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How UConn prepared to chase its third title in four years
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Jeff Borzello
Multiple Authors
HARTFORD, Conn. — “Dynasty” occupied Dan Hurley’s mind for eight straight months.
Fresh off UConn‘s 2023 and 2024 national championships, the Huskies coach ordered bracelets inscribed with the word for the team. He opened their first offseason practice with highlights of the Chicago Bulls‘ three-peat from the 1990s. He saved a book about legendary UCLA coach John Wooden to read just before the 2024-25 season.
The focus was singular: do what hasn’t been done in men’s college basketball since Wooden and those Bruins did it more than 50 years ago — win a third straight title.
Hurley set the bar so high that when his team matched the total number of their nonconference losses from the previous season before November of 2024 was even over, it felt as if they had crashed down to earth.
“Last year’s experience was grueling and miserable for the most part,” Hurley told ESPN in early February. “When you’re used to dominant national championship runs and that [becomes] more of a survival fest, the ego explodes and the frustration builds and the disappointment, the resentment and you’re tough to be around and you’re tough for yourself to be around.”
The Huskies went on to finish third in the Big East Conference and entered the 2025 NCAA tournament as an 8-seed before eventual champion Florida sent them packing in the second round. The pressure proved insurmountable for a roster that featured only three players from those title-winning teams. Hurley knew he had put the burden of championship expectations on a group that hadn’t earned them. He knew he had to adjust for 2025-26.
With a new philosophy to balance his trademark intensity, Hurley has adjusted — his approach to roster construction and, perhaps more importantly, his expectations. Now with the focus on process over perfection, the Huskies are the No. 4 team in the country and are tracking for a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament. They have a realistic shot at their third national title in four years — a dynasty still in reach.
“Just be about how we pursue things,” Hurley told ESPN about the shift. “If we pursue things honorably, preparation, how hard we play, putting everything in pursuit of championship glory, then we’ll give ourselves a real shot.”
Hurley didn’t have to go far for a wake-up call. A conversation with the Hall of Fame coach on the other side of UConn’s basketball facility set him straight.
“Where’s the joy in the things that you’ve always been about as a coach before you went on the championship run?” Geno Auriemma pressed, according to Hurley’s book.
“It’s like getting enjoyment out of coaching [Alex] Karaban for his last year,” Hurley told ESPN of the lessons he immediately applied. “I want to enjoy that experience. I want to enjoy the experience of going into big games or Big East games, the experience of trying to win the Big East or striving for a 1-seed or all the things. It’s not just the end result.”
Hurley fully leaned into the process, starting with the recruitment of the most important position on the court.
After nailing the signing of East Carolina transfer Tristen Newton in 2022 — a key player in their first title win who then earned All-America honors and was the Most Outstanding Player at the 2024 Final Four — the Huskies rushed to find his replacement. The Aidan Mahaney experiment didn’t work, with Hurley acknowledging he didn’t put the Saint Mary’s transfer in the best position to succeed. So to get the most out of Karaban’s final season, the Huskies didn’t take another chance. They sifted through and vetted options until they found a point guard in Newton’s mold, someone with size who could control the pace and make an impact at both ends of the court: Georgia transfer Silas Demary Jr.
“He’s changed everything for us and we play off his energy on the defensive end,” Karaban said of Demary. “He came in, he bought into everyone, he bought into the coaching staff and now he just changed us. He made us a national championship contender again, which is really a credit to him, a credit to the coaches. It’s crazy how one position could really change everything and he did that.”
Karaban also has a claim to the year-over-year improvements. The redshirt senior forward became the face of the program a year ago, when expectations were at their highest. Now with intense pressure behind him, he is much more comfortable in his role.
“I really let games affect how I was as a leader,” Karaban said. “So really just learning and growing from my personal experiences last year while having the success of the first two years, I think I’ve seen everything. I’ve been through everything to where I can help the team out with my voice.”
Karaban carries himself differently now, with more gravitas in his role as the Huskies’ pacesetter. Teammates look his way for direction during practice and games. He’s the one they lean on during times of adversity. And it’s not only players.
