“…power-pop jangles that intersect the timelines of The Replacements and modern indie pop acts like Alvvays. These songs are littered with earworms, hooks, and an infectious sense of optimism.” RANGE
“A bigger, bolder sounding record than its predecessor… There are shades of British glam rock in “Never In Style”, and the primal, melodic impressions of The Replacements and Elvis Costello & The Attractions pepper the nooks and crannies of the record overall. Above all, it sounds fun.” The Line Of Best Fit
“For fans of power-pop main players such as Sugar, Posies, Teenage Fanclub and The Replacements, if this is a weird nightmare its one that no one will be in a rush to wake up from.” - Classic Rock
Today is May 1st, and Hoopla, the sensational new long-player from Weird Nightmare (the new project from METZ frontman, Alex Edkins), is available now on CD/LP/DSPs worldwide from Sub Pop and in Canada from Dine Alone. The 10-track album features the previously released singles “Where I Belong”, “Pay No Mind,”“Forever Elsewhere,” and the Alternative Specialty radio hit,“Might See You There.” The album was co-produced by Edkins and Spoon’s Jim Eno at Seth Manchester’s Machines With Magnets in Providence, RI. Hoopla was crafted with just the right amount of punk rock fuzz and crunch. The immediate, crisp, unfussy recording brings you right into the studio with Edkins and his band.
Earlier this week, the band concluded a short US tour with shows in Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland, and Seattle. This weekend, they will be playing two FREE in-store performances, the first, tonight at Sonic Boom in Toronto, and the other on Sunday, May 3rd, at zBTFD in Brantford, ON. A UK/EU run will begin on Friday, August 28th in Malaga, Spain, at the Canela Party Festival, with additional shows continuing through Sunday, September 13th, in Asten, NL, at the Misty Fields Festival. See below for a full run of shows.
North America Fri. May 01 - Toronto, ON - Sonic Boom (in-store) Sun. May 03 - Brantford, ON - zBTFD (in-store) Tue. May 12 - Kingston, ON - Broom Factory Wed. May 13 - Montreal, PQ - Bar le Ritz Fri. May 15 - Halifax, NS - Marquee Ballroom # Sat. May 16 - Halifax, NS - Marquee Ballroom # Wed. May 27 - St. Paul - Turf Club Thu. May 28 - Chicago, IL - Cobra Lounge Fri. May 29 - Pontiac, MI - Pike Room Sat. May 30 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop Wed. Jun. 17 - London, ON - London Music Hall # Thu. Jun. 18 - Hamilton, ON - Bridgeworks # Fri. Jun. 19 - Toronto, ON - Masonic Temple # Sat. Jun. 20 - Ottawa, ON - The Bronson # Wed. Jun. 24 - Richmond, VA - Richmond Music Hall Thu. Jun. 25 - Washington, DC - Songbyrd Fri. Jun. 26 - Philadelphia, PA - Ortlieb’s Sat. Jun. 27 - Brooklyn, NY - Union Pool Sun. Jun. 28 - Medford, MA - Deep Cuts
UK/EU Fri. Aug. 28 - Malaga, ES - Canela Party Festival Sat. Aug. 29 - Brighton, UK - Alphabet Tue. Sep. 01 - Leeds, UK - The Attic Wed. Sep. 02 - Glasgow, UK - Hug & Pint Thu. Sep. 03 - Birmingham, UK - Hare & Hounds Fri. Sep. 04 - Southampton, UK - Heartbreakers Sat. Sep. 05 - London, UK - The Lexington Sun. Sep. 06 - Rotterdam, NL - Rotown Tue. Sep. 08 - Berlin, DE - Urban Spree Wed. Sep. 09 - Cologne, DE - Bumann & Sohn Thu. Sep. 10 - Paris, FR - Point Ephemere Sat. Sep. 12 - Lille, FR- Aeronef Sun. Sep. 13 Asten, NL - Misty Fields Festival
^ with Mrs. Magician # with Wintersleep
LP orders of Hoopla in the US through Sub Pop Mega Mart will receive the limited Loser Edition on Emerald Green-Blue vinyl; orders through Mega Mart Europe will receive the Loser Edition on Transparent Orange (UK/EU). The Canadian exclusive will be available on Orange/Blue/White Solar Flare from Dine Alone. The limited Loser Editions will also be available at your local record store (all limited vinyl colors available while stock lasts!).
