Bret McKenzie’s Freak Out City, his sophomore album, is available now worldwide from Sub Pop. The new record features the charming and humorous official videos for “All I Need,”the title track, and today’s offering, “Shouldna Come Here Tonight,” wherein Bret portrays a smooth criminal on the run (while showing off his slick dance moves in the process). The visual was helmed by returning director Ezra Simons.
Freak Out City is a fresh collection of songs Bret developed while performing live across New Zealand and the United States with his band The State Highway Wonders. The influence of his musical heroes Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman resonates again on this record, where Bret playfully weaves humour and heart into his songs.
Recorded in both Los Angeles and New Zealand, the album was co-produced by Bret and his long-time collaborator, Mickey Petralia. It was also mixed by Michael Harris at EastWest Studios and mastered by Ruairi O’Flaherty at Nomograph Mastering in Los Angeles. The musicians on the record are a mix of LA-based players Leland Sklar, Dean Parks, Drew Erickson, Chris Caswell, and Joey Waronker, as well as New Zealand musicians Ben Lemi, Leo Coghini, Jacqui Nyman, Moana Leota, Iris Little, and Justin Clarke.
Bret and his live band, The State Highway Wonders, have scheduled international headline dates for October 2025 in support of Freak Out City - Bret’s first since 2022. The variety-style live show will feature selections from the new album, as well as his Sub Pop debut, Songs Without Jokes, alongside various tracks from Bret’s work in TV and film.
In October, Bret will hit select cities in the US and UK, including Los Angeles’s Largo at The Coronet (Oct. 10th), Washington, DC’s Miracle Theatre (Oct. 14th), New York’s Le Poisson Rouge (Oct. 17th), and London’s Bush Hall (Oct. 21st + 22nd). Tickets for these shows are on sale now. https://bretmckenzie.os.fan/
Bret and his live band will join The Infinity Sessions, a live streaming event hosted by Neil Finn and featuring “some of Aotearoa’s exciting musicians all to ‘Make Us Feel Good About Life’ (or MUFGAL for short).” Fans can watch his performance on Sunday, August 24th from 7:30 pm NZT on YouTube / Facebook Live. Bret will also support The Beths in Los Angeles at The Wiltern on November 7th. Please find a current list of headline dates below.
Fri. Oct. 10 - Los Angeles, CA - Largo at the Coronet Tue. Oct. 14 - Washington, DC - Miracle Theatre Fri. Oct. 17 - New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge Tue. Oct. 21 - London, UK - Bush Hall Wed. Oct. 22 - London, UK - Bush Hall
Freak Out City is available now on CD/LP/all streaming services from Sub Pop. LP purchased from megamart.subpop.com in North America, MegaMart Europe in the UK + EU, Bret’s live shows, and your local record store, will receive the limited Loser Edition on Glacial Blue (NA) or Light Rosé (UK/EU) vinyl (all vinyl color editions whilst stock lasts!).
Bret McKenzie is a Grammy and Academy Award-winning musician who is most well-known for his band Flight of the Conchords and their eponymous television show. He is internationally renowned for singing and writing funny, strange, and unique songs primarily for film and television.
Bret’s songs have been featured in The Muppets, The Simpsons, and most recently, with the song “Could This Be Love” in the box-office hit, A Minecraft Movie. His songs have also been sung by Celine Dion, Lizzo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brittany Howard, Homer and Lisa Simpson, Fred Armisen, Miss Piggy, Amy Adams, Jason Segal, Ricky Gervais, Benee, Isabela Merced, Spongebob Squarepants, Tony Bennett, Mickey Rooney, and more (read full bio at Sub Pop).
What People Have Said About Bret McKenzie Freak Out City: “McKenzie is becoming his own man…an ear for a deft chorus.” MOJO
“Delicious.” “Album of The Week,” Mail on Sunday
★★★★ The Sun
“Wonderful songwriting, and that’s no joke” ★★★★ Far Out
“A softly beguiling introduction.” [“All I Need”] CLASH
“A joyful, carefree celebration of love…” [“All I Need”] EXCLAIM!
Bret McKenzie Freak Out City
Tracklisting: 1. Bethnal Green Blues 2. Freak Out City 3. The Only Dream I Know 4. All the Time 5. That’s the Way the World Goes ‘Round 6. All I Need 7. Eyes on the Sun 8. Too Young 9. Highs and Lows 10. Shouldna Come Here Tonight
Today, Clipping is sharing the new single “Forever War” from Dead Channel SkyPlus, the digital deluxe edition of the group’s Cyberpunk-inspired Hip-Hop project originally released earlier this year, worldwide on Sub Pop.