At a practice the day before a game in early February against Xavier, Hurley and assistant coach Luke Murray were going through the scout and game plan for the Musketeers. Toward the end, Hurley walked over to Karaban and asked if there was anything else they hadn’t seen in prep that they should run through. Naturally, the program’s all-time winningest men’s basketball player had some suggestions.
“A guy like that really is the culture for UConn,” Tarris Reed Jr. told ESPN of Karaban. “He really sets the tone, sets the standard for what UConn is and he won two national championships. I haven’t been there. He’s been to the mountaintop twice. I’m trying to get there. Having a leader like that to really roll behind and knowing that whatever he does, you do.”
Better on-court leadership and a renewed focus on process has lent itself to improved chemistry. When asked to pinpoint the biggest difference between last season and this season, Reed and Solo Ball both said the same thing: camaraderie.
It started in the summer — with enthusiasm in workouts and a roster committed to competing, top to bottom.
“We had a different energy every single practice we went into and it’s everyone uplifting each other,” Ball said. “Being loud throughout the whole practice and in the squad scrimmages. That’s really when I knew how competitive [we] were. I just knew. I was like, ‘Yeah, no, we’re going to be special.'”
Hurley’s year-over-year adjustments have made the Huskies legitimate title contenders, but they haven’t led to outright domination.
First came the injuries. Five-star freshman Braylon Mullins sat out the first six games of the season because of an ankle injury, then sat out another in January while in concussion protocol. Reed’s availability was inconsistent throughout the first month of the season, first because of a hamstring issue and then an ankle injury. Ball has dealt with a wrist injury. Karaban has been banged up. Jaylin Stewart sat out a win over St. John’s because of knee inflammation.
What those injuries did — especially Mullins’ and Reed’s — was force Hurley to lean on his bench more than expected, developing some of the best depth in college basketball.
“It forced us to develop a will to win,” Hurley said. “It created situational basketball where we’re comfortable and at the end of close games executing and having a belief that we’re going to find a way to win. And I think just giving the team a lot of confidence, like knowing that you beat some really top-flight teams without two starters or with one starter in, one out, guys coming back from injuries. I think it gave the group a lot of confidence.”
Injuries haven’t been the only challenge to UConn’s title credentials. Uneven performances in Big East play have also opened the door to questions.
UConn’s 2023-24 team was a juggernaut, setting a record for consecutive nonconference victories by double digits and leading the nation in scoring margin by more than two points per game. This season’s team hasn’t quite had the same ability to bury opponents. In the 17 Big East wins, two came in overtime and another five came by two or fewer possessions.
The Huskies’ offense and defense also haven’t always clicked at the same time.
During the first 2½ months of the season, they had one of the nation’s elite defenses but an offense that could get itself into trouble with turnovers or a lack of 3-point volume. Through Jan. 30, UConn was No. 39 in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 2 in adjusted defensive efficiency. Then once they started hitting shots consistently in late January, their defense fell off a cliff, giving up at least 1.15 points per possession in four straight games — something they had done only once in the first 23 games. Between Feb. 1 and 18, the Huskies were No. 14 in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 99 in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Both units looked to be at their best in recent crucial wins over Villanova and St. John’s, though, with UConn ranking third nationally in adjusted efficiency margin at Bart Torvik over the past three games.
Mullins has established himself as a consistent perimeter threat, scoring in double figures in seven straight games before to the win over St. John’s, including a career-high 25 points against Creighton. Karaban is a constant, while Ball has rediscovered his shooting stroke and has improved on defense. Demary is a top-five transfer. And Reed has looked like one of the elite big men in the country lately, with his 20-point, 11-rebound, 6-block performance against St. John’s “as good as a center has played for us in a game,” according to Hurley.
“There’s not a whole lot for me to complain about,” Hurley told reporters after the St. John’s blowout. “Just a lot of soul-searching by the group during that stretch that started at MSG, where our defense kind of tanked. And then you saw today, its capabilities when we’re dialed in.”
Don’t mistake Hurley’s regrets about his approach to last season as a sign that his — and the program’s — relentless pursuit of success has waned.
With 11:48 left in last month’s win over St. John’s, NBC showed a snippet of UConn’s huddle during a media timeout.
