Madina Lake

Formed in Chicago in 2005 around brothers Nathan and Matthew Leone, joined by Mateo Camargo and initially Dan Torelli, Madina Lake developed an alternative rock sound at the intersection of pop-punk, post-hardcore and emo. Their music features melodic songs, taut guitars and a marked taste for direct, hook-driven choruses. From the EP The Disappearance of Adalia (2006) onward, the band established a narrative universe centered on the fictional town of Madina Lake, a through-line on the albums From Them, Through Us, to You (2007), Attics to Eden (2009) and World War III (2011). Emerging from the mid-2000s American rock scene, they gained visibility on tours and festivals such as Warped Tour, Download, Reading and Leeds, Soundwave and Slam Dunk, often moving within the Anglo-American alternative and post-hardcore circles. After splitting in 2013, Madina Lake reformed in 2017 with Chris Mason on drums, resumed live activity and released the EP The Beginning of New Endings in 2020. Balancing emotional tension, conceptual songwriting and an accessible rock format, Madina Lake maintains an identity tied to that pivotal period of 2000s alternative rock.