Why the Worried Sick Tour Has Been Healing for Meet Me @ The Altar, Their Dream Music Videos, and What’s Next
- Alder Boutin
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
After releasing emotions accumulated from a tumultuous 2025 in their December EP, Worried Sick, Meet Me @ The Altar appear more assured than ever. Vocalist Edith Victoria and drummer Ada Juarez have stepped up to the challenge of continuing to create amidst uncertain logistics, delivering a project that could have only happened at the time that it did. Worried Sick reflects a melding of the band’s inceptive easycore sound and the industry savvy that they have steadily refined.
I had the chance to speak with Edith and Ada shortly before they graced the intimate Space Ballroom stage in Hamden, Connecticut on February 1 – an excellent way to kick off Black History Month, as Ada pointed out. Ada ushered me into the warmth of their green room area, where a staircase plastered with posters put a pop in the pre-interview band photos I snapped. The duo then opened up about how they stay true to themselves, the perils of touring in the winter, and which band they would love to open for in 2026.
Alder Boutin: It’s so exciting to see you playing shows again after over a year since your last major tour. How does it feel to be back on the road?
Edith Victoria: It feels so good. It’s really reminiscent of when we first started touring, because we were a five-piece onstage. We’re not only touring how we used to – our favorite way of playing shows – we’re doing it in a way we want to. It was still very, very fun for us back then when we were in that formation, so it’s really nice, and it feels healing.
Ada Juarez: And it’s what we like to do, so it’s fun to be out here.
AB: That’s great to hear. Can you share a funny or memorable moment from the Worried Sick Tour so far?
AJ: What immediately comes to mind is how there’s snow everywhere, and so far, everyone has fallen and busted their ass. And these places don’t know how to plow snow off of the side of the streets, like when you’re opening the car door and getting out.
EV: Yesterday, because there’s only a door on one side of our van and it’s the side where all the snow was plowed up, we had to climb over the snow to get in the van.
AJ: We have been suffering every single day because of how freezing it has been.
AB: Well, at least it’s memorable.
EV: That’s so true, it is.
AB: You’ve spoken a lot about the distinction between your heavier and lighter sounds, but I’d also love to know how you feel you’ve evolved between your early heavier releases and Worried Sick now?
EV: That’s a good question. I think that it’s evolved in a way that’s a lot more real. We’re older, so we have more life experience, and I think sometimes, life experience makes you... not a pessimist, but you know that bad things do happen.
AJ: It’s way more raw.
EV: It’s more raw and more honest, and our lyrics are more unapologetically in-your-face.
AJ: Our tastes have definitely evolved, too. We’re always listening to new music. And that music is always influencing our music.
AB: I’m so glad that you’ve had this outlet that feels healing and authentic for you. “In The Next Life” strikes a slower contrast to the fast-paced rest of the EP. Why was it important for you to bring that more mellow ballad to the project?
EV: We’ve never done an original acoustic song before. We’ve only done remakes of songs that aren’t originally acoustics, and the themes we’re writing about on this EP are kind of sad, so it was a perfect opportunity to have an acoustic song. Also, dynamics with your EP – if everything sounds the same, there needs to be a break. I feel like an acoustic’s a good way to do that.
AJ: I think it fits the emotion, too, of how we’ve been feeling. All of the songs are very angry, and we needed one song that was truly kind of sad.
AB: Sometimes, after you get all that anger out, you just need to be sad for a little bit.
AJ: A good cry will really heal you.
EV: For real.
AB: You’ve been open about some of the struggles you’ve faced over the past few years with navigating the rigidity of the music industry. Now that you’re regaining creative control, do you have any advice for other folks in the industry who have had similar challenges advocating for their authenticity and fulfillment?
EV: I would say your decisions need to be based off of what you truly want. Even if you’re being guided in a certain direction and you’re not that upset about it, if your gut is telling you something else, follow it. And you need to pick opportunities that fulfill your heart and not money, or something like that – which is important, but at the end of the day, it’s not as important as what you, as an artist, want to do for yourself. If you want to play a show to 50 kids in a shed, you should be able to do that! Even though it’s not a big look or whatever, it doesn’t matter, if that’s what you want to do.
