songs later, the band left, leaving Quinn center stage with Martin by his side, softly strumming his acoustic guitar. Quinn then went on to speak about their years as a band and how thankful they were for the continuation of fan support, while acknowledging how excited he was for the new age of fans coming up in the scene. He continued by softly singing an acoustic version of their 2010 track, “With Ears To See and Eyes To Hear,” off their debut album of the same name. The pair then followed up with an all-time fan-favorite cover of “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls. Quinn expressed how shocked he was that this cover, in particular, still resonates so closely with new and old fans.

The entire room shifted in that moment; something different than when the more mellow songs were played. I looked over the balcony, and all I could see were not only Sleeping With Sirens fans, but friends, partners and parents with young children introducing them to this world of music. It was so beautiful. Quinn even stepped back himself to take everything in; it was evident that the chorus, “I just want you to know who I am,” being sung back to him meant something so much more.

The crowd’s energy picked back up quickly with punchy fan favorites like “Bloody Knuckles” and “Do It Now Remember It Later,” causing a whirlwind of non-stop crowd-surfing. It only escalated when the band unveiled a rare performance of their song “Who Are You Now,” which we now know was an easter egg for sharing the lyrical content of the song “Process” off the new album An Ending In Itself.

The performance concluded with Sleeping With Sirens’ most iconic tracks, “If I’m James Dean, You’re Audrey Hepburn” and “If You Can’t Hang,” creating a perfect end to such a beautiful and special celebration of An Ending In Itself.