Winona Fighter - My Apologies to the Chef

Back in September 2023, with barely a bunch of demos and singles to their name, Nashville punks Winona Fighter found themselves in a dreary afternoon slot at Florida’s The Fest, playing the same stage as emo luminaries Braid – just 10 hours earlier. But, armed with a slew of pit-friendly pop-punk hits, they played it like the headline act, with vocalist Coco Kinnon a compelling dervish of energy throughout.

Fast forward to 2025, and many of the songs performed in Gainesville will find themselves on Winona Fighter’s long-awaited debut, ‘My Apologies to the Chef’. Indeed, if you’ve been paying attention, then a good two-thirds of the songs on the record have been debuted since 2022. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – the likes of ‘Subaru’, ‘Wlbrn St Tvrn’ and ‘You Look Like a Drunk Phoebe Bridgers’ have been road-tested to perfection with the band opening for the likes of Motion City Soundtrack and Bayside – and here, they sound lean and mean and primed for a significant breakout.

Fortunately, the new cuts more than hold their own; ‘Talk’ is an anthemic and bruising punk blast and armed with some prime AFI ‘hey, hey hey’ gang vocals, while ‘Swimmer’s Ear’ brings some much-needed light and shade to the four chords and the truth punk’n’roll. Throughout – even when dealing with issues of self-doubt, imposter syndrome, trauma or douchebags – there’s a sense of levity and playfulness that ensures ‘My Apologies to the Chef’ remains approachable and accessible.

There are also some incredible bangers here; ‘I Think You Should Leave’ is a floor-filling rock club anthem for the ages, and it’s more than matched by the aforementioned slammer of ‘Wlbrn St Tvrn’ and the rattling noughties pop-punk of ‘Swear to God That I’m (FINE)’. They have all the ingredients for success, and there’s no doubt that Winona Fighter have cooked up a storm on ‘My Apologies to the Chef’.