Today, Friday, June 26th, Downtown Boys have released Public Luxury, their enthralling new album, out now worldwide from Sub Pop. The band is celebrating the album’s entry into the world with a poignant new video from animator Romy Matar for album standout “Yellow Sun,” which The Skinny notes, “there’s a melodic softness that reveals a fragility under the surface, something which might even appeal to fans of The Killers.”
Band member Joey La Neve DeFrancesco elaborates further on the song and visual: “‘Yellow Sun’ is a song for Lebanon, written as Israel’s ongoing invasion and occupation of the country began in 2024. The lyrics were inspired in part by the work of Lebanese poet and painter Etel Adnan, especially the poems “Beirut 1982” and “The Arab apocalypse,” which she wrote during Israel’s earlier occupation of Lebanon from 1982-2000. As with Ednan’s work, the song is meant to name the horrors (“phosphorous skies,” “every day an angel explodes”) while also insisting on the possibility of a new day: “The trees grow in every direction / I’m still heavy with love…
“The accompanying video by Lebanese animator Matar is a fable-like tribute to the decades of displacement and hostility faced by the indigenous shepherds and rural communities of Palestine and Lebanon since 1948. It also contains visual references to Adnan’s paintings.”
Downtown Boys are announcing a new UK and EU late fall/winter headlining tour, which begins on December 4th in Amsterdam, NL at Paradiso, and runs through December 21st in Rome, IT at Monk. Tickets for these shows are on sale now.
Downtown Boys’ previously announced US live dates for summer and fall 2026 are underway, with an album release show and benefit tonight, June 26th, organized by Willimantic Records for the Covenant Soup Kitchen & Food Pantry at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in the band’s second “hometown,” Willimantic, CT. The band’s US touring schedule continues through Saturday, September 26th in Mississauga, ON at Second Summer Festival.
Please find a current list of dates below.
US, Summer 2026 Fri. Jun. 26 - Willimantic, CT - St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 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 # Fri. Jul. 17 - Chicago, IL - West Fest Chicago 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 % Fri. Jul. 24 - Somerville, MA - NICE, A Fest Sat. Jul. 25 - Burlington, VT - Foam Brewers
Fri. Jul. 31 - Pratsville, NY - Pratsville Arts Center Fri. Sep. 25 - Buffalo, NY - Rec Room Sat. Sep. 26 - Mississauga, ON - Second Summer Festival
* with Gang of Four # with Pop Music Fever Dream % with Ratas en Zelo
UK/EU, Late Fall/Winter 2026 Fri. Dec. 04 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Sat. Dec. 05 - Nijmegen, NL - Zeitgeist Fest Sun. Dec. 06 - Diksmuide, BE - 4AD Mon. Dec. 07 - London, UK - Moth Club Tue. Dec. 08 - Cambridge, UK - Portland Arms Wed. Dec. 09 - Edinburgh, UK - The Mash House Thu. Dec. 10 - Glasgow, UK - Stereo Fri. Dec. 11 Nottingham, UK - The Old Bus Depot Sat. Dec. 12 - Bristol, UK - Exchange Bristol Mon. Dec. 14 - Paris, FR - Le Chinois Tue. Dec. 15 - Brussels, BE - Botanique Wed. Dec. 16 - Trier, DE - Mergener Hof Thu. Dec. 17 - Düdingen, CH - Bad Bonn Fri. Dec. 18 - Ravenna, IT - Bronson Sat. Dec. 19 - Verona, IT - Kroen Sun. Dec. 20 - Busto Arsizio, IT - Gagarin Mon. Dec. 21 - Roma, IT - Monk
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.
