North Carolina heavy rock trio Irata releases new full-length album »Human«; out now via Small Stone Recordings!

Greensboro, North Carolina based heavy rock trio Irata premieres their second full-length album, »Human«, which was just released this Friday, July 10th, 2026 via Small Stone Recordings.

Tracklist:
01. Altar
02. Confessions
03. Seeds
04. Delirium
05. Mirrors
06. Slipped
07. Goodside
08. Daystar

Courtesy of Earsplit PR:

»Human«, the long-awaited new full-length from North Carolina power trio Irata, is currently streaming in its entirety! The premiere comes in advance of the record’s official unveiling on Friday, July 10th via Small Stone Recordings.

Stream Irata’s »Human« HERE.

Since their 2007 genesis at the hands of founding members Jon Case and Jason Ward, Irata has mutated relentlessly. Through four previous records, the band has never sat idly in any specific style, while maintaining a signature mesmerizing and grinding pulse between bass and drums that permeates an enigmatic vision of heavy rock.

After releasing »Tower« in 2019 as a four-piece, Irata is once again a trio, and continues to push forward into new sonic territory. On »Human«, the band is building on the structures that have created some of its enduring favorites, namely, thundering bass riffs, hypnotic drums, and grandiose choruses. They do not sacrifice expression for refinement but manage to have it both ways.

Photos by Rodney Hicks

Their progression is evident in the patience with which »Altar« leads off, a melodic confidence that overarches the eight included songs, and the atmospheres in pieces like »Slipped« and the expansive finale »Daystar«, but none of »Human« is so overblown as to give up its organically dynamic nature. And perhaps in an era marked by the advent of machine-made art, »Human« can be as much a statement of purpose as a declaration of self. In any case, with this collection of songs, Irata’s focus on vocal melody and intricate riffing distinguish them from a crowded underground sphere.

The record moves as two sides of one image, opening with reflections of a final chapter, and closing with reflections of a new beginning through transformation; a story being told as it’s lived. What could be more human than that?

»Human« was recorded with longtime friends Hunter Allen and Adam Joyce of The Bronzed Chorus at Amplified Acres in Liberty, North Carolina and mixed by J. Robbins at The Magpie Cage in Baltimore, Maryland.

Irata’s »Human« is released on CD and digital formats as well as limited 180g vinyl (100 – Birthday Cake Mix and 100 – Blue Grackle Mix).

Find preorders at the Small Stone Bandcamp HERE.

Fans of Jane’s Addiction, The Smashing Pumpkins, Helmet, Shiner, Shun, and the like, pay heed.

Irata is:
Jason Ward – Drums, Keys, Vocals
Jon Case – Bass, Vocals
Owen Burd – Vocals, Guitar, Keys

“It’s melodic, has some heavy, fuzzed out riffs and rides a terse, tension-filled rhythm. Would have sounded at home on Sub Pop or Amphetamine Reptile Records back in the day.” – Decibel Magazine on “Goodside”

“Irata has, in recent years, continuously reshaped its own sonic identity along the axis of sludge and progressive rock, treating genre boundaries not as a fixed identity but as a fluid compositional field. A distinguishing feature of the band within the independent US heavy underground has been its bass–drum interplay and layered guitar writing, and its long gaps between album cycles have only amplified attention around each new release. Human positions itself as the next stage of this accumulated trajectory, expanding both the melodic scope and the overall spectral range of the band’s sound.” – Pit Stop Metal

“In an era increasingly marked by automated art, this record stands as an authentic declaration of self that demands repeated spins.” – This Rocks

“Human is an outstanding album on all levels which Irata should rightly be proud of… It may not be as riff-centric as Tower but there’s a lot more progression and musical variety that allows the band to play some intense grooves we haven’t heard from them before which is perhaps the greatest thing you can take away from this record.” – Outlaws Of The Sun

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well