What people have said about Weird Nightmare: “…an undeniably infectious power-pop anthem” - [“Forever Elsewhere”] Stereogum
“…rippling power pop cut.”- [“Might See You There”] Exclaim!
“Inspired by the simplicity and ‘big bar chords’ of The Undertones and Protex, [‘Might See You There’] evokes a rose-tinted sense of teenage nostalgia.” DIY
“Weird Nightmare is all about hooks and melody. Still delivered with levels in the red, but these are ultracatchy powerpop songs first and foremost, and really good ones at that.” Brooklyn Vegan
“The debut Weird Nightmare album from METZ guitarist/vocalist Alex Edkins is a hook-filled set of blown-out power-pop with distorted guitars, punchy rhythms and bright pop melodies.” KEXP
“Alex Edkins finally lets those melodies loose, resulting in an irresistibly euphoric blast of feedback spattered garage-pop that is just what the doctor ordered to chase away any lingering post-lockdown blues.’” The Quietus
Weird Nightmare Hoopla
Tracklisting: 1. Headful of Rain 2. Might See You There 3. Baby Don’t 4. Forever Elsewhere 5. Never in Style 6. Pay No Mind 7. If You Should Turn Away 8. Little Strange 9. Bright City Lights (ft. Julianna Riolino) 10. Where I Belong
Today, The Bug Club shares the humorously apathetic new single “A Good Day For Dying,” available now on all streaming services from Sub Pop.
The track is from Every Single Muscle, which is The Bug Club’s punkiest offering yet. It recalls both the short, sharp snaps of their very first singles and the grunt of recent releases. So packed is the album with wall-to-wall riffs and lyrical hooks rammed into tight confines that Sam actually asks permission to squeeze in a solo during “A Good Day for Dying.” He’s given two seconds.
With regard to the lyricism, while Very Human Features did an excellent job of pointing at everyday things and highlighting their absurdity, on Every Single Muscle, The Bug Club looks more closely at themselves. Not so much in an introspective way, though. More in a way an alien might probe a captive specimen on an intergalactic gurney. Horror movies get their “body” subgenre; now, garage rock albums get theirs, too. Self-interested in an entirely new sense of the term, the human form and condition is prodded and inspected from every angle throughout the course of the album. “A Good Day For Dying” is another excellent example of this.
The Bug Club previously announced tour in support of Every Single Muscle begins Saturday, May 9th in Wrexham, UK at The Rockin’ Chair and currently runs through Friday, July 10th in Chicago, IL at Lincoln Hall. Please see a full list of dates below.
May/June/August 2026, UK Shows Sat. May 09 - Wrexham, UK - The Rockin’ Chair Thu. May 14 - Manchester, UK - The Eagle Fri. May 15 - Manchester, UK - The Eagle Sat. May 16 - Glasgow, UK - The Glad Cafe Sat. May 23 - London, UK - O2 Academy Brixton* Mon. Jun. 01- Norwich, UK - Arts Centre Tue. Jun. 02 - Brighton, Uk - Concorde 2 Wed. Jun. 03 - Bristol, UK - Lantern Hall (Bristol Beacon) Thu. Jun. 04 - Liverpool, UK - Hangar 34 Fri. Jun. 05 - Leeds, UK - Project House Sat. Jun. 06 - Barry, UK - Memo Arts Centre Sat. Aug. 22 - Crickhowell, UK, Green Man Festival * supporting Super Furry Animals
June/July 2026, CAN/US Shows Thu. Jun. 18 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison ^ Fri. Jun. 19 - Picton, ON - Matron Brewing ^ Sat. Jun. 20 - Burnstown, ON - Neat ^ Sun. Jun. 21 - Montreal, QC - Foufs ^ Mon. Jun. 22 - Quebec City, QC - Le Centre ^ Wed. Jun. 24 - Charlottetown, PE - Trailside Inn ^ Thu. Jun. 25 - Fredericton, NB - The Cap ^ Fri. Jun. 26 - Halifax, NS - Seahorse ^ Sat. Jun. 27 - Sydney, NS - Daniel’s Ale House ^ Mon. Jun. 29 - Portland, ME - SPACE Gallery Tue. Jun. 30 - Medford, MA - Deep Cuts Wed. Jul. 01 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere Rooftop Thu. Jul. 02 - Philadelphia, PA - Ukie Club Mon. Jul. 06 - Washington, DC - DC9 Tue. Jul. 07 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle Back Room Wed. Jul. 08 - Asheville, NC - Static Age Thu. Jul. 09 - Nashville, TN - Blue Room @ Third Man Fri. Jul. 10 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall ^ w/ Boojums
Every Single Muscle will be out May 29th, 2026 worldwide from Sub Pop, and is available to preorder now on CD/LP/all DSPs. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com in North America, Mega Mart Europe in the UK + EU, and your local record store, will receive the limited Loser Edition opaque blue (NA) and blue vinyl (UK/EU) (all vinyl color editions whilst stock lasts!). Every Single Muscle also features what is likely the band’s most BONKERS cover art to date, illustrated by Ross Willmett.
