Fear, U.S.E. Trio’s first release since 2023’s Happy Metal, shows the band at perhaps their most earnest, explosive, and expressive. After nearly a decade of cultivating their sound in Philadelphia, the trio, on the precipice of their second decade, share this focused, tuneful, and diverse record.

This record was culled from the live creative workshop process at The Ukrainian League of Philadelphia in the Fairmount section of the city, an unsuspecting subterranean members-only club where U.S.E. Trio has held a monthly residency for the last four years. The Ukrainian League is a place where the band is at home, free to explore, deconstruct, and rebuild their material.

Fear, as a record, is an opportunity in the face of change. After refining this material for years, U.S.E. Trio recorded Fear as a send-off for their drummer, Matt Scarano, before his temporary move to Europe. The trio also invited Norman David, soprano saxophonist, composer, arranger, friend and mentor since their inception, to perform on two tracks.

Across its eight tracks, Fear serves as both a summary of the last ten years of the trio and a harbinger of things to come as they chart their way forward.