“So after how hard we fought, right now we’re gonna give in on the glass?” Hurley yelled to his players after the Red Storm grabbed three offensive rebounds in the previous minute of play. “That’s what we’re gonna do? We talk of not letting each other down. Don’t let each other down. Don’t regret something we watch on film where you could’ve dug a ball out. Don’t give them life right now. Beat their ass!”
UConn was up by 23 at the time.
The Huskies immediately scored the next seven points to push the lead to 30, St. John’s never made another field goal and UConn’s status as a national title contender was solidified.
“It was just our night,” Hurley told reporters afterward.
Even with the close wins, the disappointing performance in the first meeting at St. John’s and the stunning home defeat to Creighton on Feb. 18, UConn is actually on a similar trajectory to the 2023-24 title team and comfortably ahead of the 2022-23 version.
In 2022-23, the Huskies lost six of eight games in the middle of the season and were 5-6 in Big East play at one point. In 2023-24, they lost by 15 at Seton Hall just before Christmas, and by 19 at Creighton on Feb. 20 for their third loss.
“Those first two years … we didn’t peak,” Karaban said. “We didn’t peak at a certain moment. We continued to get better and better. And that’s something I want this group to know, too. The point is you want to play your best basketball in March and April.”
Bouncing back from those losses and then going on to win national championships has helped inform the Huskies’ approach this time of year. It didn’t matter if UConn was the best team in January and February, it just needs to be the best team when the stakes are highest. And they’re about to rise.
UConn has a head coach with a staff that has won two national championships. It has a four-year starter with two titles under his belt. It has another three players with one championship ring. There’s only one other team in the country — Florida — with that sort of championship pedigree on its current roster.
Ball called it “UConn swagger.” Reed said “Sweet 16s and Elite Eights aren’t good enough here.”
Will that make a difference when the NCAA tournament starts? Hurley thinks so.
“I think it gives us an edge come March because we know we could do it,” he told ESPN. “If you’ve never done it and you’ve never won it, you’ve never gotten to a Final Four, there’s going to be doubt. … I’ve been there. I’ve had that doubt before. And the thing about UConn is, once we get out of that first round, we think we’re supposed to win it.”
US and Mideast countries seek Kyiv’s drone expertise as Russia-Ukraine talks put on ice
KYIV, Ukraine — The United States and its allies in the Middle East are seeking Ukraine’s expertise in countering Iran’s Shahed drones, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Various countries, including the United States, have approached Ukraine for help in defending against the Iranian drones, Zelenskyy said late Wednesday. He said he has spoken in recent days with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait about possible cooperation.
Russia has fired tens of thousands of Shaheds at Ukraine since it invaded its neighbor just over four years ago, launching a swarm of more than 800 drones and decoys in its biggest nighttime barrage. Iran has responded to joint U.S.-Israeli strikes by launching the same type of drones at countries in the Middle East.
Ukrainian assistance in countering Iranian drones will be provided only if it does not weaken Ukraine’s own defenses, and if it adds leverage to Kyiv’s diplomatic efforts to stop the Russian invasion, according to the Ukrainian leader.
“We help to defend from war those who help us, Ukraine, bring a just end to the war” with Russia, Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine has pioneered the development of cut-price drone killers that cost as little as $1,000, rewriting the air defense rule book and making other countries take notice.
European countries got a wake-up call last September on the changed nature of air defense when Poland scrambled multimillion-dollar military assets, including F-35 and F-16 fighter jets and Black Hawk helicopters, in response to airspace violations by cheap drones.
Ukrainian manufacturers have developed low-cost interceptor drones specifically designed to hunt and destroy Shaheds, and its rapidly expanding drone industry is producing excess capacity.
Zelenskyy announced earlier this year that Ukraine would begin exporting the battle-tested systems.
The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said before chairing a meeting of EU and Gulf foreign ministers via video link Thursday that the talks would look at how Ukraine’s experience can help countries counter Iranian drones.
The Iran war, now in its sixth day, has drawn international attention away from Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II, and forced the postponement of a new round of U. S-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine planned for this week, Zelenskyy said.
Western governments and analysts say the Russia-Ukraine war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, while there is no sign that yearlong U.S.-led peace efforts will stop the fighting any time soon.
“Right now, because of the situation around Iran, there are not yet the necessary signals for a trilateral meeting,” Zelenskyy said. “But as soon as the security situation and the overall political context allow us to resume that trilateral diplomatic work, it will be done.”
