Complete List Of Better Lovers Band Members

Feature Photo: Jacob Anderson, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

From the ashes of one of hardcore’s most beloved bands arose a new force that would prove the power of creative renewal and musical evolution in the face of personal and professional upheaval. Better Lovers is an American hardcore punk and metalcore band from Buffalo, New York, formed in 2023 after the dissolution of Every Time I Die.

The group originally consisted of vocalist Greg Puciato, guitarists Jordan Buckley and Will Putney, bassist Stephen Micciche, and drummer Clayton “Goose” Holyoak. Buckley, Micciche, and Holyoak came from Every Time I Die, Puciato was best known for The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Putney was already established as a member of Fit for an Autopsy and as a producer.

Better Lovers signed with SharpTone Records and released the God Made Me An Animal EP in 2023, followed by their debut studio album, Highly Irresponsible, in 2024. A deluxe edition arrived in 2025 with two additional songs, “The Impossible End” and “Don’t Forget To Say Please.”

In February 2026, Better Lovers announced that they had parted ways with Puciato. The remaining four members said they were finishing a second studio album and looking for a new singer, making Puciato the band’s first former member while Buckley, Putney, Micciche, and Holyoak continued Better Lovers.

Often labeled a supergroup, Better Lovers represents the convergence of different musical worlds and personal journeys that created something new rather than simply continuing what came before. The musicians have been careful to establish their own identity instead of relying solely on their previous bands.

When talking about whether Better Lovers was a supergroup, bassist Steve Micciche said, “We don’t look at it that way. While it’s impossible to not acknowledge the past bands that we were in that we’re proud of, this thing is its own thing/beast/entity. We’re not here for a cup of coffee.” His comments reflected the band’s commitment to creating something lasting rather than treating Better Lovers as a temporary project.

The formation of Better Lovers emerged from one of the most public and contentious band breakups in recent hardcore history. Keith Buckley stepped away from Every Time I Die shows in December 2021 while focusing on his mental health and then publicly said he felt “ostracized” by his brother Jordan and the other members.

Jordan Buckley, Stephen Micciche, Clayton “Goose” Holyoak, Andy Williams, and Keith Buckley played their final Every Time I Die show on December 11, 2021. The breakup was formally announced in January 2022, ending the band’s long run and eventually opening the door for several former members to pursue new creative directions.

Greg Puciato (2023-2026)

Greg Puciato served as Better Lovers’ original vocalist, bringing more than two decades of experience as one of the most distinctive voices in heavy music. Before Better Lovers, he was best known for his long tenure with The Dillinger Escape Plan and for work with projects including Killer Be Killed, The Black Queen, and his solo career.

Although raised in a non-practicing home, Puciato attended a Catholic private school and was a strong student who skipped grades, graduating one month after he turned 17. He later attended college in Maryland and took a break after a year of study, around the period when he was invited to join The Dillinger Escape Plan.

Puciato joined The Dillinger Escape Plan in 2001 and first performed with the group weeks later at the CMJ music conference that October. He had already played in bands from the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area but had been waiting for what he considered the right opportunity to commit full-time.

Puciato had started as a fan of The Dillinger Escape Plan. After vocalist Dimitri Minakakis left, the band searched for a replacement and Puciato submitted recordings of “43% Burnt,” including one version modeled on the original and another with his own approach. The band offered him the job after only two practice sessions.

During his 16-year tenure with The Dillinger Escape Plan, Puciato helped push the band’s mix of mathcore, hardcore, and experimental rock into increasingly ambitious territory. His vocal range moved from extreme screaming to melodic singing and quieter material, giving him the flexibility that later made him a natural fit for Better Lovers.

Between Dillinger releases and after the band’s initial end in 2017, Puciato remained active with Killer Be Killed, The Black Queen, and his solo work. Joining Better Lovers brought him back into a full-time collaborative heavy band and paired his vocal approach with musicians who had already spent years developing their own chemistry.

Puciato appeared on the God Made Me An Animal EP, Highly Irresponsible, and the 2025 deluxe material. On February 24, 2026, Better Lovers announced that they and Puciato had parted ways, while Puciato made clear that there was no bad blood and expressed support for the band going forward.

Jordan Buckley

Jordan Buckley serves as guitarist for Better Lovers, bringing the songwriting skills and musical vision that helped make Every Time I Die one of the most important bands in modern hardcore and metalcore. As a founding member of Every Time I Die, Buckley spent more than two decades developing a distinctive guitar style built around hardcore aggression, southern-rock influence, melodic instincts, and technical precision.

