By Azzam Bilal 
HangupsMusic.com – LOS ANGELES, The landscape of the indie-rock and pop-punk scenes has been thrown into a state of flux following a series of swift and definitive developments involving Nathan Williams of Wavves and Max Bemis of Say Anything. What was intended to be a high-profile collaborative effort between two of the most recognizable voices in alternative music has instead devolved into a public severance and a complicated logistical puzzle. Following serious allegations of misconduct leveled against Bemis, Williams has officially announced his intention to scrub the Say Anything frontman’s contributions from their upcoming joint album, Cherry Soda, and finish the project as a solo Wavves release.
The controversy began to coalesce late last month when the Say Anything community on Reddit became the epicenter of a brewing scandal. Users on the platform shared screenshots and testimonies alleging that Bemis had engaged in inappropriate, flirtatious messaging with at least two fans who were minors at the time of the interactions. These allegations, which quickly gained traction across social media, painted a troubling picture of boundary-crossing behavior that stood in stark contrast to the elder-statesman status Bemis has long held in the emo genre.
In the immediate wake of these accusations, the fallout was swift. Bemis, who had been scheduled to embark on a highly anticipated series of solo acoustic performances, abruptly cancelled the tour dates. While his team cited personal reasons for the cancellations, the timing was inextricably linked to the public outcry surrounding the Reddit threads. As fans sought clarity, the silence from the Bemis camp was filled by the increasingly vocal and frustrated response from his collaborator, Nathan Williams.
Williams, the creative force behind the surf-punk outfit Wavves, did not mince words when addressing the situation. Initially taking to his Patreon—a platform where he maintains a close dialogue with his core fanbase—Williams expressed a profound sense of betrayal and a desire for immediate distance. "I don’t want to be associated with the guy," Williams wrote, signaling the end of a partnership that many had expected to be a career highlight for both artists.
The frustration expressed by Williams appeared to stem from more than just the moral implications of the allegations; there was also a significant professional grievance regarding the division of labor on the Cherry Soda project. In a subsequent and more volatile Instagram post, Williams laid bare the disparity in their creative contributions. "Not sure what to say but fuck Max. Fuck Say Anything," the post read. "I’m sorry y’all. I spent 11 months making this record and Max spent 4 days so I dunno exactly what I’m supposed to do."
This revelation—that Williams had dedicated nearly a year to the album’s production and composition while Bemis’s involvement was limited to a few days of work—added a layer of technical complexity to the split. For Williams, the album represented a massive investment of time, energy, and resources. The idea of shelving the project entirely due to the actions of a contributor who provided a fraction of the labor was clearly untenable.
On Monday, Williams provided a definitive update on the future of the material. He confirmed that he was returning to the recording studio with a singular goal: to excise Bemis’s input and finalize the tracks as a "proper Wavves album." This move serves as both a reclamation of his creative property and a strategic pivot to save the work from being permanently tarnished by association. By rebranding Cherry Soda as a solo Wavves endeavor, Williams is attempting to salvage 11 months of production while adhering to a personal and professional code of ethics that precludes working with those accused of grooming or predatory behavior.
However, the path to a clean break is complicated by the realities of modern physical media production. In an era where vinyl manufacturing backlogs can stretch for months, the logistics of "cancelling" an album are often more difficult than the social media optics suggest. Williams previously revealed on Patreon that approximately 10,000 copies of the original version of Cherry Soda—featuring both Williams and Bemis—have already been pressed and are sitting in a warehouse.
The existence of these 10,000 records presents a significant dilemma. For a self-funded or independent-leaning artist, the financial loss associated with scrapping a massive vinyl run can be devastating. Furthermore, as of this week, several online retailers still have the original collaborative version of the album listed for pre-order. It remains unclear whether those orders will be fulfilled with the "lost" version of the record, whether they will be cancelled entirely, or if the retailers will eventually transition to the new solo Wavves version once it is completed.
This situation highlights a growing tension in the music industry: the speed of accountability versus the slow machinery of physical distribution. When an artist is "cancelled" or a collaboration implodes due to misconduct, the digital footprint can be altered almost instantly. Songs can be pulled from streaming services, and social media posts can be deleted. But 10,000 physical objects cannot be so easily erased. They represent a sunk cost and a potential liability, yet they also inevitably become high-value items on the secondary collector’s market, often fetching exorbitant prices on sites like Discogs or eBay as "banned" or "unreleased" artifacts.
The allegations against Bemis are the latest in a long string of reckonings within the pop-punk and emo scenes, genres that have struggled for years with a history of power imbalances between aging male performers and young, often underage, female fans. The "Me Too" movement and the rise of digital sleuthing on platforms like Reddit have empowered fans to hold their idols accountable, but they have also forced collaborators like Williams into difficult positions where they must choose between their professional output and their moral standings.
Max Bemis has yet to issue a formal public statement addressing the specific allegations or the dissolution of the Cherry Soda project. Historically, Bemis has been open about his struggles with mental health and the pressures of the music industry, often incorporating these themes into the hyper-literate, neurotic lyrics of Say Anything. However, the current silence from his camp suggests a crisis that transcends the usual boundaries of artistic transparency.
For Nathan Williams, the transition of Cherry Soda into a Wavves album marks a new chapter in a career defined by independence and a DIY aesthetic. Since emerging in the late 2000s as a pioneer of the lo-fi "slacker rock" movement, Williams has navigated the highs and lows of the industry with a fierce sense of autonomy. This latest move is perhaps the ultimate expression of that autonomy—refusing to let his hard work be buried by the actions of another, even if the road to a solo release is paved with logistical hurdles and financial risks.
As Williams heads back into the studio this week, the music world will be watching closely to see how the "proper Wavves version" of the album differs from the original concept. Fans are curious to see if the removal of Bemis’s vocals and lyrics will change the fundamental DNA of the songs, or if Williams’s heavy lifting in the production phase means the transition will be seamless.
The saga of Cherry Soda serves as a cautionary tale for the modern era of music collaboration. It underscores the importance of vetting partners, the volatility of public reputation, and the enduring power of the fanbase to shape the narrative of an artist’s career. While the 10,000 pressed records may eventually become a footnote in indie-rock history, Nathan Williams’s decision to move forward alone sends a clear message about the limits of professional loyalty in the face of serious misconduct. Further announcements regarding the tracklist, release date, and pre-order status of the revised album are expected in the coming weeks as Williams works to finalize what has become one of the most complicated releases of his career.
