Over the last year the Portland band Growing Pains have become one of the most buzzed about bands in the Pacific Northwest. Composed of Jack Havrilla, Kyle Kraft, Kalia Storer and Carl Taylor — the band began popping up on bills around when they were still teenagers, and in more recent times have toured up and down the West Coast while sharing stages with bands like MX Lonely, Alien Boy, Been Stellar, Water From Your Eyes, Beabadoobee and Dutch Interior.
Despite the recent buzz around the band, Growing Pains haven’t released any new music since a 2023 EP that came out while they were still in high school. Today, the band are announcing their signing to the label Photo Finish, and sharing their first single since that EP, a track called “Swimming.”
“Swimming” is as an immediate and streamlined guitar pop track with the melodic heft to read like a lost early oughts alternative radio hit. Recalling ’90s icons like Liz Phair and Julianna Hatfield as re-imagined by Joyce Manor, the single is an immensely promising first statement from an ambitious young band determined to meet their moment.
Storer says of the track: “This song is about the helpless feeling that comes from being romantically incompetent. I wrote it after going on a date and they put their arm around me and it felt wrong. I left and went to the airport to watch the planes fly and drink a beer on my truck. Then all of the words came to me—this was the night before our last day of recording.”
Leenalchi (EEE-nal-chi) — the seven-piece Seoul-based band led by bassist Jang Young Gyu — announce their Luaka Bop debut, a new EP entitled Here Comes That Crow, out June 12th, and a North American tour. In conjunction with today’s announcements, they present the video for lead single and title track, “Here Comes That Crow.” The music of Leenalchi is taken from pansori, a traditional Korean style of musical storytelling often compared to opera. Rooted in shamanism and developed during the Joseon Dynasty (17th century), these songs tell epic tales of love, virtue, sorrow, and dragon kings. As if reverberating in our ears from a spiritual plane, the sounds emitting from Leenalchi’s singers are transcendent. Their line-up, as singular as their sound, features two bassists, drums, keys, no guitar, and four singers.
The psychedelic riffs found in Leenalchi’s songs are courtesy of Jang, the band’s enigmatic leader, who looms large in the country’s small but dedicated indie music scene. An NPR Tiny Desk concert of one of his former bands, SsingSsing, racked up 9.9 million views on YouTube and was praised by Tiny Desk founder Bob Boilen as “one of my most memorable Tiny Desk Concerts of all time.” He’s also a prestigious film composer, scoring soundtracks for some of Korea’s most celebrated movies like Train to Busan, The Wailing, and The Good, the Bad, the Weird.
Jang’s work with pansori began in 2007, after composing for choreographer Ahn Eun-me’s piece, Bari. With musicians from that project, Jang went on to form groups such as BIBING, SsingSsing, and eventually Leenalchi.
On “Here Comes That Crow,” as on most Leenalchi songs, Jang wordlessly directs his vision of cross-cultural funk with a collaborative spirit. First comes the rhythm section, developed with drummer Oh Hyung Suk, which sets the foundation for a song, then, singers Park Soo Bum, Ahn Yi Ho, Ra Seo Jin, and Choi Su In draw from the repertoire of pansori songs to discover the most distinctive and fitting sounds.
Adapted from a pansori tale about the Chinese warlord Cao Cao’s most decisive battle, “Here Comes That Crow” is an allegory about life’s precariousness. Ahn, together with his fellow Leenalchi members, wrote a poem to help listeners interpret the song’s meaning:
도용도용은 작은 배가 물위를 떠가는 모양을 그린 말이다. 조조도 조자룡도 쫓기는 자도 쫓는 자도 멈출수는 없다. 판자때기 아래가 저승인데 어느 누가 멈춰 설 수 있겠는가!
Doyung doyung goes the small boat seen floating down the river. Whether the chased or the chaser, no one can stop—just beneath the boards lies the underworld!
As part of their training, pansori singers are required to spend time singing next to a waterfall, tasked to carefully observe and mimic the sonic nuances of water. The Korean language is full of onomatopoeias. The repetition in these words create their own rhythmic unit, each word functioning like a tiny song: Kwal-kwal (콸콸) is the sound of a running stream; gaegul-gaegul (개굴개굴) goes the frog; and mimetic words (a slippery floor is mikkeul-maekkeul (미끌매끌); sol-sol (솔솔) is a kind of gentle and subtle slowness).
