Love Letter Talks Touring and the New Wave of Screamo

Straight from the heart of L.A., screamo band Love Letter is keeping screamo alive – just grittier, heavier, and more visceral than ever.

Led by vocalist and guitarist Spirit Bonewitz, vocalist and bassist True Bonewitz, and drummer Julian Frillic, Love Letter is taking the punk scene by storm. A remnant of a ’90s skramz vibe blended in with a second–wave sound, Love Letter is proving to be a staple in the new–wave screamo scene, with their album You Look Good in Red reaching over a million streams. With over 100,000 active listeners across platforms, Love Letter has toured across the U.S., performing at festivals like Burndown and One Big Party, even appearing on bills with bands like Febuary, Your Arms Are My Cocoon, The Spirit of Versailles, and Tigers Jaw. Recently, Love Letter announced their upcoming spring tour for 2026, where they will play alongside flyingfish up the coast of the U.S., only expanding their influence on the punk rock scene.

Photography by Amanda Hoss (IG: @miffyisoffline)

Love Letter effortlessly transports the listener into a forlorn atmosphere filled with yearning, regret, and acrimony. Reminiscent of old ’80s – ’90s hardcore punk, both Love Letter‘s album You Look Good in Red and EP In Your Arms Again will have the listener captivated from the first track. With songs like “Falling Apart” and “See You Tomorrow” using heavy instrumentals paired with classic screamo vocals, the band channels mental turmoil and ferocity into soundscapes that feel both explosive and vulnerable; Love Letter can also seamlessly transcend boundaries with beautiful, emotionally raw acoustic songs like “I Hate Your Guts” and “I Love You Too.”

When discussing the creation of Love Letter’s experimental sound on You Look Good in Red, Spirit and True explained that their writing process often begins with the two of them “noodling on acoustic guitar until we kinda find something we think is cool,” developing ideas individually before bringing them to Julian to build out a fuller arrangement. From there, as Spirit put it, “a cool idea leads to cool idea, leads to cool idea,” a method that reflects the band’s constant drive to push their sound into new territory.

Photography by Amanda Hoss (IG: @miffyisoffline)

Reflecting on the incredible accomplishments over the course of the last year – releasing a successful album, touring across the U.S., and being put on bills with big names in the industry – Love Letter has proven to be a band to watch out for. “The first show I ever went to was a Mexican Slum Rats show, so shout out to them,” said Spirit. “Then they took us on tour…that was just full circle, like, oh shoot, the guys who showed me that it’s doable are now picking us up for tour.”

For Love Letter, standing on equal footing with bands they have looked up to feels surreal, but well–deserved. “There have been a lot of shows where we have been put on bills, like Catalyst – we have been listening to Catalyst since we were in high school – and boom, we’re playing a show with them,” added True. “We played different festivals, and there are a bunch of names on them, like Nettspend, Show Me the Body, Big Boy, bands we look up to were on that, so that’s super cool that we’re at the point that our heroes aren’t that far away from us.” Julian also expressed how exciting it was getting the chance to play with Tigers Jaw, another band he has looked up to and is inspired by.

Photography by Amanda Hoss (IG: @miffyisoffline)

Beyond just accolades and milestones, Love Letter remains grounded in their connection to fans and the community they have built through their music. When asked about some memorable venues, each band member agreed that in Reno and Grass Valley, they felt extreme amounts of love. When traveling, Spirit said, with other members echoing the sentiment, “It feels like you’re in an early 2000s backyard movie. Like a coming–of–age movie. It’s like a small town. And it’s like you play the first note and everybody just goes crazy.”

When traveling across the U.S., Spirit expressed, “It’s like us three against the world. So a lot of the time when we’re out in new places, we might not talk to that many people, but it’s been cool seeing how welcoming and understanding a lot of people are.”

Anticipating their 2026 tour, Julian shared that the East Coast leg carries particular weight – marking one of the first times much of his family will witness the band’s growth firsthand.

Photography by Amanda Hoss (IG: @miffyisoffline)

Looking back on the creation of Love Letter, what once was a high school garage band is now headlining across the U.S. on bills. Prioritizing music as a full–time career opened doors for Love Letter outside of their local scene. Both for themselves and other bands alike, Julian said, “I feel like you really have to be determined. Because that’s something that Spirit and True taught me, because they’re two very determined people. And they would really just keep pushing for everything…I think that’s important for people to know, just keep pushing and put yourself out there. Yeah, and advocating for yourself.”

When asked what to expect next from Love Letter, the band gave an astounding answer of “everything.” From more live shows and more merch to even more musical releases, Love Letter has big plans for this year and beyond. But first, look out for Love Letter‘s 2026 spring tour – “Love Letter. Signing off.”