Every Single Muscle features today’s offering “A Good Day for Dying,” along with approximately 17 other tight and engaging garage-punk numbers like “Watching the Omnibus,” “Yours (If You Want Me),” “Make It Count,” and “My Uncle Warren Drives a Passat.” Every Single Muscle was produced and mixed by Tom Rees at Rat Trap Studios in Cardiff, Wales, and mastered by Mikey Young.
What People Are Saying About The Bug Club “a near-constant stream of two-minute rippers that blend musical urgency with wicked humour and big hooks.” [Every Single Muscle] UNCUT
“Welsh duo The Bug Club have become one of the most reliable DIY-style indie rock groups of the last few years, and the first single from their upcoming album Every Single Muscle does not disappoint. “Watching the Omnibus” is a patented Bug Club ripper that clocks in at just over a minute, packed with hooks and self-deprecating lyrics.” “Indie Basement: Best Songs & Albums of February 2026” - BROOKLYN VEGAN
“There’s another Bug Club single, you see, one that finds them raucously rocking out and harmonizing like it’s the ’60s and “Twist And Shout” is next up on the setlist…see if you don’t fall in love.” [“Yours (If You Want Me)”]. STEREOGUM
The Bug Club Every Single Muscle
Tracklisting: 1. Miss Wales 2012 2. A Good Day for Dying 3. Make It Count 4. Cut to Black 5. Full Range of Motion 6. Pretty as a Magazine 7. Look Like Me 8. How Can We Be Friends 9. Every Single Muscle 10. Shiny and Wet 11. Semi-Automatic 12. In My Short Life 13. Watching the Omnibus 14. It’s Our Manager David 15. Yours (If You Want Me) 16. All My Clothes Fell Off 17. Third Best Friend 18. My Uncle Warren Drives a Passat
Wolf Parade has scheduled a series of North American headlining and festival dates for late summer and fall of 2026, beginning Saturday, August 1st, in Montreal, QC at Osheaga Music Festival and running through Saturday, December 12th, in Toronto, ON at History. The announcement includes the just-announced headlining play on Sunday, November 29th at The Showbox at The Market in Seattle, which goes on sale Friday, May 1st at 10 am PT.
Tickets for all other shows are on sale now. Please find a current list of dates below.
Sat. Aug. 01 - Montreal, QC - Osheaga Music Festival
Tue. Nov. 10 - Calgary, AB - The Palace Theatre Wed. Nov. 11 - Edmonton, AB - Midway Music Hall Fri. Nov. 13 - Vancouver, BC - The Pearl Sat. Nov. 14 - Vancouver, BC - The Pearl Sun. Nov. 29 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox at the Market * Sat. Dec. 12 - History, Toronto, Canada Tickets
* w/ Lex Walton
Wolf Parade’s Apologies To The Queen Mary standout “I’ll Believe In Anything” has earned the band a slew of new fans thanks to its prominent use in the steamy hit TV show Heated Rivalry (see February 9th Vulture interview).
On Spotify alone, the original recording of “I’ll Believe In Anything” has now reached 40 million streams to date, with 21 million of those amassed since the show’s premiere in late November. The song’s placement in the show also helped grow the band’s listenership on the platform to over 2 million monthly listeners.
Wolf Parade band member Spencer Krug also recently shared a solo piano version of “I’ll Believe In Anything,” which is available now on all DSPs worldwide from Sub Pop (and on Pronounced Kroog in Canada).