The band counts many fellow artists as fans, including Brian Eno, Robyn, Japanese Breakfast, and Merrill Garbus (of Tune-Yards), who studied pansori while part of the group Roomful of Teeth.
This summer, Leenalchi will embark on their first-ever North American tour, making stops in Canada and the West coast, including Stern Grove Festival in San Francisco where they’ll support Japanese Breakfast, and a free show at The Getty in Los Angeles presented by KCRW. Tickets for all dates are on-sale now and available here.
Here Comes That Crow Tracklist: 1. Hihi Haha 2. Bird 3. Here Comes That Crow 4. Let’s Live for Today 5. Look At Me Look At Me 6. Ultimate Prescription
Leenalchi 2026 Tour Dates: Fri. May 29 – Incheon, SK @ Asian Pop Festival @ Paradise City Sun. June 21 – Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Jazz Thu. June 25 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace Fri. June 26 – Montreal, QC @ Montreal Jazz Festival Sat. June 27 – Vancouver, BC @ Vancouver Jazz Festival Sun. June 28 – San Francisco, CA @ Stern Grove Festival (w/ Japanese Breakfast) Wed. July 8 – Seattle, WA @ Vera Project (presented by KEXP) Sat. July 11 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Getty (presented by KCRW) Thu. Nov. 12 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Fri. Nov. 13 – Rotterdam, NL @ Grounds Sun. Nov. 15 – Berlin, DE @ Gretchen Tue. Nov. 17 – Hamburg, DE @ Knust Wed. Nov. 18 – Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA Musikkens Hus Fri. Nov. 20 – Aarhus, DK @ Turkis Sat. Nov. 21 – Groningen, NL @ VERA Tue. Nov. 24 – Dublin, IE @ Whelan’s Thu. Nov. 26 – London, UK @ Jazz Cafe Fri. Nov. 27 – Bristol, UK @ The Jam Jar Sat. Nov. 28 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club Sun. Nov. 29 – Manchester, UK @ Band on the Wall
Leeds quartet Yard Act announce a summer North American tour including stops throughout the West Coast, East Coast and Canada. This marks the band’s first North American run since 2024. Tickets go on sale this Friday, April 24th at 10am local time and will be available here. Yard Act will also make several festival appearances across Europe in June and embark on an extensive UK and EU tour in the fall.
Since 2020, Yard Act – frontman and vocalist James Smith, bassist Ryan Needham, guitarist Sam Shjipstone, and drummer Jay Russell – have become one of the great indie success stories of the decade so far. They’ve ticked off milestones ranging from a number two UK chart placement and Mercury Prize nomination for The Overload, to a co-sign from Elton John who joined the band to guest on a string-laden reworking of album closer “100% Endurance,” to multiple UK and US television appearances and beyond. Billboard described their last album, 2024’s Where’s My Utopia?, as “an uplifting and sometimes frenetic mix of trip-hop, dub, bass-and-drum indie rock, electronica, strings and sax punctuated by Smith’s mellifluous speak-singing,” while Under The Radar hailed it’s “an album that overflows, both in excess and excellence.”
