On their Live at Levitation album, it’s easy to forget that this recording was only the second show of A Place to Bury Strangers‘ current lineup (Oliver Ackermann – guitar and lead vocals, John Fedowitz – bass and lead vocals, Sandra Fedowitz – drums). They jumped right in (literally, in Ackermann’s case, as he was so frantic that his guitar almost flew into the stage) and proceeded to, as always, flatten the place.
Mrs. Fedowitz’s Devo-like drumming gets things off to a great start on “Dragged in a Hole.” Mr. Fedowitz’s bass throbs like a bubbling volcano on “Let’s See Each Other” as Ackermann’s voice and guitar bounce off every surface.
“We’ve Come So Far” always hits like a burst of anti-aircraft fire live, and this version is no exception. It’s difficult to tell which of the three is hitting harder on it…and that’s kind of the point. Mr. Fedowitz’s thick, sludgy bassline opens “Never Come Back” while Ackermann’s guitar sounds like jet engines starting, failing, roaring, and screeching.
Mrs. Fedowitz hits her toms so hard and fast in the first third of “Alone” that it’s surprising her drum tech didn’t have to replace them every eight bars or so. The breakdown / switch in the song that rushes it into heavy shoegaze is outstanding. “I Lived My Life to Stand in the Shadow of Your Heart” is another stunner. It sounds like the entire room is collapsing under an attack from a Martian tripod and barely gives you a chance to process everything that’s happening.
I say this about “Ocean” a lot, but it’s always true: Every time I think I’ve heard the loudest version of it live, APTBS somehow makes one even louder and wilder and more transcendent. This one evolves / devolves into feedback-chaos and almost makes your brain melt. The album ends with “Have You Ever Been in Love?”, which has Mrs. Fedowitz singing / chanting high notes to contrast the heavy, almost deafening buzz of the entire track.
APTBS shows are designed so you (and the people a couple blocks away) not just hear the music, but feel it. It rattles your whole body. My fiancé said, “I think I need a neck adjustment after that.” when she saw them for the first time. This album gets you close to that nerve-rattling, mind-altering sensation. My longtime description of APTBS is “They’re not for everyone, but I want everyone to hear them.”
Play this one loud, and everyone around you will (and should).
ADULT. is not cooperating. For over 25 years, the dystopian Detroit synth-punk institution founded by Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller has embodied steadfast frustration, distrust, and apprehension. One might expect the edges to soften with time, but ADULT. is not interested in the comforts of legacy. The duo’s music has never sounded as visceral, urgent, and downright angry as it does on the culminating, uncompromising Kissing Luck Goodbye, their scorched-earth 10th LP and fourth with Dais Records.
Built with upgraded gear and a whole new library of sounds, the material is crushingly dynamic, louder yet clearer, with Kuperus’ commanding delivery given greater prominence in the mix, outlining an arsenal of vivid, caustic calls, chants, and musings. Laughter, whether in the lyrics or as a possessed presence, serves as a leitmotif that speaks to the menacing absurdity of modern times.
“No One is Coming”, the album’s lead single is a poignant, bassline-driven industrial anthem that turns feedback into melody, the track attacks inaction in the face of fascism —
NO ONE IS COMING TO YOUR RESCUE… A lyric that was written in early 2025 and is even more relevant on its release date a year later. A song speaking to moral collapse and political corruption “to a T”. These subhumans attempting to run the show are more concerned with cashing in and political cosplay than the well being of mankind. While working on this album, I read an article from an esteemed environmental scientist about “what’s coming in the future”. What stuck with me was their point that we are entering a new phase in existence where the most important thing we can do is know our neighbors and know the strengths of each other and what resources everyone has. Who needs extra care? Who is on their own? This song was written as a call to arms. Be alert. Be aware. Be prepared. Stand up for yourself and look out for your community. We are better when we are united. Social media is wearing us down. Deluding us. The political landscape is horrifying, distracting, deranged and unhinged. We are seeing this go down in real time right now in Minneapolis… NO ONE IS COMING TO YOUR RESCUE… except ALL OF US! Keep speaking up! Keep using your right to protest and most importantly keep showing kindness to one another.
