Michigan post-hardcore trio 84 Tigers return with their soaring new single ‘Two Rivers’ featuring acclaimed singer-songwriter Rocky Votolato. The track arrives ahead of the band’s upcoming sophomore album, ‘Nothing Ends,’ due October 17th via Spartan Records, and follows the band’s recent single ‘The Crush of It All.’
For guitarist/vocalist Mike Reed, the song carries profound emotional weight. “‘Two Rivers’ is a tribute to Travis Dopp (Small Brown Bike). Some of his lyrics are quoted in the song. When Rocky and I realized that we had both written songs with the word ‘River’ in the title separately, it was cosmic fate that brought him into the song. I had no idea what it would become, but he took it to new heights and I still get choked up when I hear it.” shares Reed.
Formed by brothers Mike Reed and Ben Reed (Small Brown Bike) and longtime friend Jono Diener (The Swellers), 84 Tigers first emerged in 2022 with a sound that No Echo praised for its “elements of post-hardcore, ’90s alt-rock, and modern emo tied together with widescreen melodic lines.” Brooklyn Vegan likened them to “Quicksand and Jawbox,” while Up To Hear Music called them “a post-hardcore-sized morsel of heavenly heavy goodness.”
But the path to ‘Nothing Ends’ was shaped by loss. As writing began, the sudden passing of lifelong friend and former bandmate Travis Dopp left the band reeling. “I questioned if losing a creative partner took the energy out of my process,” recalls Mike Reed. “Songs started and stopped. I struggled. Then one day it broke—this mantra popped into my head: Tears in your eyes. Fist in the air. That became a path forward.”
The resulting record is as unflinching as it is human, moving from the aching tribute of ‘Two Rivers’ (featuring Rocky Votolato) to the hopeful refrains of ‘Only Light’ and the rousing ‘Regeneration Days’ (featuring Aaron Stauffer of Seaweed/Ghost Work). Produced by Marc Jacob Hudson, the album stays true to the band’s three-piece dynamic—raw, restrained, and alive in every note.
In the wake of grief, ‘Nothing Ends’ offers a message both devastating and comforting, summed up in the closing track’s refrain: Everything you love will hurt you someday.