Yard Act Tour Dates: (New Dates in Bold) Wed. June 3 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound Thu. June 11 – Porto, PT @ Primavera Sound Porto Thu. June 11 – Hradec Králové, CZ @ Rock for People Sun. June 14 – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Thu. July 2 – Werchter, BE @ Rock Werchter Wed. Aug. 5 – San Diego, CA @ Belly Up Tavern Thu. Aug. 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom Sat. Aug. 8 – San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands Sun. Aug. 9 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall Mon. Aug. 10 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre Tue. Aug. 11 – Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl Thu. Aug. 13 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw Fri. Aug. 14 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat Sat. Aug. 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts Sun. Aug. 16 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair Thu. Oct. 1 – Paris, FR @ La Cigale Fri. Oct. 2 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique Sat. Oct. 3 – Utrecht, NL @ TivoliVredenburg Mon. Oct. 5 – Cologne, DE @ Gloria-Theater Wed. Oct. 7 – Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefährlich Thu. Oct. 8 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller Music Hall Fri. Oct. 9 – Stockholm, SE @ Kägelbanan Sat. Oct. 10 – Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA Mon. Oct. 12 – Warsaw, PL @ NIEBO Tue. Oct. 13 – Prague, CZ @ MeetFactory Wed. Oct. 14 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg Fri. Oct. 16 – Lausanne, CH @ Les Docks Sat. Oct. 17 – Milan, IT @ Magazzini Generali Sun. Oct. 18 – Toulouse, FR @ La Cabane Tue. Oct. 20 – Barcelona, ES @ Sala Apolo Wed. Oct. 21 – Madrid, ES @ Teatro Eslava Fri. Oct. 23 – Lisbon, PT @ Cineteatro Capitólio Fri. Nov. 6 – Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy Leeds Fri. Nov. 13 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Victoria Warehouse Thu. Nov. 26 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
Following the epic conclusion of the Netflix global phenomenon, Emmy-winning composers Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein (of the band S U R V I V E) return to the stage for the definitive live celebration of the entire saga. This 2026 tour offers a complete sonic retrospective, spanning all five seasons of Stranger Things. From the iconic 2016 opening theme to the climactic sounds of the recently released Season 5, Dixon and Stein bring their atmospheric scores to life. Having recently announced shows in Prague, Brussels, Berlin, Belfast, Birmingham, London, and Fiastra, the duo have now extended their run adding shows in Belgrade, Barcelona, Madrid, Sopot, Sofia, Bratislava, Athens, and Dublin.
To elevate the performance into a fully immersive experience, they have partnered with renowned visual artist MFO (Marcel Weber). The new show features a minimal yet striking design of light and sculpted fog. Light takes on a physical presence through dreamy glows and violent, haunted movements, blurring the line between concert and cinema to make the Stranger Things atmosphere a truly tangible experience.
Tour dates: 10 June – Brussels, BE – Ancienne Belgique 15 June – Berlin, DE – Theater Des Westens 17 June – Belfast, UK – Waterfront Hall 19 June – Birmingham, UK – Symphony Hall 21 June – London, UK – Roundhouse 26 June – Fiastra (MC), IT – Fiastrapalooza Festival 3 September – Belgrade, RS – Drugstore 5 September – Barcelona, ES – Paral·lel 62 8 September – Madrid, ES – The Music Station Príncipe 12 September – Sopot, PL – Brasswood 14 September – Sofia, BU – National Palace of Culture 16 September – Bratislava, SK – Majestic Music Club 19 September – Athens, GR – Hellenic Cosmos 21 September – Dublin, IE – 3Olympia Theatre
In the annals of film and television, certain musical themes manage to transcend the moving image. From the iconic whistle introducing Morricone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly theme to Tangerine Dream’s “Love On A Real Train,” memorable scores have the uncanny ability to sum up an epoch, an entire aesthetic. The prolific Texan musicians Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein are responsible for a body of work that’s synonymous with the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, the supernatural everytown at the center of the Netflix hit Stranger Things. But as the small town becomes the unlikely site for a supernatural battle within the hit series, Dixon and Stein’s soundscapes, too, have expanded in lockstep. In the meantime, Stein and Dixon compose music for feature films, documentary series and large-scale installations and play in the band S U R V I V E. Working in the lineage of predecessors like John Carpenter and contemporary peers like Oneohtrix Point Never, Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein use a lifelong obsession with synthesizers and electronic music as a vehicle for larger-than-life visions.
While Dixon & Stein came to prominence composing music for a series that has become a cultural touchstone, Stranger Things, imagery and setting have always been central to the duo’s practice. In 2009, alongside Mark Donica and Adam Jones, they formed the live synthesizer band S U R V I V E.
Leading up to the formation of the quartet, Dixon and Stein experimented with field recordings, venturing down tunnels and ascending water towers around Austin, Texas, hauling battery-powered modular setups and field recording equipment out to the sorts of places the Stranger Things kids might explore on their bicycles. As opposed to the laptop-based performances common in live electronic music at the time, S U R V I V E hauled a studio’s worth of synthesizers and amplifiers into dive bars for legendary live performances, achieving the ability to fill the room with crushing sound. Whether they knew it or not, with S U R V I V E, Dixon and Stein laid the groundwork for their future as one of the pre-eminent scoring teams of our time. Rather than speaking in musical terms, they’d describe their instrumental synth music with visual cues—a helicopter soaring over a waterfall, a high-speed chase down darkened Los Angeles alleys.