Zelenskyy thanked the United States for the return from Russia on Thursday of 200 Ukrainian prisoners of war. Russia’s Defense Ministry also said it received the same number of prisoners from Ukraine and thanked the U.S. and United Arab Emirates for mediating.
Prisoner swaps have been one of the few tangible results of the talks. Vladimir Medinsky, a Russian negotiator, said on social media that a total of 500 prisoners from each side would be exchanged between Thursday and Friday.
Oleksandr Merezhko, the head of Ukraine’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee, said Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to drag out the negotiations so that he can press on with Russia’s invasion while escaping further U.S. sanctions.
He urged the U.S. administration to look at the Russia-Ukraine war and the war in the Middle East as linked.
“In reality, Russia and Iran are close allies that act in concert — Iran supplies weapons and Russia helps Iran develop its defense industry. These are interconnected conflicts,” Merezhko told The Associated Press.
Ukraine’s army has recently pushed back Russian forces at some points along the roughly 1,250-kilometer (750-mile) front line, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
Localized Ukrainian counterattacks liberated more territory than Ukrainian forces lost in the last two weeks of February, the Washington-based think tank said this week, estimating the recovered land at about 257 square kilometers (100 square miles) since Jan. 1.
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Associated Press writer Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
UNM falls short against Colorado State on Senior Night
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team fell short at home to the Colorado State Rams 82-74 Wednesday night. The Rams stretched their winning streak to 8 consecutive games while ending five straight losses to UNM. Deyton Albury led the Lobos in scoring with 22 points. Tomislav Buljan had a double double […]
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‘It’s Really Cool to Be Me’
Ella Langley is on top of country music and her career is on a trajectory that is impossible to even fathom, even for Langley herself.
She’s admitted before that she has a hard time believing that this is real life. But it seems like it’s all starting to sink in.
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The “Choosin’ Texas” singer was a guest on Country Countdown USA where she admitted, “It’s really cool to be me right now.”
A minimal use of words that create a very impactful message, especially for someone who has admitted in the past that she suffers from imposter syndrome.
Langley has dealt with some mental health issues that have stemmed from her rise to the top, like imposter syndrome, and it sounds like she has gotten a handle on it and found her comfort zone.
What is Imposter Syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is when someone doubts their accomplishments and feels like they’re a fraud — even when they’ve earned their success.
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Langley continued touting the message to other singer/songwriters as well as anyone that is starting from the bottom of their industry and climbing to the top.
“If you have a passion, whether it’s music or anything, trust yourself, because it is the coolest thing to wake up and do what you love to do every day,” she says.
Thankfully, Langley loves making bangers, so as long as she continues doing what she loves, it will greatly benefit us all.
15 Photos That Show Ella Langley Through the Years
Ella Langley has changed so much over the years — and it’s not just the bangs! Keep scrolling to see all the singer’s different eras.
Gallery Credit: Jess Rose
PICTURES: See Inside Miranda Lambert’s Luxurious Nashville Mansion
Miranda Lambert’s former mansion in an exclusive part of Nashville is gorgeous, and pictures reveal a stunning luxury home with gorgeous views.
The 5-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom, 6,261-square-foot house in the Forest Hills section of Music City most recently sold for $3.5 million.
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Kroger Posts Higher Profit but Gives Cautious Full-Year Forecast
Kroger logged higher profit and sales in the fiscal fourth quarter while forecasting continued growth in 2026, albeit at a slower rate than last year.
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2026 NFL free agency: Defensive line rankings feature aging impact veterans
With NFL free agency contract negotiation window opening March 9 at noon ET, CBS Sports is providing a position-by-position look at the free agent landscape. Interior defensive linemen may not get as much love or as large contracts as their edge defender counterparts, but the last few years have shown a disruptive interior can be just as valuable, if not more so. Look at the last two Super Bowl champions. The Seahawks (Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II) and the Eagles (Jalen Carter, Milton Williams, Jordan Davis) had game-wrecking talent up front. Chris Jones made crucial play after crucial play for the Chiefs. Teams started noticing this trend — Milton Williams got a four-year, $104 million deal last offseason — but this year’s group doesn’t have a standout of that ilk.