What People Are Saying About Downtown Boys Public Luxury: “A decade in the making, Public Luxury is an unashamedly political exercise that never strays into preaching to the converted. Delivered mostly in Spanish, it’s a blast of heat and light in dark times. Imagine early Pixies but they’re only playing Isla de Encanta and Kim isn’t letting Black Francis near the mic.” ★★★★ The Skinny
“Recalling the late, great Poly Styrene at times, frontwoman Victoria Marie radiates fearsome charisma, switching between English and Spanish on several tracks, from the thunderous garage-punk beast “No Me Jodas” to the feverish tropical synth-metal jam “Mi Concha”. The fury running through these songs is mostly the joyous, exhilarating kind, while the incongruously melodic guitar-jangler “Yellow Sun” already sounds like an arena-rock anthem. Anger is an Energy.” UNCUT
“There’s a tangible concerted effort from all involved, bursting with frivolity and passion that it’s hard to not get swept away with the waves. Downtown Boys are a band whose lived experience says a lot about the state of where we are now, backed by an evolving sound that’s throttling down other colorful avenues to bring their causes to light.” Treble
“The guitar-driven ferocity of ‘Sirena’ is intermittently cracked open by a synth line used perfectly and unexpectedly, illuminating a new dimension. ‘Yellow Sun’ reveals a tender core and a different kind of strength that sparkles from the vibraphone. A gargling version of a ‘Neat Neat Neat’ bassline, crazed saxophone and feral drumming run riot in ‘You’re A Ghost’. This album is essential listening for any music venue looking to correctly prepare to host this kind of energy.” Electronic Sound
Downtown Boys Public Luxury
1. No Me Jodas 2. The City Begins 3. Sirena 4. Yellow Sun 5. Viva La Rosa 6. Enemy Without 7. You’re a Ghost 8. Albuterol 9. Mi Concha 10. Public Works 11. Public Luxury
Today, June 25th, Australia’s Girl and Girl have shared two new digital singles, “Hell” b/w an official video for their song “It’s Dead.”
The band’s front person, Kai Aubort, shares this about the video/single for “It’s Dead”: “We’re always hinting at death in our music, talking about it in such roundabout ways, so I thought it was about time I just came out and said it … IT’S DEAD!!!!”
You can watch the official video directed by Alexandros Kalas below.
The “Hell” and “It’s Dead” singles are Girl and Girl’s first new material since the release of the band’s 2025 singles “Okay” and “The Cow,” and their 2024 debut full-length, Call A Doctor, which Rolling Stone Australia called “emotional mayhem that’s relatable and very catchy.”
The band is also announcing a seven-date Australian run, beginning on July 17th at Coolangatta, QLD, with additional shows in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Byron Bay, and the Gold Coast. Please see a full list of shows below.
Fri. Jul. 17 - Coolangatta, QLD - Coolangatta Hotel (Inner Realm Party) Sat. Jul. 25 - Brisbane, QLD - The Junk Bar (18+) Sat. Jul. 25 - Brisbane, QLD - The Junk Bar (All Ages) Fri. Jul. 31 - Sydney, NSW - Northies Sat. Aug. 01 - Melbourne, VIC - The Curtin Fri. Aug. 07 - Byron Bay, NSW - Byron Arts Factory Sat. Aug. 08 - Gold Coast, QLD - Super Secret Block Party
What people are saying about Girl and Girl:
“A fantastic debut from a sparkly and singular new band.” [Call The Doctor] NME
“A perfect dose of indie – punk rock at its best.” - [“Hello”] Happy Mag
“A warped mix of Talking Heads, Rolling Blackouts and bits of post-punk but led by a man with a mullet and one of their aunts plays drums in the band!” - [SXSW Review] BBC 6 Music
“Brisbane four-piece Girl and Girl are ones to watch in the world of sharp-tongued raucous-riffed garage rock…Girl and Girl’s all too rare multigenerational collaboration brings a fresh angle on the post-Strokes garage rock sound.” KUTX Radio
“Girl and Girl recall the stalwarts of 2010s garage rock, their affinity with jangly guitars and buoyant rhythms undercut by feverishly intense playing and a cloying sense of claustrophobia.” [Call The Doctor] DIY
Today, Thursday, June 18th, 2026, Cartel Madras returns with the sleek drum and bass single “EVIDENT 2 ME,” a new collaboration with Toronto-based producer Jide.
