
POLARIS Emerges From Grief With Powerful New Single And Video 'Without You'
September 3, 2026At the crossroads of grief and exhilarating sonic potency, Sydney's POLARIS returns today with its first instalment of new music in three years, unleashing a brand new single, "Without You", via ADA in Australia and New Zealand and SharpTone Records for the remainder of the world.
Born from unimaginable pain following the loss of their bandmate and brother Ryan Siew in 2023, "Without You" channels the POLARIS members' love, hurt and heartbreak into an indelible end result. The track coalesces caustic vocals, crushing beats and torrid riffs set against soaring melodic choruses, a heart-wrenching guitar solo and a ferocious breakdown outro that rivals POLARIS's heaviest moments to date. Hauntingly poignant, its lyrics show the band in their most brutally vulnerable state.
POLARIS comments: "Never did we imagine that we would one day have reason to write this song. But three years on, we find ourselves still making sense of this immeasurable tragedy, and what it has meant to be left in the wake.
"This is the sound of crushing loss, shock, grief and heartache, and the beginning of us learning how to share that with the world."
Alongside the release of "Without You", POLARIS has also today shared an enrapturing music video that powerfully captures the track's ferocity and emotion. Highlighting the members left behind in this tragedy, the video brings forth their future while also reflecting and taking note of their creative past; interspersing imagery drawn from the band's history with solemn visuals of the members performing in a stark, empty cathedral.
Now with three studio albums, multiple ARIA Award nominations, millions of streams and a formidable global live reputation under their belt, POLARIS have cemented themselves as a conduit for creating music that challenges, reflects and inspires alongside a blend of melodic metalcore, lush post rock coupled with electronic flourishes.
Forming in 2012, POLARIS established their heavyweight status in the scene with their first two full-length albums, 2017's "The Mortal Coil" and 2020's "The Death Of Me", both of which debuted in the Australian Top 10 and received ARIA nominations for "Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album". In 2023, POLARIS expanded on their signature bleak imagery and hard-hitting soundscapes, embracing heavier tendencies and new creative terrain on their third album, "Fatalism".
The record was marked by unimaginable loss following the sudden passing of guitarist Ryan Siew just months before its release, ultimately becoming a posthumous reflection of his legacy and contributions to POLARIS. In the wake of the tragedy, the music community rallied around the band, with "Fatalism" debuting at No. 1 on the ARIA chart and earning widespread acclaim. The album was named Triple J's "Feature Album" upon release, won "Best Independent Heavy Album" at the 2024 AIR Awards, and earned nominations for "Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album" at the 2024 ARIA Music Awards, "Australian Album Of The Year" at the 2023 J Awards and the 2023 Australian Music Prize.
POLARIS have built a formidable global live reputation, selling out headline tours across Australia and taking their explosive live show around the world. In 2025, the band made their Knotfest Australia debut and appeared at major international festivals, including Download festival, Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park, Jera On Air and Rock For People. That momentum has continued throughout 2026, with POLARIS launching their own curated festival, Life's A Beach, before supporting longtime heroes LINKIN PARK on a massive Australian arena run and most recently joining ELECTRIC CALLBOY for the North American leg of their "Tanzneid" world tour. Next up, they'll head to Europe with I PREVAIL this fall before returning home for Australia's Good Things Festival in December.
POLARIS tour dates:
Sep. 19 - O2 Academy Leeds - Leeds, UK*
Sep. 20 - O2 Academy Glasgow - Glasgow, UK*
Sep. 22 - O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester - Manchester, UK*
Sep. 23 - DEPOT - Cardiff, UK*
Sep. 25 - Alexandra Palace - London, UK*
Sep. 26 - O2 Academy Birmingham - Birmingham, UK*
Sep. 27 - O2 Academy Birmingham - Birmingham, UK*
Sep. 30 - Ancienne Belgique - Brussels, Belgium*
Oct. 01 - Poppodium 013 - Tilburg, Netherlands*
Oct. 03 - PSD Bank Dome - Düsseldorf, Germany*
Oct. 05 - Porsche-Arena - Stuttgart, Germany*
Oct. 06 - Zenith Paris - La Villette - Paris, France*
Oct. 08 - Halle 622 - Zürich, Switzerland*
Oct. 09 - Alcatraz - Milan, Italy*
Oct. 10 - Wiener Stadthalle - Vienna, Austria*
Oct. 12 - Klub Stodoła - Warsaw, Poland*
Oct. 13 - Velodrom - Berlin, Germany*
Oct. 22-25 - Hellbound Cruise - Sydney, Australia
Dec. 04 - Good Things Festival - Melbourne, Australia
Dec. 05 - Good Things Festival - Sydney, Australia
Dec. 06 - Good Things Festival - Brisbane, Australia
* With I PREVAIL
Photo credit: thirdeyevisualsau