This tender version of the song originated in January 2026 during Spencer’s solo set at Unreal City Fest in Vancouver, BC at Russian Hall. The response to the performance on social media was fantastic, so he has now recorded the new rendering of the song at Risque Disque Records in Ladysmith, BC, for wider release.
Wolf Parade was founded in 2003 in Montreal, Quebec. After a pair of self-titled EPs, the band - Hadji Bakara (electronic manipulations), Dan Boeckner (guitar, vocals), Spencer Krug (keyboards, vocals), Arlen Thompson (drums) - released Apologies to the Queen Mary to widespread acclaim in September, 2005. The album was recorded by Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock.
The band followed Apologies with 2008’s At Mount Zoomer and 2010s Expo 86. After a hiatus, Wolf Parade came back with Cry Cry Cry in 2017 and Thin Mind in 2020.
New 2026 US Shows Include Support Dates With Gang of Four In June, And Headlining Dates For July
Downtown Boys are sharing “You’re a Ghost,” an anthemic, industrial dance-punk track, which is out today on all digital streaming services. It is accompanied by a powerful animated official video directed by Lebanese artist Khalil (@palpable.image).
Band members Victoria Marie and Joey La Neve DeFrancesco say of the visual: “‘You’re a Ghost’ took shape in the context of the previous and current administrations’ violent suppression of pro-Palestine and anti-ICE protestors, and ICE’s recent, depraved escalations within the always-horrific U.S. deportation regime. In such a time, as a bare minimum, we must continue to demand freedom of migration, movement, and everything for everyone. They can’t distract us with clouds of hate. Our bodies and our history are not a game; this is a power structure. ICE out.”
The “You’re a Ghost” visual is the latest offering from Public Luxury, their new album out worldwide on Friday, June 26th, 2026.
Photo Credit: Naomi Yang
Downtown Boys are also sharing new 2026 live dates supporting Gang of Four in June, and headlining shows for July. The tour begins Tuesday, June 23rd in Hamden, CT at Space Ballroom and runs through Thursday, July 23rd in Brooklyn, NY at Baby’s All Right. Additional shows will be announced soon.
Tue. Jun. 23 - Hamden, CT - Space Ballroom* Wed. Jun. 24 - Holyoke, MA - Holyoke Media^ Thu. Jun. 25 - Woodstock, NY - Bearsville Theater* Sat. Jun. 27 - Portland, ME - State Theater* Sun. Jun. 28 - East Greenwich, RI - Odeum* Wed. Jul. 15 - Columbus, OH - Spacebar # Thu. Jul. 16 - Detroit, MI - Third Man Records # Sat. Jul. 18 - Cleveland, OH - Happy Dog # Sun. Jul. 19 - Pittsburgh, PA - Bottlerocket Social Hall # Tue. Jul. 21 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s # Wed. Jul. 22 - Washington, DC - DC9 Nightclub # Thu. Jul. 23 - Brooklyn, NY - Baby’s All Right %
* with Gang of Four # with Pop Music Fever Dream ^ with Perennial % with Ratas en Zelo
Downtown Boys have pushed relentlessly forward as an artistic and political project since their founding. Singer Victoria Marie and guitarist/singer Joey La Neve DeFrancesco first met at union meetings while working together at a hotel in Providence, RI, writing many of the band’s early songs about labor organizing and exploitative workplaces. The quintet is completed by Joe DeGeorge (sax/synth), Mary Jane Regalado (bass), and Joey Doubek (drums). Over years of touring and three acclaimed albums, including Full Communism in 2015 and Cost of Living, their Sub Pop debut in 2017, Downtown Boys have continued to grow as artists, musicians, and organizers.
Now, the band has arrived with Public Luxury, an enthralling album that keeps politics front and center while summoning the band’s most urgent and powerful sound to date. The definition of Public Luxury falls very much in line with that of the title of the band’s second LP, Full Communism. Straight up, Public Luxury means, “everything for everyone.” It’s the stubborn insistence that a better world is possible, while fully recognizing the horrors we witness daily, and the individual and collective responsibility to resist the nihilism and hopelessness we can all feel.
Public Luxury was co-produced by DeFrancesco with recording engineer and longtime Downtown Boys supporter Seth Manchester (Lambrini Girls, Lightning Bolt, Model/Actriz) at the Pawtucket, RI studio and arts space Machines With Magnets. The album was mastered by Heba Kadry.
