On Friday, February 13th, 2026, Sub Pop will release Velocity Girl’s ¡Simpatico! (Remastered and Expanded), a new reissue of the long out-of-print 1994 sophomore album by the beloved indie-rock band, a few months ahead of its 32nd Anniversary.
On ¡Simpatico! (Remastered and Expanded), the album gets an overdue sonic refresh with mastering by Golden, updated artwork by Ed Fotheringham, and a treasure trove of bonus tracks from the ¡Simpatico! era. Today, you can hear the band’s cover of New Order’s “Your Silent Face (2025 Remaster)” from the bonus material associated with the release.
Velocity Girl’s ¡Simpatico! (Remastered and Expanded) will be available on CD/2xLP/DSPs from Sub Pop. LP preorders in North America at the Sub Pop Mega Mart, in the UK and Europe at Mega Mart 2, and at your local record store will receive the limited Loser edition on opaque jade blue and opaque violet vinyl (North America), or petrol and magenta vinyl (UK/EU). (All vinyl colors whilst stock lasts!)
Velocity Girl formed in 1989 or so at the University of Maryland outside Washington, DC with guitarist Archie Moore (Black Tambourine), guitarist Brian Nelson (Black Tambourine), drummer Jim Spellman (Starry Eyes, Foxhall Stacks, High Back Chairs, Julie Ocean, Piper Club), bassist Kelly Riles (Starry Eyes), and singer Sarah Shannon (Starry Eyes, The Not Its). The band combined English-inspired noisy shoegaze fuzz with scrappy US indie rock and classic ‘60s-style pop songwriting. A killer single on Slumberland and non-stop touring grabbed the attention of the indie-rock cognoscenti, and soon after Velocity Girl signed a contract with Sub Pop on a car hood in Hoboken, New Jersey.
After touring in support of their 1993 debut, Copacetic, the band spent the better part of a year coming up with a batch of songs for a second album. They had never worked that way before – having focused time, and a budget (from a label!), to make an album that wasn’t a self-produced, punk-rock studio thing was a fresh experience. After playing their new material for months in the noisy style of Copacetic, the band found themselves excited about the tunes, but trying to move away from the scrappy, amateur vibe of their previous records. And their influences were a bit different this time around: less My Bloody Valentine and Wedding Present, more New Order.
Somebody at Sub Pop connected the band with John Porter, the one-time Roxy Music member who had produced The Smiths, Billy Bragg, The Alarm, and a bunch of other 80’s stuff. They met up on a tour stop in Los Angeles, at a Hamburger Hamlet. He agreed to produce the album in a three-week session at Cue Studios in Falls Church, VA. He was exactly what the band needed: an editor, arranger, and taskmaster. As he mercilessly excised every unnecessarily repeated bar, the band realized they’d gravitated to a sound with cleaner lines, and almost entirely ditched the noisy guitar, no doubt influenced by Porter’s presence. Velocity Girl was extremely happy with the results, and ¡Simpatico! came out in June of 1994.
This expanded reissue adds eight songs recorded at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, VA, a few months after the album sessions. These sessions provided playfully experimental B-sides to the album’s singles, two cover songs (the New Order cover “Your Silent Face,” and a Beach Boys cover) for a single on Merge Records, and a compilation track.
Upon ¡Simpatico!’s release, Rolling Stone gave the album a 4-star review, and said, “The very first guitar shriek on Simpatico! slices through any residue left over from the hazier Copacetic, revealing crisp, gleaming pop. On the new album, Velocity Girl add vocal harmonies, courtesy of guitarist Archie Moore, who joins singer Sarah Shannon on several tracks, thickening the weave of spinning guitars and cursive rhythms. As on Copacetic, the textures are heaped on, but the musical lines are less runny, the riffs are sharpened, the hooks grab tighter, and the vocals skate out front. With the help of producer John Porter (Roxy Music, the Smiths – bands famed for their own brand of alterna-sheen), the group manages to mop up the garage-band spills to reveal simple melodic constructions without washing away the music’s defining layers. This record should help Velocity Girl transcend the Lush and My Bloody Valentine comparisons that flogged them after Copacetic.”