ADULT. is known for high-stakes catharsis on stage, and recently deployed their back catalog of bass guitar songs from the 2000s, retracing the prescient Anxiety Always era partially out of necessity given the temperature of today’s political and technological dread. The response was instant and palpable: “We were in Paris, and the kids were stage diving. And I was like, this is rad. This is kind of the energy I want to get back into,” Kuperus says. The epiphany coincided with a series of setbacks — Kuperus’ bouts with chronic vertigo, the loss of their close friend and collaborator Douglas McCarthy of Nitzer Ebb, whom the album is dedicated to — all made profoundly worse under the looming regime. “We were stuck in the mud for quite a while after the election,” Miller says. “We had all the concepts, but we would just be like, ‘What’s the point?’” With failing studio air conditioners and dead car batteries (their sacred space for listening back to recordings), they often joked that the album might be cursed. Kuperus adds, “We’re just like everything’s breaking. We’re breaking. We’re broken.”
The sentiment didn’t stick, however, as they found themselves ultimately too super-charged by fury to sit still. From watching Musk’s disgusting nazi salute to seeing their community struggle under the new regime to waiting months for a tariff-inflated replacement subwoofer, the vibe heading into Kissing Luck Goodbye was four middle fingers pointed straight up.
Rather than retreat, ADULT. focused on the process, revisiting their setup, complete with their first new mics in 20 years. They obsessed over textures, amassing a massive sample library taken from old thrift-store albums, previously used and unused ADULT. ingredients and new field recordings, running myriad items, including the buzz of shop vacs, through various pedals. Pause Kissing Luck Goodbye at any moment, and you’re likely to count a dozen things happening at once in strange, dizzying, and dissonant harmony. Together with producer Nolan Gray, whose involvement resulted from a chance encounter (he happened to be the host of the short-term rental property where the two stayed — maybe there is still some luck, after all), the band pushed themselves harder than ever before to build a world with this record.
Songs took shape from unusual places: “No One Is Coming” got its tempo from a skipping record they captured through a cell phone during a bnb stay for Kuperus’ 50th birthday. “None of It’s Fun” blitzes with breathless urgency, high-speed glissades, and pointed lines like “OH I AM TEARING MY GUTS OUT / LOOK AT ME…DO YOU THINK THAT THIS IS AMUSING?” The closer, “Destroyers”, was the last song they recorded and encompasses the techniques that ADULT. has learned not just throughout the making of Kissing Luck Goodbye, but across their quarter-century as a pioneering collaborative project.
ADULT. Live Dates:
Apr 10: Pittsburgh, PA – Spirit Lodge Apr 11: Baltimore, MD – Ottobar Apr 12: Brooklyn, NY – Good Room Apr 14: Raleigh, NC – Kings Apr 15: Atlanta, GA – The Earl Apr 16: Jacksonville, FL – Jack Rabbits Apr 17: Orlando, FL – The Social Apr 18: Miami, FL – TBD Apr 21: New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa Apr 22: Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall (Upstairs) Apr 23: Austin, TX – 29th Street Ballroom Apr 24: San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger Apr 25: Denton, TX – Rubber Gloves Apr 28: Albuquerque, NM – Sister Apr 29: Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge Apr 30: San Diego, CA – The Casbah May 01: Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Forever (Masonic Lodge) May 02: San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop May 04: Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios May 05: Seattle, WA – Barboza May 08: Minneapolis, MN – 7th St. Entry May 09: Cudahy, WI – X-Ray Arcade
Just when you think you’ve heard the last word on Hüsker Dü’s back catalogue, Numero Group comes along with 1985 – The Miracle Year. It’s a stunning two-disc set of concert performances from when the band were in their prime. They were touring to promote Zen Arcade and, after this tour, would go on to release two more classics: New Day Rising and Flip Your Wig. They would start recording Candy Apple Grey later that same year.
The first disc is a rare recording of a full show at Minneapolis’ First Avenue club recorded in January 1985. It was slated to be released as an album back then, but it never materialized and the tapes sat for forty years in storage. Thankfully, they emerged and have been remastered and released for all of us.
Hearing this show now instantly makes your jaw drop. Starting off with “New Day Rising,” they stomp the gas and almost never let off it for the whole show. They’re angry and fierce on “It’s Not Funny Anymore” and “Everything Falls Apart.” Even “The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill” has extra doses of punk rage in it.
