Ferris Wheel Regulars are ‘Back in the Jetstream’
The Wichita-based emo outfit celebrates their new release at a mainstay of the local DIY scene, ‘where moments are turned into dreams.’
Ferris Wheel Regulars celebrated the release of their latest album with a show in a packed church-turned-office-building where I witnessed stage dives, crowd surfing, and a bassist who asked for the football score between songs about stars and planets.
In lieu of large venues with barricades and triple-digit ticket prices, many members of Gen Z have turned to the world of DIY music. These shows take place in locations such as basements, garages and even churches. They usually feature local and underground bands and typically cost about $10. Ferris Wheel Regulars is one band that’s made the Wichita DIY scene their home.
Wichita natives Paul and Jack Digiovanni co-founded Ferris Wheel Regulars in their basement in 2020. Photo by Seth Boles for The SHOUT.
Brothers Paul and Jack Digiovanni, who both perform guitar and vocals, started the band in 2020. Drummer Matt Bianco joined before the release of their last studio album in 2023, and bassist Luke Goter right after. The four-piece brings a fresh take on Midwest emo and math rock.
The band released their latest album “Back in the Jetstream” on January 9 and headlined that packed show the next night at The Furnace, a local DIY venue in east Wichita. They played alongside Wichita Wichita act Yae, their close friends Pomfret from Springfield, Missouri, and Oklahoma City’s Honor Choir. It was Ferris Wheel Regulars’ first show in nearly five months, and folks were hungry. It didn’t take long after their first song began for crowd surfing and dancing to begin.
Local band Yae is composed of guitarist Mattea Clara Bennett and drummer JJ Mansolf. Photos by Seth Boles for The SHOUT.
Cooper Anderson joined Honor Choir's Ethan Dillard and Christian Nichols on the lineup. Photos by Seth Boles for The SHOUT.
I’ve seen Ferris Wheel Regulars play tiny basements and large churches, but no matter the square footage, they always create an electric energy that permeates your entire body, filling the air with a unifying force. I listened to the album the day before the show, and already knew I liked the new songs. But watching a sea of heads bobbing in unison to the beat while the devoted few who had already committed lyrics to memory fought for a chance to scream them into a microphone enhanced the experience in a way that is tough to put into words. It gave me a deep sense of community, of belonging.
The new album makes up for the lack of releases since their 2024 split EP, “fwr.d,” with Wichita emo band delirium. The 11-track “Back in the Jetstream” clocks in at 43 minutes and delivers a musical experience unlike anything on the radio today. From delicate, dancing chords that erupt into deep, churning riffs and innovative, unique vocals that keep you on the edge of your seat as you begin to learn the lyrics, Ferris Wheel Regulars have proven that even if they spent last year keeping quiet, 2026 will be different.
“Back in the Jetstream” is an album that loves to play with tempo. Take the song “Trajectory,” for example. The first verse is slow, welcoming you in with this consistent drumbeat and soft guitar. After the first verse, the speed increases, and the guitar becomes more textured, more present. After the second verse, the speed increases again. Now it’s almost aggressive and confrontational. Once you get used to the new pace, it transitions back to a gentle guitar and consistent drumbeat. Finally, the song transitions back and forth every few seconds between these moments of calm and chaos — yet every transition is flawless and natural. This entire album refuses to stand still, refuses to be contained by any one box.
Audio engineers Luke Penner and Paul DiGiovanni recorded the album from October 2024 to August 2025. DiGiovanni described the experience of recording his own band as stressful and said Penner kept him on the right track. “I can get in my own head pretty easily, so that extra set of ears that aren’t in the band are extremely valuable.”
Matthew Weber, a “Reghead” for nearly two years, came out for the show at The Furnace. His take on the new album: “Straight gas, like everything else FWR puts out.”
The Details
“Back in the Jetstream,” Ferris Wheel Regulars
Released January 9, 2026, the third studio album by Ferris Wheel Regulars is available for digital purchase on Bandcamp for $8. It's also streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.
The band is planning to tour this spring and summer, and you can find details about upcoming shows via the band’s Instagram page, @fwr.ict.
James Owsley is a journalist and member of the Wichita DIY music scene. From hardcore to hip-hop, if there’s music being played in a room, that’s where he wants to be.
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