Top five free agent defensive linemen
2025 team: Broncos
2025 stats: 7.5 sacks, 25 tackles, PFF’s No. 55 IDL (21st in run defense, 36th in pass rush)
Age: 29
John Franklin-Myers‘ career got off to an inauspicious start: cut by the Rams after one season and missed the entire 2019 season due to injury. All he’s done since then is become one of the game’s most solid interior defensive linemen. He’s had at least three sacks and at least 13 quarterback hits each of the last six seasons, and his 7.5 sacks in 2025 were a career high. His 10% pass rush win rate was eighth-best among all defensive tackles, per ESPN. He can move all around the defensive line, and at 29, he is young enough to earn another sizable contract.
2025 team: Falcons
2025 stats: 1 sack, 62 tackles, PFF’s No. 8 IDL (8th in run defense, 40th in pass rush)
Age: 33
Onyemata finished as a top 10 interior defensive lineman in PFF’s rankings for four of the last six seasons. Even though he had just one sack — his fewest since his rookie year — he was 17th in pass rush win rate among defensive tackles. He was also ninth in run stop win rate. His 53 tackles against the run were tied for fifth-most among interior defenders, and his strong 2025 should earn him a nice payday, even on a short deal.
2025 team: Cardinals
2025 stats: 6.5 sacks, 43 tackles, PFF’s No. 23 IDL (14th in run defense, 51st in pass rush)
Age: 39
They say “Father Time is undefeated,” but Campbell is giving it a run for its money. Back in Arizona — where he started his career back in 2008 — Campbell registered 6.5 sacks. Only all-time sacks leader Bruce Smith has had more in his 18th season or beyond. Expect more of the same from Campbell in Year 19: He generated at least 30 pressures in five straight seasons, and he had the third-highest pass rush win rate among defensive tackles.
2025 team: Lions
2025 stats: 28 tackles, PFF’s No. 35 IDL (35th in run defense, 23rd in pass rush)
Age: 31
Reader isn’t the two-way disruptor he was at the height of his powers, but he’s still a sturdy defender against both the run and pass. He had 20 pressures, tied for seventh among all nose tackle. Another short-term deal, perhaps back in Detroit, is in order.
2025 team: Texans
2025 stats: 3 sacks, 35 tackles, PFF’s No. 28 IDL (40th in run defense, 38th in pass rush)
Age: 31
Rankins provided two of the most surprising and delightful touchdowns of the NFL season with fumble return touchdowns against the Jagaurs in the regular season and the Steelers in the postseason. Rankins’ 38 pressures tied for 16th-most among full-time interior defenders, and though he isn’t always as impactful against the run, he’s no slouch in that department. The attention opponents had to pay to Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter certainly helped, but Rankins has been a solid interior presence for a long time.
One more to keep an eye on
2025 team: None
2025 stats: None
Age: 30
Is Wilkins’ career over? If so, it’s one of the strangest and most sudden ends in recent memory. Coming off a nine-sack 2023 with the Dolphins, Wilkins got a four-year, $110 million deal from the Raiders. Roughly one year later, Las Vegas released him. There were multiple issues at hand, though the main one was that the team and Wilkins reportedly didn’t see eye-to-eye on how he rehabbed his foot injury. The team terminated his contract, voiding tens of millions of dollars. There was also a reported locker room incident in which Wilkins kissed a teammate on the forehead, and the teammate took issue.
This is not a great interior defensive lineman class, as the top five suggests. It’s mostly plug-and-play veterans. Wilkins would be a difference maker if he’s healthy and back to prior form. Those are two major “ifs” though.
Five teams to watch
- The Bengals desperately need to fix their defensive front if they want to have a viable defense to support their explosive offense.
- With Onyemata set for free agency, the Falcons need to either retain him or replace him. Atlanta struggled to defend the run last year even with Onyemata, and with two light pass rushers on the edge, it needs some beef in the middle.
- The Lions have not only Reader but also Roy Lopez headed for free agency. The Lions’ rush defense took a hit after being one of the NFL’s better units in 2024.
- The 49ers‘ defense to disrupt much of anything in 2025, finishing last in sack rate by a wide margin. The run defense was better, but it was still average at best. There are some young players here, and injuries devastated the defense in 2025, but adding a veteran or two to be a steadying presence could help.