Other great cuts include “Makes No Sense at All,” “Books About UFOs,” and the blazing “Broken Home Broken Heart.” “Pink Turns to Blue” is a great encore piece, as are “Out on a Limb” (with Grant Hart thudding out a primal beat almost as a challenge to the audience still left standing) and the wild cover songs from the set: “Eight Miles High” (The Byrds), “Helter Skelter” (a perfect song for them to perform as Greg Norton and Bob Mould trade punk rage vocals and screams), “Ticket to Ride” (The Beatles), and “Love Is All Around” (Sonny Curtis).
Disc two is a collection of other live cuts from 1985 and begins with a blistering version of “Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely.” “Hardly Getting Over It” is another good one with sharp guitar work by Mould. “Eiffel Tower High” is a great inclusion, and one you rarely hear. The same goes for “All Work and No Play,” which features great double vocals.
Their cover of Donovan‘s “Sunshine Superman” is always welcome, and the Hoboken crowd goes crazy for it. Several of the final tracks are audience requests, such as “In a Free Land,” the title track to Flip Your Wig, and even an instrumental (“The Wit and the Wisdom”) that nearly burns down the Frankfurt venue.
It all sounds great, and the first disc alone will put you right back into 1985. Bring your earplugs.
Keep your mind open.
[I’m looking for the miracle of your subscription.]
Austin Psych Fest 2026 returns May 8–10 with another wide-ranging exploration of psychedelic sound, bringing legendary icons, forward-thinking indie rock, global grooves, and deep-cut psych favorites to the big South Austin backyard at The Far Out Lounge.
Since its inception in 2008, Austin Psych Fest has embraced an expansive definition of psychedelia — not as a single genre, but as a feeling — tracing its roots from 1960s experimentation through modern interpretations shaped by reverb-soaked guitars, hypnotic rhythms, and adventurous songcraft. The 2026 lineup continues that tradition, spanning classic psych, indie rock, soul, cumbia, global psych, and everything in between.
Friday, May 8 opens with an explosive night headlined by THE FLAMING LIPS, masters of technicolor psychedelia whose live shows blur the line between concert, communal experience, and sensory overload. Joining them are dream-pop architects DIIV, indie rock torchbearers MOMMA, Texas shoegazers GLARE, Brazilian psych favorites BOOGARINS, with additional sets from STARCLEANER REUNION and Austin psych staples HOLY WAVE, setting the tone for a weekend of expansive sound.
Saturday, May 9 leans into darker, heavier, and more hypnotic terrain as THE BLACK ANGELS perform their landmark debut album Passover, a cornerstone of modern American psychedelia, for its 20th anniversary. Topping off the bill is garage rock icon TY SEGALL and the lush, cinematic psych pop of MELODY’S ECHO CHAMBER. On the international front, Italian brooding psych outfit NEW CANDYS and pan-Arab psych funk innovators AL-QASAR enrich Saturday’s lineup alongside local beloveds GROCERY BAG and ANNABELLE CHAIRLEGS, rounding out one of the weekend’s most adventurous bills.
Sunday, May 10 brings warmth, groove, and global influence to close out the festival, headlined by modern soul luminaries THEE SACRED SOULS, the sun-soaked instrumentals of LA LOM, Latin soul and bolero heat from TRISH TOLEDO, the psych rock soul of NIGHT BEATS, Italian sonic explorers DUMBO GETS MAD, Peruvian chicha revivalists MONEY CHICHA, COMO LAS MOVIES, and a DJ set from ADRIAN QUESADA, tying together the festival’s far-reaching musical journey.
More artists will be announced soon.
Tickets are on sale now, with 3-Day Passes and Single-Day Tickets available, along with a limited number of Early Bird options while supplies last.
3 DAY PASSES and SINGLE DAY TICKETS available HERE. Early Bird Tickets have sold out – Tier 1 Passes & Tickets available now!
FRI MAY 8 THE FLAMING LIPS DIIV • MOMMA • GLARE • BOOGARINS HOLY WAVE • STARCLEANER REUNION
SAT MAY 9 THE BLACK ANGELS PERFORM PASSOVER MELODY’S ECHO CHAMBER • TY SEGALL NEW CANDYS • AL QASAR • GROCERY BAG ANNABELLE CHAIRLEGS • STRANGE LOT
SUN MAY 10 THEE SACRED SOULS LA LOM • TRISH TOLEDO • NIGHT BEATS DUMBO GETS MAD • MONEY CHICHA COMO LAS MOVIES • DJ ADRIAN QUESADA
WITH ADDITIONAL ACTS + NIGHT SHOWS TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON.