“EVIDENT 2 ME” is Cartel Madras’s first transmission since the release of their acclaimed 2021 project The Serpent & The Tiger. The duo arrives with vengeance on their mind and adventure laid out before them.
Blending militant rap, electronic music, jungle, industrial textures, and cinematic worldbuilding, “EVIDENT 2 ME” pushes Cartel Madras deeper into their own universe: one unconcerned with trend cycles and obsessed instead with atmosphere, tension, and transformation.
The song is available now worldwide on all streaming services from Sub Pop and in Canada through Royal Mountain Records. The official video for “EVIDENT 2 ME” was directed by FOREIGNERZ (@sansfuccs).
This weekend, Cartel Madras team up with Toronto producer Jairus Sharif for a performance at the 2026 edition of Sled Island Festival in Calgary, AB, supporting labelmates Clipping at The Palace Theatre on Saturday, June 20th. Additional live dates will be announced soon.
Cartel Madras is currently at work on their full-length studio album due out early 2027 on Sub Pop Records and Royal Mountain Records.
About Cartel Madras Following the release of Cartel Madras’s 2021 project The Serpent & The Tiger, sisters Eboshi and Contra spent the years that followed dismantling and rebuilding the project’s foundations entirely. Refining their sound and visual universe behind the scenes, the duo emerged for select moments: appearing on Clipping’s “Mirrorshades Pt. 2” from Dead Channel Sky, opening for M.I.A. during her debut performance in India in 2023, and landing music within the EA Sports FC universe.
In 2026, Cartel Madras returns with a new single, “EVIDENT 2 ME,” a drum and bass collaboration with Toronto Producer Jide, that finds Eboshi and Contra with vengeance on their minds and adventure laid out before them.
Born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and raised in Alberta, Cartel Madras crafts a cultural syncretism of house, trap, punk, industrial electronics, and razor-sharp rap. Known for explosive live performances that channel the energy of underground queer and punk scenes, the duo has built a reputation for music that is confrontational, playful, cinematic, and impossible to pin down. In 2018, they signed to Sub Pop Records, releasing three acclaimed EPs alongside a growing body of striking visual work directed and produced through their own multidisciplinary practice.
Cartel Madras has shared stages with artists including JPEGMAFIA, Jack Harlow, Wu-Tang Clan, clipping., Mac DeMarco, and supported Sudan Archives. Alongside their music career, Eboshi and Contra have expanded their artistic universe into film, installation, and visual storytelling through their production house FOREIGNERZ, creating immersive worlds that blur the boundaries between music, cinema, fashion, and contemporary art.
What people have said about Cartel Madras: “They’ve got an absolutely wicked flow…Hints of traditional Tamil music are sprinkled throughout.” STEREOGUM
“Cartel Madras are smashing barriers musically and are sure to blow your mind with their uniqueness.” CLASH
“Age of the Goonda is an invigorating five-track blast… More, please.” The Wire
“…possesses layered bass lines pumped with adrenaline, a range of Indian classical instruments weaved in and hooks that stay in your brain for days.” NME
“Age of the Goonda provides an electrifying burst of the duo’s live show energy in concentrated form.” Loud & Quiet
“With a carousel of bad-ass, no-fucks-given, brown girl anthems, Cartel Madras is brought to life by two sisters who don’t shy of braggadocio (you can’t miss their stack of gold jewelry) as they spout songs about feminism, empowerment and inclusivity.” Vogue India
Today, singer-songwriter, musician, and producer Sera Cahoone is sharing details on behalf of I’ve Missed You All These Years, her forthcoming new album, available worldwide on Friday, August 28th from Sub Pop. She is also sharing the official video for her new single “Pulling Up Roots,” directed by E. Ryan McMackin (watch here).
Sera says of the track, “‘Pulling Up Roots’ is about getting to the other side and experiencing growth and momentum after a challenging time.”