Velocity Girl
¡Simpatico! (Remastered and Expanded)
1. Sorry Again (2025 Remaster)
2. There’s Only One Thing Left To Say (2025 Remaster)
3. Tripping Wires (2025 Remaster)
4. I Can’t Stop Smiling (2025 Remaster)
5. The All-Consumer (2025 Remaster)
6. Drug Girls (2025 Remaster)
7. Rubble (2025 Remaster)
8. Labrador (2025 Remaster)
9. Hey You, Get Off My Moon (2025 Remaster)
10. Medio Core (2025 Remaster)
11. What You Left Behind (2025 Remaster)
12. Wake Up, I’m Leaving (2025 Remaster)
13. Marzipan - from Sorry Again EP (2025 Remaster)
14. Labrador (Drum Machine Version) - from Sorry Again EP
(2025 Remaster)
15. Diamond Jubilee - from Sorry Again EP (2025 Remaster)
16. What You Left Behind (Reprise) - from Echoes of the Nation’s Capitol #2 compilation (2025 Remaster)
17. Your Silent Face - from Your Silent Face single (2025 Remaster)
18. You’re So Good to Me - from Your Silent Face single (2025 Remaster)
19. Seven Seas - from Seven Seas single (2025 Remaster)
20. Breaking Lines - from Seven Seas single (2025 Remaster)
Father John Misty is announcing new international headlining and festival tour dates for Spring and early Summer 2026 in support of his critically acclaimed album, Mahashmashama, which celebrates its one-year anniversary this week. The Western US dates kick off Monday, March 23rd in Ventura, CA at the Majestic Ventura Theater and run through Sunday, May 17th in Pomona, CA at The Fox Theater. Along this run, Father John Misty has scheduled two-night stands at the historic The Castro Theatre in San Francisco (March 24th+25th), and at The Paramount Theatre (Apr. 3rd +4th). He will also headline at Boise’s Treefort Festival (Mar. 29th).
Father John Misty’s EU run will start on Monday, June 1st in Lisbon, PT at Sagres Campo Pequeno and end on Sunday, June 14th in Wicklow, IE with a headlining set at Beyond The Pale Festival. Highlights for this run include appearances at Primavera Festival in Barcelona, ES (Jun. 4th), and Northside Festival in Aarhus, DK (Jun. 6th) and Father John Misty’s first headlining shows in Portugal in eight years.
Variety says of his July 2025 headlining performance at The Greek Theatre, “He’s one of contemporary music’s greatest lyricists and one of our loveliest melodists (a good combo, when you can find it, by the way), so there’s usually some kind of euphoric effect even in distemper or dystopia. His wish is our command when it comes to actually enjoying stuff that sounds more challenging on paper, or even on vinyl, than it does in the flesh.”
Fan presales for the headlining shows begin Wednesday, November 19th at 10 am (local; Pass: Honeybear), with on-sale to the general public on Friday, November 21 at 10am (local).
In further celebration of Father John Misty’s first headlining shows at The Paramount Theatre in almost 9 years, Seattle fans can grab fee-free presale tickets which will be available IN PERSON at the Paramount Box Office starting at 10 am on Thursday, November 20th. Head down for coffee & donuts provided by Sub Pop, limited edition posters, Sub Pop sticker packs, and more (Sub Pop merchandise available while supplies last!)
The Third Annual Big Sur Benefit Shows
Thu. Dec. 18 - Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA - Sunset Cultural Center!
Fri. Dec 19 - Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA - Sunset Cultural Center!
US Tour Dates, March 2026
Mon. Mar. 23 - Ventura, CA - Majestic Ventura Theater @
Tue. Mar. 24 - San Francisco, CA - The Castro Theatre*
Wed. Mar. 25 - San Francisco, CA - The Castro Theatre*
Fri. Mar. 27 - Sacramento, CA - Channel 24 #
Sat. Mar. 28 - Reno, NV - Grand Sierra Resort and Casino - Grand Theatre@
Sun. Mar. 29 - Boise, ID - Treefort Music Festival
Tue. Mar. 31 - Missoula, MT - The Wilma@
Thu. Apr. 02 - Eugene, OR - McDonald Theatre@
Fri. Apr. 03 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre&
Sat. Apr. 04 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre&
Thu. May 14 - Aspen, CO - Belly Up Aspen #
Fri. May 15 - Salt Lake City - Kilby Block Party
Sat. May 16- Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl@
Sun. May 17 - Pomona, CA - The Fox Theater@
EU Tour Dates, June 2026
Mon. Jun. 01 - Lisbon, PT - Sagres Campo Pequeno
Tue. Jun. 02 - Porto, PT - Coliseu do Porto
Thu. Jun. 04 - Barcelona, ES - Primavera Festival
Sat. Jun. 06 - Aarhus, DK - Northside Festival
Mon. Jun. 08 - Amsterdam, NL - Live At Amsterdam Bos
Tue. Jun. 09 - Cologne, DE - Carlswerk Victoria
Wed. Jun.10 - Antwerp, BE - OLT Rivierenhof
Fri. Jun. 12 - London, UK - Lido Festival
Sun. Jun. 14 - Wicklow, IE - Beyond The Pale Festival
! with Jason Crosby Trio performing A Charlie Brown Christmas
@ with David Vandervelde
* with Andy Shauf
# An Evening With
& Very Special Guests TBA
Mahashmashana and its singles earned glowing reviews and “Best of” coverage from the likes of Variety, The Ringer, Vogue, Under the Radar, Uproxx, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, The AV Club, PASTE, Consequence of Sound, PopMatters, GQ (UK), Philadelphia Inquirer, Pitchfork, New York Times, and The New Yorker, the latter who called the album “an aching monument to human imperfection.”