When The Duffer Brothers found the band and tapped Dixon and Stein for work on Stranger Things, the duo rolled their sleeves up, taking on a workload typically handled by a fleet of composers and assistants. As the show gradually transformed from ’80s sci-fi period piece to an expansive supernatural epic, Stein and Dixon rose to the occasion. While their music for early seasons focused on the timeless sound of ’80s analog synthesizers, they’d soon harness melodies and atmospherics befitting Eleven and Mike’s interdimensional struggle. Music is a main character in Stranger Things, with Dixon and Stein’s soundtrack weaving in and out of triumphant, period-appropriate songs like Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill.” That song topped the charts after its pivotal use in season four. Similarly, the duo’s tireless work on Stranger Things catapulted them from underground synth heroes to key composers for modern film and television. Stein and Dixon won an Emmy for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music for their work on the show, in addition to nominations for multiple Grammys and ASCAP awards.
For recent seasons of Stranger Things, the duo has worked at a daunting pace, crafting the equivalent of a feature film score every two weeks. Somehow, they’ve also found time to work on multiple feature films in recent years. For Joaquin del Paso’s 2021 independent psychological thriller The Hole In The Fence, Stein and Dixon paid homage to Tomita’s epic synthesizer compositions as well as the pioneering electronic experiments of Oscar Sala. Their score received a Hollywood Music In Media Awards nomination for Best Independent Score, while the film itself premiered at Venice Film Festival and took home best film honors at the Cairo Film Festival. Over the pandemic, Dixon and Stein managed to collaborate remotely with musicians and multiple choirs, even integrating the mysterious and singular sounds of a Bulgarian Women’s Choir into their Meow Wolf score. The duo also composed the score for the 2021 horror-tinged thriller Retaliators, adding to a burgeoning catalog that has placed Stein and Dixon’s soundscapes behind VR-views of the cosmos (Spheres), scenes from ’90s Silicon Valley (Valley Of The Boom), and the journey of an 11-year-old transgender girl (Butterfly), to name just a few.
After this prolific run, Dixon and Stein are simultaneously going back to their roots and embracing new challenges. Currently working out of their respective, hardware-heavy studios in Los Angeles and Austin, they’ll soon reunite with their band, S U R V I V E, for a new album and worldwide touring. At heart, Stein and Dixon are avid students of electronic music history who constantly explore new methods of composition and scoring. While they have a clear facility for soundtracking the supernatural and otherworldly, Stein and Dixon have an equal interest in scoring quieter, decidedly human drama. It’s been a wild decade for Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein, who have gone from DIY tinkerers in Austin to introducing a whole new generation to synthesizers via the alchemical combination of sound and moving image. The images have been in their mind all along. Now we just get to watch them.
Under the alias Rare DM, Erin Hoagg crafts dark pop music steeped in allure. Today, the New York City-based synthesist, songwriter, and visual sorcerer announces her full-length Attention, out May 29, 2026. She has also shared the single “Compliment,” premiering on METAL Magazine with an exclusive interview and photo spread. It explores the confusing validation of being flirted with while in a relationship, vocals shifting between abruptness and delicacy over a choppy dance beat. Accompanied by an otherworldly video directed by Lisa Saeboe and edited by Hoagg, this is a mesmerizing introduction to Attention’s sexy, enveloping world.
On the single, Rare DM shares:“’Compliment’ started with writing lyrics with my Juno 60, using twisting bouncy arpeggiators and chopping up my original vocals into rhythmic stabs.
“It is inspired by when you are in a relationship, and someone who you had eyes for (before meeting your s/o) suddenly pays attention to you. I was sent a suggestive message from someone, and wasn’t single anymore. As the lyrics share: ‘don’t you worry about it for a second, I can take a compliment’ because hey, I don’t want them to feel embarrassed or bad, they didn’t know that I met someone! This all being said… I can’t control if they are thinking of me. ‘You can’t have it… but you can imagine it'”
On the video, director Lisa Saeboe expands: “I wanted “Compliment” to feel like a surrealist journey through the unconscious, utilizing mirrors, repetition, and portals to create a simulacra of modern day loneliness and desire.