The eight years that shaped I’ve Missed You All These Years were marked by profound change: Sera Cahoone lost her best friend, her father, and her dog all within a short time period. But this record is emphatically not about the darkness; it’s about what happens after the storm clears, the moment when you begin to come back into your body after a dark winter. This sense of lightness is evident on the piano and electric guitar that rev to life on “Say Something” and the intricate portrait of “Hits Right.”
I’ve Missed You All These Years captures the sound of ecstatic collaboration between exceptionally talented friends. You can hear it in the barroom swing of “Pulling Up Roots,” the sigh of a pedal steel on “Not How I Had Hoped,” the breezy falsetto on “Say Something.” It’s a record about finding comfort in community; about rediscovering yourself by connecting with the people you love.
On her sixth record, Cahoone is in full command of her powers. In its ability to hold loss and connection in the same hand, I’ve Missed You All These Years is triumphant, a celebration of life rooted in the knowledge of its fleeting nature. The product of a lifetime spent performing and producing music, the album traverses blues, folk, pop, and country, evoking Loretta Lynn in one song and Lucinda Williams in the next. It’s a testament to the strength that creativity and community brings, a portrait of an artist who knows herself completely.
I’ve Missed You All These Years was co-produced by Sera Cahoone and John Morgan Askew at Bear Creek Studios in Woodinville, WA, mixed by Askew at Scenic Burrows in Vancouver, WA, and mastered by JJ Golden at Golden Mastering.
I’ve Missed You All These Years will be available on CD/LP/Digitally from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com in North America, Mega Mart Europe in the UK and EU, and your local record store will receive the limited Loser edition on Metallic Gold vinyl (while supplies last).
To celebrate the I’ve Missed You All These Years announcement, Seattle fans can catch a free, intimate in-store performance from Sera Cahoone at Sub Pop’s new retail location on the Seattle Waterfront later today at 5:00PM. Cahoone will be joined by longtime collaborator, guitarist Jeff Fielder (who also appears on the album).
Sera Cahoone recently celebrated her return to Sub Pop with “Say Something,” which is also on I’ve Missed You All These Years and available now on all streaming services. Gold Flake Paint says of the track, “Shaped by a gorgeous backing of guitar, piano, and Hammond organ, the rich-n-swaying ballad finds Cahoone singing with a well-worn smile flickering at the edges, a flash of light that balances the heavy-hearted nature of the lyrics. Framing a portrait of strained but wholly vital domesticity, Cahoone’s voice is full of tenderness, holding a sense of yearning that is palpable in the weight it carries.”
Tracklisting: 1. High and Low 2. Say Something 3. No One Like You 4. Not How I Hoped 5. Horse Runnin’ 6. Pulling Up Roots 7. Supposed To Be 8. Hits Right 9. Tangled Nights 10. I’m No Fool 11. Something Good
Today, Sweeping Promises has shared an official video for their smoldering new single, “Cocoon,” available now on all streaming platforms. Following lead single and pummeling album opener “Shooting Shadows,” “Cocoon” is the second offering from the post-punk duo’s forthcoming third album, YouSay I Romanticize, out worldwide on August 14th on Sub Pop. The video was co-produced by Shawn Brackbill and the band.
Of the track, the band says, “We wrote ‘Cocoon’ years ago to extend our live set back when we only knew the ten songs from our first album. It has become a staple of our live set over the years and has undergone several metamorphoses in our home studio, as we wanted to develop this track in a disarming and dead-simple way for the ‘live sound’ mentality of YSIR. The music video intercuts homegrown live footage of the band playing shows in the Kansas community with the sculptural and psychogeographic idea of the cocoon, which entices and finally envelops our singer, Lira Mondal.”
Recorded over an 18-month period, You Say I Romanticize is a tribute to the chaos of creation and collaboration under shifting circumstances. Guitarist Caufield Schnug and bassist/vocalist Lira Mondal found and tested themselves in their combination tour house and recording studio in Lawrence, KS, annually working on dozens of albums from other bands, hosting tour stops, planning shows, and the like. After an immersive process of tracking and whittling down YSIR demos and carving out an idiosyncratic chamber-recording method for the album’s intentional wall-of-sound, the duo brought in touring drummer Spenser Gralla to play the songs as the band would on stage.