Mahashmashana is available CD/LP/DSPs in North America from Father John Misty’s official merch stores in the US and EU, megamart.subpop.com, Bella Union (UK/EU), and independent retailers worldwide. The Mahashmashana album cover artwork is from Joe Roberts (LSD World Peace).
Father John Misty
Mahashmashana
1. Mahashmashana
2. She Cleans Up
3. Josh Tillman and The Accidental Dose
4. Mental Health
5. Screamland
6. Being You
7. I Guess Time Makes Fools of Us All
8. Summer’s Gone
Today, November 12th, Nation of Language is sharing a new, official video for ”Nights of Weight,” a tender and bittersweet ballad from Dance Called Memory. The intimate performance-style video, directed by Sean Devaney, was shot on set between takes for the “Inept Apollo” and “I’m Not Ready For The Change” videos, and stars band frontman Ian Devaney.
Yesterday, Dance Called Memory was selected for Rough Trade Records’ “Albums of the Year 2025” best of list, and to celebrate, fans can now preorder a new, limited-edition variant from the retailer on Crystal Clear / Opaque Black Marbled vinyl.
Dance Called Memory, the group’s fourth album, is out now worldwide from Sub Pop. The 10-track long player features the Top 30 AAA radio singles “Inept Apollo” and “I’m Not Ready For The Change,” and was recorded, produced, and mixed by returning producer and collaborator Nick Millhiser in New York City and mastered by Heba Kadry in Brooklyn. Dance Called Memory recently hit the Top 5 on the NACC 200 College Radio Chart.
Nation of Language’s 51-date, 2025 international headlining tour to support Dance Called Memory has been the band’s most successful touring run to date. The tour has sold over 40k tickets so far, with sold-out shows in New York, DC, Chicago, Vancouver (BC), Seattle, Portland, San Diego, Austin, San Francisco, Dublin, Paris, and tonight‘s performance at the Roundhouse, their largest London play to date (Nov. 12th). The tour will continue through Friday, November 28th, in Lisbon, PT at LAV.
Support for the UK/EU shows will come from Partisan Records act Westerman (through Nov. 22nd).
Nation of Language has also scheduled a few 2026 shows, including a rescheduled date on January 3rd in Kansas City, MO, at The Truman, and an appearance at Primavera Sound in Porto, PT, June 11th-14th. Additional dates to be announced soon.
November 2025
UK/EU Headlining Shows
Wed. Nov. 12 - London, UK - The Roundhouse ^ [Sold Out]
Fri. Nov. 14 - Paris, FR - Elysee Montmartre ^ [Sold Out]
Sat. Nov. 15 - Amsterdam, NL - Melkweg ^
Sun. Nov. 16 - Nijmegen, NL - Doornroosje ^
Tue. Nov. 18 - Cologne, DE - Gloria ^
Wed. Nov. 19 - Hamburg, DE - Uebel & Gefährlich ^
Fri. Nov. 21 - Berlin, DE - Columbiahalle ^
Sat. Nov. 22 - Munich, DE - Technikum ^
Sun. Nov. 23 - Milan, IT - Magazzini Generali
Wed. Nov. 26 - Barcelona, ES - Razzmatazz
Thu. Nov. 27 - Madrid, ES - La Riviera
Fri. Nov. 28 - Lisbon, PT - LAV
^ w/ Westerman
2026 Tour Dates
Jan. 03 - Kansas City, MO - The Truman
Jun. 11-14 - Porto, PT - Primavera Sound Porto Parque Da Cidade
What People Are Saying About Nation of Language’s
Dance Called Memory:
“The real deal…” ★★★★ MOJO
“The band’s fourth LP and Sub Pop debut is danceable, eccentric, and immaculate at once…” ★★★★ All Music
“For Dance Called Memory, the trio — Devaney, his wife and right-hand synth wizard Aidan Noell, and bassist Alex MacKay — once more teamed with LCD Soundsystem/Holy Ghost! member Nick Millhiser as producer. Together, the crew pushed the edges of NOL’s sound, creating something expansive enough to capture the weight of grief and loss that coursed through these new songs.” Stereogum
“Dance Called Memory, continues its study of synth-pop from the late 1970s and early ’80s. The new record adds more guitars to the mix, tempering the machine-made with a human touch.” New York Times