“Compliment'” is also a love letter to artists that have helped shape my own visual language. We start the video with a reference to the Rokeby Venus by Diego Velásquez, the dreamy beach landscape inspired by experimental filmmaker Maya Deren, followed by Caravaggio’s Narcissus gazing into the pool, and of course the multiple echoes or Rare DM ascending the stairs à la Eadweard Muybridge. I’ve always thought of Rare DM as Man Ray’s ideal muse, whose work also helped establish the tone for the video.”
Following their packed-out first EU and UK headline tour last month, Dead Pioneers, the Indigenous fronted band from Denver, are now preparing to unleash their third album, Wagon Burner, set for release June 26th via Hassle Records. Succeeding the album’s first statement with initial single “Nazi Teeth,” a powerful attack on the upsurge of the far right and white supremacists, Dead Pioneers are back with a second single, “No Kings,” that delivers an equally powerful punch to right wing politics.
“Last summer there were protests all over the United States called ‘No Kings’, in opposition of the current administration, the policies they’ve been implementing, and the rights they’ve been taking away from citizens,” explains frontman Gregg Deal. “While the issues are obvious, it’s important that we all say it out loud. It’s important that we show up and make our opinions known, that we won’t allow our inherent rights to be trampled upon for the benefit of the Epstein Class. Not unlike ‘Nazi Teeth’, ‘No Kings’ is meant to bring the points home,” he continues. “ICE, rights being taken away, mass shootings, greed over life, demonizing immigrants, black, brown and queer people, widened economic gaps by the Epstein class, and the sincere frustration Americans feel over this. While this is happening, we realize that the right-wing politics coming out of the United States is emboldening conservative right-wing politics all over the world. We are against dictators, authoritarian regimes, Nazis, fascism or any other power structure, political, social or otherwise that seek to take away the rights, freedoms or lives of human beings trying to live their life. To that, we keep it simple: NO KINGS.”
Dead Pioneers is rooted in a 2020 piece called The Punk Pan-Indian Romantic Comedy, a deeply personal work that dealt with Deal’s upbringing. Following an embryonic performance of the piece, Deal secured a grant to expand it to include music created especially for the work. “The idea was to mix spoken word with punk music,” explains Deal, who hooked up with drummer Shane Zweygardt and guitarist Joshua Rivers during lockdown and began kicking the concept around.
A miraculous, natural chemistry made this supposed one-off project an actual band almost as soon as they cut what became their 2023 eponymous debut album (“We approached it like I approach my visual art: execute quickly, first thought is best thought,” Deal says), but they didn’t necessarily take it seriously until, unexpectedly, the outside world did. “I was like, we’ve made this record – what should I do with it? Put it online?” Deal remembers. The response was vigorously positive and soon came demands to commit this noise to vinyl. A first thousand-copy pressing sold out in minutes. “So, then we pressed another thousand,” he adds, still marvelling at it all. “And then they were gone, too.”
What followed was “a series of strange accidents” that led to the group signing to Hassle, befriending Jello Biafra and touring with kindred spirits like Pennywise, Propaghandi, even Pearl Jam. “Punk-rock had made everything seem so accessible when I was a kid,” says Deal. “Like, simply having the balls to get up on stage and stage dive and then be carried off by people that become your best friends once they get your feet back on the ground.” Now, punk-rock was reaching out its hands to Dead Pioneers and pulling them onto larger and larger stages. The group returned that favour by simply getting better and better: their second album, 2025’s PO$T AMERICAN, was sharper, angrier, funnier than the debut, a riot riveted with punch-a-Nazi thrills.
And now, Wagon Burner, their fearsome third album. Described by Deal as “more collaborative”, it’s a heavier, harder but also more accessible set, vicious hooks scattered among the punk-rock melee and guest appearances by kindred spirits Cheap Perfume (on the righteous “Nazi Teeth”), The Interrupters (on the shout-a-long anthem “Never Alone”) and, bringing it back to the group’s beginnings, Sleaford Mods (on the searing slow-burn of “The Worst Among Us”). The world might be darkening by the day, but Dead Pioneers are rising to that miserable occasion, casting their empowering light into the gloom.
Follow Dead Pioneers here. Pre-order ‘Wagon Burner’ coming out June 26 via Hassle Records here.
Formed in the mid-1990s in Pittsburgh, Lowsunday (initially known as Low Sunday Ghost Machine) emerged as a “retro-futurist” pioneer, blending darkwave and shoegaze long before the genres saw their modern revival. Their legacy was cemented with their debut album ‘Low Sunday Ghost Machine’and the 1999 masterpiece ‘Elesgiem’, both of which were re-released via Projekt Records over the past 18 months (for their 30th and 25th anniversaries, respectively).
