There’s a point in “After the Warmth,” the debut single from dreamy shoegaze outfit School of Design, where lead vocalist Samantha Kranz describes the final moments of an expiring relationship. The pain-induced numbness explored on the song’s billowing chorus has yet to set in, but the inevitable fading has begun. Light snaps into shadow, memories evaporate into echo and dust. And in that instance, all that’s left is the sound of a single heart beating in the quiet room of an “ex-happy house.”

The crux here is that every failed romance or doomed connection has a tipping point. Love can survive tragedy, disillusion, even betrayal, but the second someone decides to snuff out the flame for good, it’s over. “After the Warmth” deals in large part with the fallout. You know, when the shock is still raw and the first instinct is to search for solace in the person who inflicted the damage: “I still reach for you / In the space you left behind / Feeling’s left my fingers / I’m going numb,” Kranz sings on the aforementioned chorus, her distress veiled by the iridescent swirl of luminous guitars and pretty dream-pop textures.

The thing is, though, heartbreak and abandonment aren’t reserved for exclusively lovers. Our deepest, most intimate griefs are universal, which is why they permeate so much of our art, music, cinema, poetry, literature—you get the point. It’s also why inspiration can appear in so many forms, including in Kranz’s case, the dejected undertones of a classic children’s story.

“The short/cute answer is that I wrote this song through the eyes of poor Wendy Darling and her unrequited love for Peter Pan,” she reveals. “The reality of this particular song is the pain of past relationships… romantic and platonic… seems to linger a bit longer than most would like in the end. I promise all the songs I write are not this sad… maybe?”

Formed in 2025, School of Design is a collaboration between five longtime friends and music vets. In addition to Kranz, the band features Brett Miotti (Riot for Romance) on bass, Dustin Ragland (Young Weather) on drums and percussion, Luke Thornton (Secret Towns) on guitar and keys, and Matt Turner on guitar. On “After the Warmth,” the group conjures a nostalgic, shoegazey sound that emphasizes topline melodies and undulating grooves over gauzy atmosphere. The aesthetic feels comforting and familiar like that well-worn blanket you used to drag around everywhere as a kid. That familiarity, however, doesn’t come across as formulaic or rote; there’s genuine chemistry here and those interpersonal dynamics are what drove the band to select “After the Warmth” as their opening statement.

“It felt immediate,” Thornton confirms. “I think it was the first thing we all worked on together that sounded like the band we wanted to be.”

Recorded and mixed by Damon Moon at Standard Electric Recorders Co., the production adds a sun-kissed sheen that serves as a kind of metaphorical nod to the song’s title. Despite the forlorn lyrics, the song arrives slathered in dusty pink and yellow hues that pulse and shimmer like ripples fanning out across a lake. The warm, enveloping mix is accentuated by mastering courtesy of Simon Scott of Slowdive, an artist who knows a thing or two about lush ambiance and gorgeous sonic structures. For Miotti, it was important to get the details just right and push the throttle forward as much as possible.

“I selfishly wanted this to sound as best as it could sonically,” Miotti explains, “so I sought out someone to master this whose work I was fairly familiar with. Aside from all of the larger bands he’s done, Simon had mastered the debut album of a friend’s band. I reached out to that friend about his experience and he had encouraged me to contact Simon directly. I found Simon to be very easygoing and easy to work with. On top of that, he was surprisingly complimentary of our band and took great attention to detail on the already stunning mix that Damon Moon at Standard Electric had turned in. Just a win-win situation.”

Listen and watch the official visualizer above.

“After the Warmth” is out May 28 and is the first glimpse of a full EP slated for release sometime in fall or winter of this year.

School of Design will celebrate the release of “After the Warmth” tomorrow night, May 29, at the Brig at Argosy. DJ JVS will be on the scene, spinning shoegaze, dream pop, post-punk and more, including unveiling this first single along with a special early listen of its B-Side, “Slowdance” during her set. The festivities will run from 8 pm to midnight. 21+ to enter. Admission is free.

More Info
Web: schoolofdesignband.com
Bandcamp: schoolofdesign.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @schoolofdesignband
Instagram: @schoolofdesignband