His work with Every Time I Die helped define the sound of 2000s metalcore and contributed to a catalog that influenced countless younger bands. The group’s dissolution was particularly painful for Buckley because the conflict involved his brother Keith, Every Time I Die’s vocalist, as well as the loss of the creative outlet that had defined most of his adult life.

Buckley’s perspective on Better Lovers has focused on moving forward rather than recreating Every Time I Die. When the new band was announced, he described Better Lovers as the next evolution for the musicians involved and emphasized that the project was neither a hobby nor a temporary outlet.

Buckley’s guitar work in Better Lovers builds on his experience while allowing him to respond to a different group of collaborators. His partnership with Will Putney creates a new two-guitar chemistry distinct from the long-running guitar partnership Buckley had with Andy Williams in Every Time I Die.

Puciato’s broad vocal range also pushed Buckley toward different songwriting choices during the vocalist’s time with the band. After Puciato’s 2026 departure, Buckley remained one of the four continuing members while Better Lovers worked on a second studio album and searched for a new singer.

Stephen Micciche

Stephen Micciche serves as bassist for Better Lovers, continuing a musical path closely connected to Every Time I Die while bringing his distinctive bass work into a new setting. Micciche first joined Every Time I Die in the early 2000s, played on Hot Damn!, left in 2005, and later returned in 2011.

Across his two periods with Every Time I Die, Micciche spent roughly 15 years in the band rather than serving continuously for its entire career. His playing became an important part of the group’s later rhythm section and remained in place through Every Time I Die’s final years.

The transition from Every Time I Die to Better Lovers represented both an ending and a beginning for Micciche. He had to navigate the emotional complexity of his former band’s dissolution while also helping build a new project with Buckley, Holyoak, Putney, and Puciato.

When discussing Better Lovers’ identity as a possible supergroup, Micciche emphasized that the musicians did not see the band as a nostalgia project. He described Better Lovers as its own entity and made clear that the members still had something meaningful to say creatively.

Micciche’s bass playing in Better Lovers builds on his extensive experience while adapting to the band’s new musical directions. His rhythmic partnership with drummer Clayton Holyoak carried over from the final years of Every Time I Die and gave Better Lovers an immediate foundation for both aggressive and more experimental passages.

After Puciato left in 2026, Micciche remained part of the continuing four-member core. The band said it was moving forward with a second album while seeking a new vocalist.

Clayton Holyoak

Clayton “Goose” Holyoak serves as drummer for Better Lovers, bringing the powerful and precise style that made him a key part of Every Time I Die’s final lineup. Holyoak joined Every Time I Die in 2017 and remained through the group’s final show in December 2021.

During those years, he demonstrated the versatility to handle the band’s most aggressive material while also supporting its more melodic and experimental passages. That combination of force and control made him a natural fit when Buckley and Micciche began moving toward a new project.

Like his bandmates, Holyoak had to navigate the professional and personal consequences of Every Time I Die’s collapse. Better Lovers allowed him to continue working with Buckley and Micciche while expanding that chemistry through collaboration with Puciato and Putney.

Holyoak’s drumming supplies the rhythmic foundation for Better Lovers’ hardcore aggression as well as its more technical and adventurous moments. His playing combines power, precision, and creativity without simply reproducing the approach of his previous band.

Following Puciato’s departure in 2026, Holyoak remained one of Better Lovers’ four continuing members. The band continued writing its second album while looking for a new vocalist.

Will Putney

Will Putney serves as guitarist and producer for Better Lovers, bringing a unique perspective as both a performer and a behind-the-scenes architect of the band’s sound. He is also a member of Fit for an Autopsy and has built a major production career across hardcore, metalcore, and other forms of heavy music.

Putney already had an established working relationship with the former Every Time I Die members before Better Lovers formed. He produced Every Time I Die’s final two studio albums, Low Teens and Radical, giving him a detailed understanding of how Buckley, Micciche, and Holyoak worked together.

When Better Lovers was announced, Putney was confirmed as an official member and guitarist rather than simply the group’s producer. His production background still plays a major role in the band’s recordings, allowing him to contribute to both the writing and the way the finished music is captured.

The dual-guitar dynamic between Putney and Buckley has allowed Better Lovers to build complex, layered arrangements while maintaining the immediacy of a live hardcore band. Putney’s understanding of how individual parts fit together in a mix also contributes to the band’s polished but aggressive recorded sound.

Putney’s commitment to Better Lovers as a full band member demonstrates that the project is more than a production assignment or side job. After Puciato’s 2026 exit, Putney remained part of the four-member core finishing the band’s next album and searching for a new vocalist.