“It’s a fuzzy electronic project that’s both introspective and danceable, with flanged New Order–styled guitar parts sprinkled in to give their sound a refreshed feel.” FLOOD
“Ian Devaney’s Vulnerability Pays Off On Nation of Language’s Dance Called Memory.” 8.0/10, PASTE
“If there were a Nation of Language album that lifts the band onto the next rung of the pop culture ladder, beyond indie notoriety, it deserves to be this one.” “Best Albums of September,” Consequence
“entwined with beauty as much as melancholy.” Our Culture
★★★★ Live4ever
“an assured evolution” ★★★★ ½ Indie is Not a Genre
“A resounding triumph” When The Horn Blows
“another stellar record from Nation of Language” ★★★★ Stereoboard
“this Brooklyn outfit’s gleaming spirit continues to be a northern star” Electronic Sound
“a band that has the songs (and the heart) to cross the pop threshold if they choose.” The Line of Best Fit
Nation of Language
Dance Called Memory
Tracklisting:
1. Can’t Face Another One
2. In Another Life
3. Silhouette
4. Now That You’re Gone
5. I’m Not Ready for the Change
6. Can You Reach Me
7. Inept Apollo
8. Under the Water
9. In Your Head
10. Nights of Weight
Filmmaker, author, comedian, and cultural icon extraordinaire, John Waters, 79, returns with his second Christmas parody single (and third holiday single with Sub Pop), “John Waters covers ‘Little Cindy,’” produced again by his longtime friend and colleague, Grammy-winner, Ian Brennan (Tinariwen, Parchman Prison Project, The Good Ones [Rwanda], Ramblin’ Jack Elliott).
Waters says, “In the tradition of novelty records, which I’ve always loved, this year I pay tribute to one of my favorite hymns that was once included in my ‘John Waters Christmas’ album – sung by the ever-holy child vocalist Little Cindy. I have never been in drag professionally, but with this little sticks-and-stones gift record to bad children everywhere, I channel Little Cindy’s voice and aura, even stumbling over the exact words she did on the original 45rpm version. Little Cindy is beyond saintly in my opinion, a minor miracle, a human spiritual sacrament who brings her devoted sanctity to this psalm of southern sentimentality. For a few vinyl minutes, I hope listeners will agree: John Waters IS Little Cindy.
“Side B is beyond the valley of gimmicks, over the top of parody and underneath the mountain of linguistics, recorded in Pig Latin – a secret dialect my mother taught me in the ‘50s. I don’t take easily to learning a new language but this maddeningly ugly way of speaking is a tongue I eventually licked. I even used Pig Latin in ‘Pink Flamingos’ where Divine’s family skipped, happily chanting, ‘We Are The Filthiest People Alive.’ What better way to remind my public of this lunatic way of communication (even the Three Stooges spoke it in some of their 1930s movies) than to translate this beloved poem into a consonantly confused vernacular? ‘A Visit from St. Nick?’ As-tway E-thay Ight-nay Efore-bay Istmas-kray! See? I’m speaking in tongues! Want to clear your house of holiday party guests who have overstayed their welcome? Just play the flipside of this record, and they’ll run like they’ve just been teargassed! Ig-pay Atin-lay! Learn it, you little devils!”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Today, Friday, November 8th, Sub Pop continues its expansion into the hot holiday single market with the release John Waters’ new Christmas parody single “John Waters Covers ‘Little Cindy’” b/w “A Pig Latin Visit From St. Nicholas,” available worldwide on 7” vinyl and on all streaming services. The single is available to buy now.
The Pope of Trash’s annual “A John Waters Christmas” comedy tour begins Sunday, November, 30th in San Francisco, CA, at Great American Music Hall and ends Tuesday, December 23rd in Baltimore, MD, at SoundStage. A full list of dates are below. For more information on tickets please visit https://johnwaterstour.com.