VISUALS + VIDEO + ART INSTALLATIONS FROM: TV EYE • MAD ALCHEMY DRIP//CUTS SHELUSHY • ATTIC SPACE • SLIM REAPER • BILLGAZER CHURCH OF THE ETERNAL SUN • FEVER DREAM EL TALLER DE PIYAMAS • COSMIC DOMMY
AUSTIN PSYCH FEST will be held May 8-10, 2026. The Spring event precedes the renowned LEVITATION in the Fall, and marks the 5th year of APF’s return to Austin, with an intimate setting and two stage lineup at South Austin’s The Far Out Lounge.
Austin Psych Fest began in 2008, as a DIY event and quickly expanded over the years into an international destination for the underground music scene. The event was rechristened LEVITATION, in a nod to the Austin’s psychedelic rock godfathers The 13th Floor Elevators. Austin Psych Fest returned in April 2023 celebrating its 15 year anniversary with a 3 day throwback to the original multi-stage, single venue format – bringing an intimate gathering on the Spring side of the calendar, and LEVITATION in the Fall. APF honors the city’s 1960s psychedelic rock heritage and channels it into the here and now – drawing indie rock icons, experimental rock and tripped-out sounds to an appropriately laid-back South Austin setting.
Since Austin Psych Fest’s inception, organizers have sought to create a thriving center for the independent music scene locally and internationally, in the original home of psychedelic rock: Austin, Texas.
Recorded in San Francisco on March 01, 2018 just before releasing their Black Heaven album, Earthless celebrated that occasion with this stunning show that, thankfully, was recorded for all of us.
From the West is a blistering set that starts with the Black Heaven title track that unloads so much power that you wonder if they’ll have anything left for the rest of the set (Hint: They somehow always do.). “Electric Flame” is a rare Earthless track with vocals by guitarist Isaiah Mitchell and it reminds me of something by Blue Cheer with its driving force and thick grooves from Mike Eginton‘s bass.
“Gifted By the Wind” always makes me think of Robin Trower and his influence on Mitchell’s playing. Its transition into the always transcendent “Uluru Rock” is great. Mario Rubalcaba‘s snare hits on “Volt Rush” sound like he’s going through drumsticks like faster than his drum tech can bring them. Their cover of Led Zeppelin‘s “Communication Breakdown” has become a fan-favorite and they somehow make it even fuzzier.
The album / set concludes with the hypnotic “Acid Crusher,” which highlights the band’s often-forgotten (or flat-out ignored) love of krautrock. Eginton and Rubalcaba combine to create a mesmerizing groove while Mitchell makes you think you might’ve accidentally inhaled crushed LSD with his phenomenal playing.
A live Earthless performance is always something special and difficult to describe. From the West is a close proximity to the experience, leaving you stunned that three people can produce that much power.
Soul to Soul, a vibrant and historically significant 1971 concert film — featuring performances by Ike & Tina Turner, Santana, Wilson Pickett, the Staple Singers, Les McCann & Eddie Harris, and the Voices of East Harlem — will be available again on the concert’s 55th anniversary of March 6. Released by Liberation Hall in partnership with Reelin’ In The Years Productions, Soul to Soul will appear for the first time on Blu-ray. Additionally, Soul to Soul: Music from the Original Soundtrack will arrive at retail on vinyl LP, CD & digital on the same date. The film will also be released on DVD.
Pre-order all formats at Bandcamp. Pre-order Blu-ray & DVD at Amazon. Pre-order LP, CD & digital at Amazon.
In February 1971, several dozen African American soul, jazz, and gospel artists embarked on a journey that would change the lives of everyone involved. They traveled from New York City to Ghana, West Africa to take part in a 13-hour concert entitled Soul to Soul. The concert was a celebration of 14 years of Ghana’s independence from British rule. For most of these artists, it would be their first trip to Africa. For the African American musicians, this was a journey about personal roots, the ancestral homeland, history, discovery, loss, pain and joy.
Directed by Academy AwardⓇ winner Denis Sanders and produced by Tom Mosk and Richard Bock, the resulting concert film/documentary had a limited theatrical run in late 1971. In 2004, Reelin’ In The Years Productions President David Peck secured permission for a DVD release from the producer and copyright holder of Soul to Soul. With the help of a clearance specialist, he was able re-clear all the artists seen in the 1971 film.