The band dissolved, leaving behind a cult reputation for mercurial sounds and blistering guitar work that set the stage for subsequent generations of alternative artists. Following a nearly 25-year period of inactivity, the band resurfaced as a duo in 2025—consisting of original members Shane Sahene (vocals, guitar, synth, bass, drums) and Bobby Spell (bass, guitar, drums).
“‘This is Not Heaven’ was the last song we recorded for the Black EP. We really enjoyed injecting the heavy synths on the chorus, the asymmetrical guitar leads and the driving bass line beneath an intricate and melodic rhythm guitar,” says Shane Sahene.
“We felt this song captured everything we are about in that it hits the refrains with a shoegaze atmosphere, more electronic choruses and lyrical transparency, much less vague than many of our songs… it touches on many aspects of our sound.”
Bobby Spell adds, “This was another really enjoyable song to write. The guitar textures and melody lines create a dark song with uplifting sections. The mood shifts in the choruses giving a feeling of brightness or a way out of melancholy”.
Crafting a sound defined by atmosphere, precision, and heartfelt shadow and depths since 1994, Lowsunday is now asserting their presence with a new force. While the ‘White EP’ explored light and texture, the ‘Black EP’ is ultimately the 2026 series’ darker counterpart and definitive statement.
Plunged into shadow and intensity with layered guitars, tight rhythms, and austere synths amplifying themes of isolation, reverie and introspection, the ‘Black EP’ distills Lowsunday’s vision into a sharper, more potent form — a bold declaration of their enduring artistic power.
‘This Is Not Heaven’ is available from digital platforms such as SpotifyandApple Music. The ‘Low Sunday Ghost Machine – Black EP’ will be released on May 15th digitally. The ‘White EP’ is available now via Bandcampand the Projekt Recordswebsite – the vinyl edition of both EPs are limited to 200 copies. The two anniversary reissue albums, as well as the limited edition 7″ of ‘Static / Besides’, can also be found on these platforms.
Vancouver’s Celtic punk legends The Real McKenzies return with “I Wanna Eat Sardines (With Yer Mother),” the first single from their upcoming album On Yer Bike, arriving May 29 on Stomp Records. Landing March 27, the track marks a new chapter for the long-running band and the first taste of their next full-length following the closing of Fat Wreck Chords. Fans of The Pogues, Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, and Gogol Bordello will find plenty to raise a pint to here. Founded in 1992 by larger-than-life frontman and Scottish punk poet laureate Paul McKenzie, The Real McKenzies have spent more than three decades hauling their bagpipes, guitars, and battered touring van across continents. Along the way they’ve built a reputation as one of punk’s most relentless road warriors, delivering a wild collision of traditional Scottish folk and breakneck punk rock to generations of fans who know the difference between a ceilidh and a circle pit.
“I Wanna Eat Sardines (With Yer Mother)” arrives with the band’s trademark swagger fully intact. Equal parts pub anthem and cheeky Celtic mischief, the track barrels forward on roaring guitars, thunderous drums, and the unmistakable skirl of bagpipes, all wrapped around a chorus that practically demands to be shouted across a crowded barroom. It’s rowdy, irreverent, and proudly ridiculous in the best possible way, the sound of a band who know exactly how much fun punk rock can be when the pints are flowing and the pipes are blazing. The single offers the first taste of On Yer Bike, a thirteen-track blast of raucous Celtic punk that finds McKenzie sounding newly energized and the band tighter than ever. The album swings wildly through tales of love, history, literature, and outright lunacy, including the Sawney Bean trilogy, a trio of songs inspired by Scotland’s most infamous cannibal clan. Elsewhere, the band tackles everything from lyrical storytelling to pub-ready singalongs, with soaring bagpipes and heart-pounding rhythms anchoring every track.