- Rankins, Tim Settle and Folorunso Fatukasi are all set to hit free agency for the Texans.
One big question
Is there a younger difference maker with his best football ahead?
As the top five suggests, this class is more full of reliable guys than true difference makers. It’s going to mostly be smaller deals in terms of length, with Franklin-Myers potentially being the lone exception.
Is there a player coming off his rookie contract who could still have some undiscovered upside? Former No. 33 overall pick Logan Hall is an option to fit the bill. He improved every year. At 6-foot-6 and 283 pounds, he has the lengthy athleticism to drop back into coverage, making him a unicorn up front. Hall is only 25, he had a 5.5-sack season in 2024, and he can move all over. Throw 25-year-old Otito Ogbonnia into this group, too. He played in just nine games last year, but he had 14 pressures in 2024 and displayed some pass-rushing chops prior to that, too. Maybe he’s a low-cost steal.
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Former childcare worker in Las Cruces charged with abuse
Police have arrested a 27-year-old woman in Las Cruces for child abuse charges at a daycare where she formerly worked.Jennifer Hernandez, 27, a former Pre-K teacher at a local childcare and development center, was arrested after being suspected of abusing a young boy who was in her care. In late February 2026, officers conducted an investigation after the parents of the child contacted the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation was then referred to Las Cruces police due to the alleged abuse occurring within city limits.A Las Cruces Police officer obtained video from the Discovery Development Center at 3300 Del Rey Boulevard and observed several incidents of physical abuse on a 10-year-old boy at the hands of Hernandez. Police say that the abuse did not cause great bodily harm. All of the known incidents are said to have occurred during the early morning of Dec. 9, 2025. Police say the investigation is still ongoing and additional charges are possible. Hernandez was arrested March 4 and booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center, where she will be held initially without bond.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. —
Police have arrested a 27-year-old woman in Las Cruces for child abuse charges at a daycare where she formerly worked.
Jennifer Hernandez, 27, a former Pre-K teacher at a local childcare and development center, was arrested after being suspected of abusing a young boy who was in her care.
In late February 2026, officers conducted an investigation after the parents of the child contacted the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation was then referred to Las Cruces police due to the alleged abuse occurring within city limits.
A Las Cruces Police officer obtained video from the Discovery Development Center at 3300 Del Rey Boulevard and observed several incidents of physical abuse on a 10-year-old boy at the hands of Hernandez.
Police say that the abuse did not cause great bodily harm.
All of the known incidents are said to have occurred during the early morning of Dec. 9, 2025.
Police say the investigation is still ongoing and additional charges are possible.
Hernandez was arrested March 4 and booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center, where she will be held initially without bond.
Vancouver’s SPELL Set To Release Cinematic New LP Wretched Heart, New Single Now Streaming
Vancouver-based metal outfit Spell are poised to deliver their most ambitious record yet with Wretched Heart, arriving May 1 via Bad Omen Records.
The first taste of the LP comes with the single “Lilac,” a bittersweet, addictive track that juxtaposes stadium-sized grandeur with wistful longing. Featuring a guest guitar solo from Tom Draper – known for his work with Spirit Adrift, Carcass, and Angel Witch – “Lilac” weaves harmony-laden metal riffs with synth-driven gothic chills.
The titular flower acts as a metaphor for the fleeting nature of love and life, though vocalist and bassist Cam Mesmer clarifies: “There are many things in life that disappear so quickly and will be gone immediately if we get preoccupied and forget to enjoy them and care for them. This song isn’t really about a flower.”
The video for “Lilac” was directed by James Barry and Sean Edwards for Ramble Films. Wretched Heart follows Spell‘s 2022 LP Tragic Magic, an album celebrated for embracing the mystique and darkness inherent in hard rock and metal.
Mesmer elaborates on the band’s philosophy: “Heavy metal can often be a regressive genre, almost by definition. But it doesn’t have to be! I think that getting set in your ways is death. I consider Spell to be a heavy metal band, and therefore whatever music we make will therefore be heavy metal, rather than the other way around, where you try to make your band fit into whatever narrow niche you think heavy metal is supposed to sound like.”
Pre-orders for Wretched Heart are available here.
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