Now, 20 years later, Soul to Soul will have another chance to connect with audiences via a partnership between Reelin’ In The Years Productions and Liberation Hall. Steve Scoville of Blue H2O Productions restored the original edit by reconstructing each scene using the high quality 2K transfers from the original film elements, which were shot in the 4:3 aspect ratio. The film’s soundtrack has been digitally remastered by Randy Perry.
Above all, Soul to Soul is an electrifying concert film that features its players at the peak of their powers. Over 100,000 Ghanaians attended the celebration of the meeting of the cultures of the two continents. The Ike & Tina Turner Revue, featuring frontwoman Tina furiously shimmying alongside the Ikettes, delivers fiery renditions of “River Deep-Mountain High,” the project’s first digital single; “Soul to Soul,” a cut specifically written for this concert; and a cover of Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” [The latter track appears as a special Blu-ray outtake]. Wilson Pickett, the most popular American artist known to West Africans at the time, took the stage at 4:30 AM to deliver a rousing finale of “In the Midnight Hour,” “Funky Broadway,” and “Land of a 1000 Dances.” Gospel, soul, and R&B family group the Staple Singers were on hand to perform “When Will Be We Paid” and “Are You Sure” just five months before they recorded their legendary hits “I’ll Take You There” and “Respect Yourself.” Pianist Les McCann and tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris introduced many members of the audience to jazz via spirited performances of “The Price You Gotta Pay to Be Free” and “Hey Jorler,” the latter featuring local Ghanaian artist Amoah Azangeo. The Voices of East Harlem, an ensemble featuring young gospel singers, contributed “Run, Shaker Life.”
Santana, with guest percussionist Willie Bobo, was the wild card. The San Francisco group only had one African American member but, paradoxically, given its reliance on Afro-Cuban and other Latin American rhythm constructs, played the most African-sounding music (“Black Magic Woman”/”Gypsy Queen,” “Jungle Strut”) of any of the American guests. In Rob Bowman’s expanded liner notes for the Blu-ray, he quotes musicologist John Collins as stating, “They had a big impact on the local guitarists. The students were really fascinated by what Santana was doing with Latin music and rock… The obvious equation was, if you can unite Latin music with rock, you can do the same with African music. That’s actually what happened.”
Interspersed between these stunning performances, the camera crew followed the American musicians as they visited local villages, met kings, and shared food and dance with the Ghanaian community.
In his August 19, 1971, film review for The New York Times, critic Howard Thompson wrote: “Soul to Soul will hook you. We defy anybody to watch the final half hour of this color documentary of a soul and gospel music concert, performed in Ghana, without tapping a foot. But it is the sea of rapturous black faces, those of the visiting American artists and their Ghana audiences, that makes this movie a haunting experience… Mainly and compactly, the film sticks to the concert, brilliantly evoking the performances and crowd reactions in a flow of closeups and panoramic shots, to the stabbing, pounding pulse of the music.”
CD & DIGITAL TRACKLIST (LIB-2192)
Ike & Tina Turner – 1) “Soul to Soul,” 2) “River Deep-Mountain High,” 3) “I Smell Trouble” | TheVoices of East Harlem – 4) “Run, Shaker Life,” 5) “Choose Your Seat and Set Down”/”Walk All Over God’s Heaven” | Les McCann & Eddie Harris – 6) ”The Price You Gotta Pay to Be Free” | The Staple Singers – 7) “When Will We Be Paid,” 8) “Are You Sure” | 9. “He’s Alright” | Santana – 10) “Jungle Strut,” 11) “Black Magic Woman”/“Gypsy Queen” | Wilson Pickett – 12) “In the Midnight Hour,” 13) “Funky Broadway,” 14) “Land of 1000 Dances”
LP TRACKLIST (LIB-2191):
Due to space limitations, the LP features 10 tracks.
SIDE A: Ike & Tina Turner – 1) “Soul to Soul,” 2) “River Deep-Mountain High” | The Voices of East Harlem – 3) “Run Shaker Life” | The Staple Singers – 4) “When Will We Be Paid,” 5) “Are You Sure,” 6) “He’s Alright”
SIDE B: Santana – 1) “Black Magic Woman”/”Gypsy Woman” | Wilson Pickett – 2) “In the Midnight Hour,” 3) “Funky Broadway,” 4) “Land of 1000 Dances.”