Over their long and famously chaotic career, The Real McKenzies have shared stages with everyone from NOFX and Rancid to Flogging Molly, Metallica, and the late Shane MacGowan. Along the way they’ve carved out a legacy as pioneers of Celtic punk in North America, long predating the wave of bands that followed in their wake. Their music has appeared in films, video games, and countless sweaty clubs around the world, but their real reputation has always been built the old-fashioned way: relentless touring, roaring crowds, and songs made to be sung at the top of your lungs. More than thirty years on, The Real McKenzies remain exactly what they’ve always been: a hard-partying, hard-touring, bagpipe-blasting force of nature. If On Yer Bike proves anything, it’s that the fire still burns bright. With “I Wanna Eat Sardines (With Yer Mother)” leading the charge, the band once again raises the banner of Celtic punk high, somewhere between a Highland march and a barroom brawl, inviting the whole world to sing along.
Wheelchair Sports Camp is certainly not your average act. This genre bending, punk-powered hip-hop project is fronted by Kalyn Rose Heffernan – a wheelchair-using, profanely queer and tiny rapper, with a very distinctly high-pitched sense of humor. Backed by her gimp Greggy on drums, the band combines fantastic beats with an absolutely face-shredding live show. After playing shows everywhere they could, the band expanded into performance art, museum takeovers, politics, prison tours, permanent installations, theatre, film, and now the release of their newest album, oh imperfecta, on Alternative Tentacles Records.
They bring together contributions from Jello Biafra (twice), Radio Pete (who happened to come up with the name Dead Kennedys when Biafra was a teen in Boulder, CO, and this is their first time ever collaborating musically), Kimya Dawson (Moldy Peaches), Olivia Jean, Junia-T, Amy Goodman, and some honorary WSC members: Qknox, Michelle Rocqet, Wes Watkins, RAREBYRD$, and many more; to create 11 absolute bangers.
The album surges forward right from the opening track of “Make It Make Sense”, Heffernan takes your attention vocally and holds it there, while bouncing back and forth with Biafra. Only to embrace the raw punk rock honesty of “EAT MEAT!”. This unflinching honesty is carried throughout the album. Heffernan holds nothing back. No matter if WSC is dancing through classic hip-hop flows with “DENIM” or moshing through Olivia Jean’s rock riffs with Jello Biafra on “DEAD,” the vocals and the beats seamlessly bring the different influences together. All while giving us a glimpse into Heffernan’s chaotic life with recorded calls from Kalyn’s wild ass Mama K. as interludes throughout the album.
“In an attempt to unlearn my perfectionism and finish the damn album, I picked up the drums for the first time since middle school and wrote EAT MEAT! with Greggy on guitar. It was the most fun we’ve had and it instantly felt good enough for the first time maybe ever? We were on to something, … if every dude can play mediocre guitar, why can’t I play shitty drums?“ says Heffernan, “It freed me from having to be the best rapper and out-bar every rapper in the bar. Come to find out I’ve been overcompensating my whole life because I am genetically imperfecta. Osteogenesis imperfecta is the name of my brittle bones disease and I’m realizing more and more how my body has been the center of attention since birth. Described in dehumanizing, demoralizing, and very unbecoming ways, it’s no wonder I’ve always felt like I had to be the best. This album is a collection of songs from the past decade and finished because we simplified: oh imperfecta.”
Austin Psych Fest 2026is just around the corner! Today the festival is releasing the official schedule, along with lineup additions to their sprawling 2026 lineup. Austin Psych Fest takes over The Far Out Lounge 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 stage under the stars in South Austin.
The stacked 2026 lineup welcomes new additions to Friday’s roster including budding Austin favorites both garnering buzz for their enigmatic performances – trippy glam rock performance art outfit J’Cuuzi and electro-pop dance duo Almost Heaven. Saturday’s lineup additions include more Austin-based artists gaining traction – psych-rock band Dead Canyon Family Reunion and power-pop rock group Commercial Breaks.
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.
Austin Psych Fest wouldn’t be possible without the support of its sponsors. The festival is excited to share the first round of this year’s partners, including Liquid Death, White Claw, Montucky Cold Snacks, Twisted X Brewing/McConohaze, KUTX and more to be announced.
Look out for final lineup additions to be announced soon, along with Kick Off and Night Shows across downtown Austin.
3 DAY PASSES and SINGLE DAY TICKETS available HERE. Early Bird Tickets have sold out and limited Tier 1 passes and tickets are still available!
Janis Stage 2:35 – 3:30 PM — Adrian Quesada (DJ Set) 4:25 – 5:00 PM — Como Las Movies 6:00 – 6:40 PM — Dumbo Gets Mad 8:05 – 8:35 PM — Trish Toledo
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