Sun. Nov. 30 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
Mon. Dec. 01 - Portland, OR - Alladin Theater
Tue. Dec. 02 - Seattle, WA - Neptune Theatre
Wed. Dec. 03 - Vancouver, BC - Rio Theatre
Thu. Dec. 04 - Vancouver, BC - Rio Theatre
Fri. Dec. 05 - Palm Springs, CA - Plaza Theatre
Sat. Dec. 06 - North Hollywood, CA - El Portal
Sun. Dec. 07 - North Hollywood, CA - El Portal
Mon. Dec. 08 - San Diego, CA - Lou Lou’s
Tue. Dec. 09 - San Diego, CA - Lou Lou’s
Sat. Dec. 13 - Boston, MA - Berklee Performance Center
Sun. Dec. 14 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater
Mon. Dec. 15 - Madison, WI - Atwood Music Hall
Tue. Dec. 16 - Chicago, IL - Avondale Music Hall
Wed. Dec. 17 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
Sat. Dec. 20 - Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere
Sun. Dec. 21- New York City, NY - City Winery
Mon. Dec. 22 - New York City, NY - City Winery
Tue. Dec. 23 - Baltimore, MD - SoundStage
“John Waters Covers ‘Little Cindy’” b/w “A Pig Latin Visit From St. Nicholas” is John Waters’ fourth single release overall for Sub Pop. It follows the 2024 release of “John Waters Covers ‘The Singing Dogs’ “Jingle Bells’” b/w “It’s a Punk Rock Christmas,” the 2022 release of “It’s In the Book” (which features Waters covering a stand-up routine recorded and made famous by midwestern-US comedian/actor/musician Johnny Standley in 1952), and his 2021 single, “Prayer to Pasolini” (his tribute to the legendarily controversial Italian film director Pier Paolo Pasolini). All of these wonderfully twisted releases are available from Sub Pop.
John Waters
“John Waters Covers ‘Little Cindy’” b/w “A Pig Latin Visit From St. Nicholas”
Today, November 4th, Stockholm-based artist waterbaby has shared an exuberant new single for her staccato-laced neo-soul-pop track, “Beck n Call.” Featuring guest rapper ttoh, this song was written by waterbaby, her regular collaborator Marcus White, and ttoh, and produced and mixed by White. “Beck n Call” is now available worldwide on all streaming services from Sub Pop.
“Beck n Call” follows the release of her spring 2025 single “Amiss” and the 2023 Sub Pop debut EP, foam. The latter release led to international acclaim, including a cover of Sweden’s music magazine GAFFA, and coverage from the likes of Bandcamp Daily, CLASH, The FACE, The FADER, The Guardian, The Line of Best Fit, The New York Times, NPR Music, PASTE, Stereogum, and more. Foam also earned waterbaby two 2024 Swedish Grammy Nominations, including “Newcomer of the Year” and “Composer of the Year” (for collaborator White).
What people have said about waterbaby:
“waterbaby makes music that is funny, heartfelt and intimate, cramming earworm hooks into warped bedroom pop production.” The Guardian
With themes about love and loneliness, Egerbladh’s songs both break you and build you back up.” “Essential Releases” - Bandcamp Daily
“Under the gaze of auto-tuned vocals and alt-rock textures, waterbaby has forged something wholly original and awing.” [“911”] PASTE
“I was a big fan of ‘Airforce blue,’ the indie-pop-ish, R&B-ish Stockholm singer waterbaby’s first single for Sub Pop. I’m an even bigger fan of the next one. “911,” out today, heralds the impending arrival of waterbaby’s Foam EP. It’s a low-key love song built around a cozy little acoustic guitar figure that plays as a nest for waterbaby’s soft, digitally affected vocals.” STEREOGUM
“The emergency number in Stockholm, the home of the songwriter who calls herself waterbaby, is 112. But in this drowsily understated bedroom-pop song, she clearly has an eye on an American audience: “Call me when you need someone/I could be your 911,” she sings, adding “we-ooh, we-ooh” like a two-note emergency siren. It’s a tentative, guarded offer of affection — “Maybe we could go somewhere/Maybe we could be something” — sung breathily and hesitantly, trying to keep expectations modest.” [“911”] “The Playlist,” THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Airforce blue” flips waterbaby’s indie R&B into an electrified, auto-tuned collage with an easy intimacy.” BROOKLYN VEGAN
“An unguarded DIY R&B moment coming out of the Swedish capital.” [“Airforce blue”] THE FADER
“…a real jewel, a thrilling and evocative slice of future-facing pop.” [“Airforce blue”] “Track of the Day,” CLASH
“A black girl freeing herself through experimentation is inherently groundbreaking, and waterbaby is making comfortable room for herself in the lo-fi realm. Delivering wistful vocals and melancholic indie-pop on her latest EP Foam, we’re getting to know the singer through open veins and a raw lens.” Ones to Watch