The Mojave Experience festival today announces the full lineup for the first annual event, which takes place from March 20th-21st, 2026 in Joshua Tree, California. The festival is the brainchild of organizer and High Desert native Patrick Brink, frontman of VOLUME and former lead singer of desert rock legends Fu Manchu. Tickets are on sale now for individual days. Tickets are available HERE.
Co-headliners Earthless and Dead Meadow top the bill, totaling 16 bands confirmed to perform over two nights. The lineup includes legends in explorative and countercultural music, as well as future ones now making waves.
The full lineup is: Earthless, Dead Meadow, John Garcia (ex-Kyuss), Acid King, Nick Oliveri’s Death Acoustic, Yawning Man, Hippie Death Cult, Rubber Snake Charmers feat. Sean Wheeler, Ecstatic Vision, Howling Giant, Early Moods, The Freeks, Arthur Seay and the Riff Killers, Borracho, Insomniac, Soft Sun
The Mojave Experience takes place in Joshua Tree, California at the Joshua Tree Lake & Campground. Attendees are encouraged to make use of the camping, hiking and rock climbing in the area while taking in the vast beauty and mystery of the region that birthed the Desert Rock movement.
The Mojave isn’t just a backdrop — it’s the raw, unfiltered stage where music, art, and chaos collide. Out here, under endless stars and brutal sun, the desert strips away the fake and leaves only what’s real.
The Mojave Experience was born from that spirit. It’s not another sanitized festival in a city park, it’s a gathering for the wild ones, the wanderers, the true believers who know the desert doesn’t hand out comfort, only freedom.
This is where local desert legends share the stage with national heavyweights, weaving new stories into the myth of the Mojave. No velvet ropes. No corporate gloss. Just artists, misfits, and seekers coming together for a weekend that won’t be forgotten.
We bring the sound. You bring the fire. Together we’ll carve something into the desert that echoes long after the amps shut down. This is more than a festival — it’s a ritual. A pilgrimage into the heat, dust, and sound that will rattle your bones and rewire your soul.
Come ready. Come raw. The Mojave Experience isn’t here to entertain you — it’s here to change you.
A journey into the raw and visceral origins: from the demo sessions mixed by Steve Albini to the night of the very first secret show on December 20th, 1988. In the heart of Chicago, Geordie and Martin Atkins turned frustration and distance into pure creative energy, recording the now-legendary “Black Cassette” demos at Albini’s house. Distorted, menacing bass lines, unruly oscillators, and Albini running endlessly up and down the stairs between the basement drum room and the pantry control room defined a sound that was brutally direct and uncompromising. The first interactions with the Yamaha drum machine foreshadowed elements that would later shape parts of the album. Those sessions sparked essential ideas, while the future studio — purchased from Steve and moved to Wabash Ave — would soon become the core of Invisible Records and Killing Joke’s operations.
On the other side, a truly rare document: excerpts from Martin Atkins’s very first show with the band, at Burberries in Birmingham on December 20th, 1988.In a small, mirror-lined club filled with tension, adrenaline, and inevitable collisions with the walls, Extremities, The Fanatic, Intravenous, and The Beautiful Dead were performed publicly for the first time. It was the night when everything ignited: the blast beat still in its embryonic stage, the controlled fury Geordie demanded — “can you go a bit more Moonie on it?” — and above all Jaz’s theatrical yet strikingly genuine laughter. Not just joy, but a declaration: a giant “f*ck off” to the doubters and a prelude of what was about to come. A raw, essential, indispensable testimony: the birth of an era.
The release will have the following variants: – Classic Black; – White – for independent record stores only; – Red – Invisible Records Exclusive; – Overdrive Store Splatter Exclusive – limited to 350 copies worldwide.
Mosswood Meltdown, “the Bay Area’s coolest music festival” (SF Gate), returns to Oakland’s Mosswood Park July 18th & 19th, 2026. Following last week’s announcement of a pre-party on July 17th featuring Pavement, Wednesday, and Vivian Girls, the festival reveals its official lineup today, with tickets on sale now. Saturday is headlined by the “Godfather of Punk” Iggy Pop, following fierce Japanese quartet Otoboke Beaver, Santa Cruz’s hardcore heroes Scowl, skate-punks The Spits, garage rock Detroiters The Dirtbombs, always-unpredictable Tokyo troublemakers The Fadeaways, and LA-based power trio Primitive Ring. Legendary feminist punk pioneers Bikini Kill will cap off an epic Sunday, which also features The Return of Jackie & Judy aka Fred Armisen, Corin Tucker &Carrie Brownstein playing tunes by The Ramones, Philly’s seasoned punks The Dead Milkmen, the electrifying Frankie and The Witch Fingers, cult favorites Frightwig, and Miami rockers Las Nubes. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Mosswood Meltdown without the terrifically transgressive John Waters, who will be the wonderfully wicked host.