PISS, the evocative, noisy, genre-bending 4-piece punk band from Vancouver, B.C are announcing today that they have signed to Sub Pop for the world and in Canada with Paper Bag Records. Ahead of the new material we are all eagerly awaiting, PISS has scheduled international headlining and festival dates spanning the spring, summer, and fall of 2026, beginning Saturday, May 2nd, in Liverpool, UK, at Sound City Festival and running through Thursday, November 5th, in Reykjavik, IS, at Iceland Airwaves.
Highlights of this announcement include headlining shows in Glasgow, London, Manchester, and Paris in May, as well as appearances at festivals like The Great Escape, London Calling, Pickathon, End of the Road, and Brighton Psych Festival. Additional live dates to be announced soon. Please find a current list of dates below.
Post-Trash says of the band, “PISS are a lightning bolt. The Vancouver-based punk band’s debut three demos blurs the lines between hardcore, art-rock, and experimental poetry. PISS hits with the same onslaught of being thunderstruck.” DIY offers this, “The group combine their music with spoken word poetry, visual art, and experimental performance, putting on a show that blurs the lines between wildly complex interpersonal and political themes, with a beautifully human feel to it.” Meanwhile, Exclaim says, “More than any other local hardcore band today, PISS place crucial emphasis on words, those of both singer and poet-at-heart Taylor Zantingh’s and, through audio samples, feminist activist Andrea Dworkin’s (ever committed to accessibility, the quartet also includes captions in its videos). Over corrosive noise and riffs that clench, wrench and tear like the jaws of life, Zantingh unpacks her experiences with body image issues and codependency as she shouts, growls, and shrieks in protest against enculturated ideas about female sexuality and the subjugation of women…with iron determination, PISS are putting in the work, learning skills and habits that can nourish anyone. Pay attention and follow along.” Finally, The Line of Best Fit says of the band’s music and live show, “Weeks after getting to chat with the members of PISS online, I am now here witnessing their live power. It is like nothing I have ever seen before… a sound that’s entirely new and stunningly raw.”
Sat. May 02 - Liverpool, UK - Sound City Festival
Sun. May 03 - Leeds, UK - Gold Sounds Festival Wed. May 06 - Glasgow, UK - Hug and Pint Thu. May 07 - Manchester, UK - Yes (Basement) Sat. May 09 - Wrexham, UK - FOCUS Wales Festival Mon. May 11 - London, UK - Lexington [Sold Out] Thu. May 14 - Brighton, UK - The Great Escape Festival Sat. May 16 - Amsterdam, NL - London Calling Festival Sun. May 17 - Brussels, BE - Les Nuits Botanique Festival Tue. May 19 - Paris, FR - Le Klub Wed. May 20 - Rennes, FR - Antipode Sat. May 23 - Bristol, UK - Dot to Dot Festival Sun. May 24 - Nottingham, UK - Dot to Dot Festival Thu. Jul. 30 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon Sat. Aug. 01 - Sackville, NB - Sappyfest Fri. Aug. 28 - Eindhoven, NL - Hit The City Festival Fri. Sep. 04 - Brighton, UK - Brighton Psych Fest Festival Sun. Sep. 06 - Salisbury, UK - End of the Road Festival Thu. Nov 05 - Reykjavik, IS - Iceland Airwaves
PISS combines music, poetry, sound collage, performance art, and various mediums of visual art to address complex themes that blur the line between personal and political. Powered by a combination of thoughtful musicianship, energetic live performances, and a crystal-clear vision of a safer underground community, PISS writes punk music that aims to transcend the limitations of a well-established genre by pulling inspiration from a wide range of unexpected influences: literary giants, philosophers, filmmakers, painters, psychoanalysts, activists, children, members of a German anarcho-feminist militant group, and audience members from their shows, to name a few. These voices represent varying ideological beliefs about gender-based violence and enable PISS to create art that depicts challenging and controversial issues such as sexual violence and enculturated gender norms without reduction, romanticization, polemics, or dogmatism.
PISS comprises poet and teacher Taylor Zantingh on vocals, filmmaker Tyler Paterson on guitar, Gavin Moya on bass, and Garreth Roberts on drums.