AB: Can each of you tell me what your favorite part is about making music with the other?
EV: I think that my favorite part of making music with Ada is that we’re very aligned mentally. We’ve been in each other’s lives for so long, but also, we’re experiencing the exact same things all the time. And so I don’t have to check in on what I’m writing, because I know she probably feels the same way.
AJ: Yeah, I usually do.
EV: We’re so dialed in, and it gives me even more creative control than I already have, somehow. It’s refreshing.
AJ: We’re usually always on the same page because we’re going through it together, constantly. Also, the vibes are pretty on ten, you know? When it’s writing time and we’re trying to figure out what we want to do, it’s really fun to be able to brainstorm together.
EV: Sonically, we like a lot of the same types of music, so it works out.
AJ: Exactly. We’re all coming from the same place. And we’re all going to the same place.
AB: And that place is up!
AJ: It’s always up, bitch! For real.
AB: It’s so beautiful when you have that with someone who’s going through the same things, and you can mesh on that level.
AJ: Aw, it’s like we’re a married couple.
EV: I mean, being in a band is kind of like marriage.
AB: What are each of your favorite lyrics from Worried Sick?
AJ: Is it cheating if I look it up? I don’t sing, so sometimes I don’t remember stuff.
AB: Not at all. But you can do your favorite drum part if you want.
AJ: All the drums in “Heaven’s Sake.” I really like the fills in that one. I do want to answer the question, though, but I had to answer that just because of the fact that you said that. “Heaven’s Sake” might be the song that I go to, actually. This lyric’s a little basic as hell, but it’s just so real.
EV: Damn.
AJ: You don’t even know which one I’m going to! All I’m saying is, “My head is spinning round and round / My life is upside down / Need a reason to get the fuck out of bed.” It’s so real, like, why do I need to get up? Tell me, someone, please.
EV: That’s true, ‘cause I’m not getting out of bed if I don’t have a reason to. I think my favorite is in “Straight Up (Needy).” I like, “I can’t eat, can’t sleep / So full of misery / In case you even give a shit.” Yeah, I like that lyric a lot.
AJ: That’s a really good one. I love that ending, “In case you give a shit.” Like, just in case you’re wondering.
EV: You probably don’t, but just in case.
AJ: Just in case you were wondering, I’m doing terrible. That’s the theme of the whole EP. Straight up, that’s a good one.
EV: Straight up.
AJ: I didn’t mean to [be self-referential], but it works.
AB: If you could create a music video for a Worried Sick song that doesn’t have one, which song would you pick, and what would the video look like? Imagine there are no restrictions on money or time.
AJ: Am I able to change a music video? Because if there was no budget involved, I think “Karma” would be a perfect song for a Scream ripoff where karma is coming after you, and it’s a killer type beat, but it’s karma personified. I think that idea would have been really cool. It would actually be actors doing it, and we’re just in the back. Maybe they’re listening to us on the radio.
EV: That would be cool! I would love “From The Start” to have a video. I would like it to look super similar to the “crushcrushcrush” video [by Paramore], because it’s very emo. Out somewhere, full band, a vibe.
AJ: Head banging the house down.
EV: Exactly. Really saturated-looking. I would love it.
AB: I would love to see that. This year marks a fresh start for Meet Me @ The Altar. What are some goals that you’re hoping to achieve by the end of 2026?
AJ: Album finish.
EV: Yeah, album two out. I really want to write another album.
AJ: More tours.
AB: And they won’t be in January, so it won’t be as cold and snowy.
AJ: More tours when it’s not cold as heck out there. I’ll also throw out: a really good opening slot.
EV: My dream for right now is Neck Deep, because we haven’t done that yet for some reason, and I would love to open for them.
AJ: Neck Deep would be really good. Call us!
EV: And I want to go to the UK again, ‘cause I miss it over there. I love touring in the UK.
AJ: That’s a good one. By the end of this year, we want to go to the UK again.