Get your tickets now, before prices rise! And stay tuned to more news from Mosswood Meltdown — additional artists and afterparties will be announced in the coming months.
Friday, July 17th (Pre-Party) Pavement Wednesday Vivian Girls
Saturday, July 18th Iggy Pop Otoboke Beaver Scowl The Spits The Dirtbombs The Fadeaways Primitive Ring
Sunday, July 19th Bikini Kill The Return of Jackie and Judy The Dead Milkmen Frankie and the Witch Fingers Frightwig Las Nubes
General Admission Tier 1 Weekend Pass – $179 Day 1 Ticket – $129 Day 2 Ticket – $89
VIP Admission (VIP comes with festival ins and outs privileges, access to VIP viewing areas, & VIP Swag bag) Tier 1 Weekend Pass – $299 Day 1 Ticket – $199 Day 2 Ticket – $159
Mandy, Indiana — “one of the decade’s best new bands” (Bandcamp) — present “Cursive,” the latest single from their new album, URGH, out February 6th via Sacred Bones.
On URGH, Mandy, Indiana is a force of uncanny nature, grafting together a record that is as much a call to action as a parlay into oblivion and transcendence. It finds the band expanding their far-reaching sound with each member — vocalist Valentine Caulfield, guitarist and producer Scott Fair, synth player Simon Catling, and drummer Alex Macdougall — actively taking part in the songwriting process.
Following the “noisy, harrowing” (The Needle Drop) lead single, “Magazine,” today’s “Cursive” is a bristling techno track that recoils and unfurls, garnering drama from the juxtaposition of quiet moments and explosive commotion. The song’s accompanying video was directed by Stephen Agnew.
Catling comments: “‘Cursive’ is probably our most collaborative track to-date. Whilst Scott and Valentine often offer the initial impetus behind most of our songs, ‘Cursive’ was built up from a number of Alex’s rhythmic sketches and my bass sequence. Valentine added her vocals later and Scott worked to sculpt these elements together. It was exciting having everyone bring their own ideas to the table from the off, throwing them together and seeing what could come out of it — a bit of a step into the unknown for us as a band.”
Co-produced and co-mixed by Fair and Daniel Fox of Gilla Band, much of URGH was written during an intense residency at an eerie studio house in the outskirts of Leeds and recorded across Berlin and Greater Manchester. The process was shaped by adversity with both Caulfield and Macdougall undergoing multiple rounds of surgeries in the same time frame as the album was being written and recorded. The harrowing experience and the exhaustion of their respective recoveries bleed into the surreality of Caufield’s writing, blurring the line between inner turmoil and external chaos.
URGH is deeply personal,yet also reflects the violent, fractured state of the wider world as Caulfield’s lyrics grapple with sexual assault, systemic indifference, and the omnipresence of pain. While most of the lyrics are in her native French, the emotional clarity cuts through regardless of language. Caulfield still uses her voice as a distorted instrument and a weapon, oscillating between equal parts playful and eviscerating.
Following their acclaimed 2023 debut, i’ve seen a way, URGH sees Mandy, Indiana interpolating their own unconventional language into a mantra for self-determination and resilience, forging a template for a brighter future before it fades to black.
Mandy, Indiana will tour across Europe next year with shows in London, Paris, Berlin and more. All dates are listed below.
Mandy, Indiana Tour Dates Sat. Jan. 31 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz * Wed. March 25 – London, UK @ Heaven Fri. March 27 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club Sat. March 28 – Glasgow, UK @ Room 2 Wed. April 8 – Dunkirk, FR @ Les 4 Ecluses Thu. April 9 – Paris, FR @ Petit Bain Sun. April 12 – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn Tue. April 14 – Copenhagen, DK @ Huset Wed. April 15 – Berlin, DE @ Urban Spree Thu. April 16 – Hamburg, DE @ MS Stubnitz Fri. April 17 – Tilburg, NL @ Roadburn Sat. April 18 – Rotterdam, NL @ Motel Mozaique
