Lose Your Self

Recording for Lose Your Self was slower than that of previous records. Reynolds first hinted towards new material from the band in October 2024, saying that it was still "early days" and that he would be writing intermittently while touring, and that he planned to focus on writing more in 2025.^[6] Interviewed later at Reading Festival in August 2025, he stated that the band was taking their time with their next album and expressed a desire to make sure the record was "interesting and exciting."^[7]

The album was ultimately recorded over the course of three years, with Reynolds (the album's sole producer) admitting that the process and his self-described perfectionist tendencies took a toll on his physical and mental health. “We never did the romantic thing of going away to a cottage for a few months, recording the bulk of the album and then just applying finishing touches," Reynolds told Clash in April 2026. "It was this disjointed affair where we recorded it on tour, in all sorts of different studios and at our houses." By the final month of the recording process, Reynolds was "basically just not sleeping" as he co-ordinated mixing and mastering with engineers in New Zealand and Nashville respectively.^[8]

The primary theme of Lose Your Self was summed up by Rou Reynolds as the need to "lose the idea of the self and become much more focused on wholeness and oneness," ^[9] in addition to further themes of anti-capitalism, environmentalism, modern individualism, and division in the modern world. He described the title track as a "command" to humanity to reject individualism, and embrace "community and human connection.”^[8]

The band wanted the record to serve as a contrast to their previous album, A Kiss for the Whole World, with the band describing it upon release as "one of our darkest and heaviest albums,"^[10] whilst still "[preaching] hope and [offering] answers." Reynolds expanded on this in subsequent interviews, clarifying to Kerrang in April 2026 that the record's darker direction didn't mean it was devoid of "moments of lightness and hope, but these things are instinctual. I don’t want to be an optimist or a pessimist, I want to be a realist, but a lot of it is a reflection of the world that we’re experiencing.”^[9]

In January 2026, Enter Shikari announced their largest ever UK headline tour, scheduled for November of that year, alongside a new logo.^[11] Ahead of this tour, the band also played an intimate show at Satan's Hollow in Manchester on 9 April 2026, the 20th anniversary of the band's first show in the city.^[12] At this show, the band debuted a brand new song "Find Out the Hard Way..." and announced their new album would be released at midnight.^[13]

Lose Your Self was subsequently released on 10 April 2026, alongside the announcement of a series of intimate shows throughout April.^[14] This was followed by the music video for "Find Out the Hard Way..." on 15 April 2026.^[15]

Adapted from album liner notes.