The goth metal Stitched Up Heart was founded in 2010, delivering their heavy rock with rollicking punk spirit. After the release of their debut EP, the group cycled through a number of lineups before signing with a major label for the release of their first official full-length, 2016's Never Alone. Their sophomore set, Darkness, landed in 2020. Formed in Los Angeles in 2010, lead singer Alecia "Mixi" Demner formed a new band when the initial incarnation split up. In the beginning, the group's visual and sonic aesthetic were a combination of Tokio Hotel-meets-Paramore. This anime-goth-with-emo-enunciation informed much of their 2012 self-released debut EP, Escape the Nightmare, which included "Dead Walkin'" and "Is This the Way to Get to Hell." Their second EP, Skeleton Key, followed two years later and ramped up their sound with heavier riffs and shredding screams, which featured prominently on singles "Grave" and "Frankenstein." This edgy evolution (more Evanescence-meets-In This Moment) carried into 2015 with the haunting single "Finally Free," which unveiled a new lineup (James Decker on drums, Merritt Goodwin on guitars, and Randy Mathias on bass), a more cohesive sound, and a new look for the band. They soon signed with Another Century Records and issued their first full-length Never Alone in June 2016. Featuring downtuned guitars and pummeling drums, Never Alone debuted in the Top Ten of both the Billboard Heatseekers and Hard Rock charts. After promotional touring concluded for the album cycle, the band returned to the studio. In 2019, Stitched Up Heart returned with the single "Lost," a collaboration with Godsmack frontman Sully Erna. That track appeared on their sophomore effort, 2020's Darkness. ~ Neil Z. Yeung