The album’s frenzied execution, akin to the group’s renowned live show, shines most of all in Mondal’s exhilarating vocals. Whereas previously, you might have heard a growl here and there on certain Sweeping Promises tracks, the band’s formidable singer shouts, roars, hits all sorts of tricky notes, and shreds her throat all over the record.
A shadow side exists alongside Sweeping Promises’ love for their artistic community—borne of weirdos channeling their misfit status into vibrant art and punk rock music, often passing through the revolving door that is their home studio. You Say I Romanticize takes the art-by-any-means-necessary ethos that Mondal and Schnug have developed over the years and turns the prompt upside down, landing on a personality epidemic that manifests across all ten tracks.
Sweeping Promises also recently announced North American headlining tour dates for the fall of 2026. The first leg begins on Wednesday, September 9th, in Oklahoma City, OK, and runs through September 29th for a hometown show at White Schoolhouse in Lawrence, KS. The second leg begins on October 27th in Omaha, NE, and ends on November 18th in Nashville, TN. Further live dates, including international touring, will follow soon. Tickets available at sweepingpromises.com.
SWEEPING PROMISES YOU SAY I ROMANTICIZE NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINE TOUR Wed. Sep. 09 - Oklahoma City, OK - Resonant Head Thu. Sep. 10 - Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves Fri. Sep. 11 - Austin, TX - LEVITATION Sat. Sep. 12 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger Tue. Sep. 15 - Phoenix, AZ - Rebel Lounge Wed. Sep. 16 - San Diego, CA - Casbah Thu. Sep. 17 - Los Angeles, CA - Sid the Cat Auditorium Fri. Sep. 18 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop Sun. Sep. 20 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios Tue. Sep. 22 - Vancouver, BC - Fox Cabaret Wed. Sep. 23 - Seattle, WA - Baba Yaga Fri. Sep. 25 - Boise, ID - Shrine Social Club Basement Sat. Sep. 26 - Salt Lake City, UT - The DLC at Quarters Sun. Sep. 27 - Denver, CO - Hi-Dive Tue. Sep. 29 - Lawrence, KS - White Schoolhouse (NEWLY ANNOUNCED SHOW)
Tue. Oct. 27 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown Wed. Oct. 28 - St Paul, MN - Turf Club Thu. Oct 29 - Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club Fri. Oct. 30 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle Sat. Oct. 31 - Detroit, MI - Lager House Tue. Nov. 03 - Toronto, ON - Monarch Wed. Nov. 04 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa Thu. Nov. 05 - Boston, MA - Deep Cuts Fri. Nov. 06 - Boston, MA - Deep Cuts Sun. Nov. 08 - Troy, NY - No Fun Tue. Nov. 10 - New York, NY - Night Club 101 Wed. Nov. 11 - Brooklyn, NY - Baby’s All Right Thu. Nov. 12 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church Fri. Nov. 13 - Washington, DC - Union Stage Sat. Nov. 14 - Richmond, VA - Cobra Cabana Mon. Nov. 16 - Durham, NC - The Pinhook Tue. Nov. 17 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade - Purgatory Wed. Nov. 18 - Nashville, TN - DRKMTTR
YouSay I Romanticize is now available for preorder on CD/LP/DSPs worldwide from Sub Pop. LP preorders in the US at the Sub Pop Mega Mart will receive the limited Loser Edition on Black and Yellow Confettivinyl, while preorders through Mega Mart Europe will receive the Loser Edition on Magenta vinyl (UK/EU). The limited Loser Editions will also be available at your local record store (while stock lasts!)
Sweeping Promises YouSay I Romanticize
Tracklisting: 1. Shooting Shadows 2. My Friend’s An Entomologist 3. Last Man 4. Rapture, Or… 5. Abduction On Camera 6. My Anchoress 7. Cocoon 8. Accent 9. Does He Want To Be The Weatherman? 10. Write Lightly