Dead Channel Sky Plus expands and reorders the original 20-song sequence. The album is now 24 tracks long and includes the aforementioned “Forever War” along with “Night of Heaven (feat. Counterfeit Madison and Kid Koala),” “Hard-Eyes,” and current live fan favorite “Mirrorshades, Pt. 1.” Please find a full tracklisting below.
Dead Channel SkyPlus was produced and mixed by Clipping and Steve Kaplan and mastered by Levi Seitz at Black Belt Mastering.
Clipping’s Dead Channel Sky is also available on CD/2xLP/DSPs from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com (US) and Mega Mart 2 (UK/EU), your local record store, and at Clipping’s live shows will receive the limited Loser edition vinyl on Emerald/Forest Green Ghostly Mashup (North America) and Neon Pink (UK/Europe). The Dead Channel Sky album art was created by Designers Republic.
Clipping’s international tour dates in support of Dead Channel Sky Plus continues with a sold out show tonight, Thursday, August 14th, in Brooklyn at Elswhere and currently runs through Wednesday, September 24th, in Glasgow, UK, at The Garage. The band’s play at London’s Koko on September 21st is also sold out.
Upon their return to the US, Clipping has scheduled two festival appearances: Chicago, IL’s COLD WAVES XIII Festival (Sep. 27th) and Cincinnati, OH’s Talk Low Fest (Sep. 28th). Please find a complete list of dates below.
Thu. Aug. 14 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere [Sold Out] Fri. Aug. 15 - Philadelphia, PA - Ukie Club [Sold Out] Sat. Aug. 16 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club Sun. Aug. 17 - Asheville, NC - Eulogy Sun. Sep. 14 Wroclaw, PL - Avant Art Fest Mon. Sep. 15 - Leipzig, DE - Moritzbastei Tue. Sep. 16 - Berlin, DE - Gretchen Wed. Sep. 17 - Hamburg, DE - Hafenklang Thu. Sep.18 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Fri. Sep. 19 - Brussels, BE - Botanique Sat. Sep. 20 - Paris, FR - Le Machine Du Moulin Rouge Sun. Sep. 21 - London, UK - Koko [Sold Out] Tue. Sep. 23 - Leeds, UK - Project House Wed. Sep. 24 - Glasgow, UK - The Garage Sep. 27 - Chicago, IL - COLD WAVES XIII Festival (@The Metro) Sep. 28 - Cincinnati, OH - Talk Low Fest (@Memorial Hall)
What People Are Saying About Clipping’s Dead Channel Sky:
“An epic masterpiece.” ★★★★ ½, DIY
“It’s simply a masterclass in vibrant, unique and breath-stealing hip-hop whose layers of complexity never stand in the way of its fun, vivid storytelling.” 9/10, CLASH
“Dead Channel Sky is clipping. at their most techno-shocked, reconnecting with the nexus of hip-hop and sci-fi fused by pioneers…” ★★★★ ALL MUSIC
“On their most immediate and vital album yet, the LA rap trio reimagine a cyberpunk-inspired present and future.” PASTE
“Named after the static-filled sky in William Gibson’s sci-fi novel Neuromancer, the album’s cyberpunk-inspired production - courtesy of Jonathan Snipes and William Hutson - imagines an alternate reality where a fusion of electro, Dutch hardcore, drum ‘n’ bass and industrial noise is the norm, while rapper Daveed Diggs explores abandoned pasts and doomed futures in his signature rapid-fire style.” CRACK
“This music here is less the atmospheric synthesizers of a Vangelis score and more the kind of neural buzz and ecstasy rush of the Crystal Method, the Chemical Brothers and the Prodigy soundtracking films like the mid-’90s inside-the-computer action of Hackers. However block-rockin’ their beats might be, clipping. aren’t excavating the past just for the sake of nostalgia.” 8/10, Exclaim
“The album is shot through with high-concept storytelling and industrial beats infused with glitchy electronic noises. Diggs’ propulsive rapping lends each song urgency, leading to an overall sound that can only be described as post-apocalyptic.” The AV Club
“The whole thing is a total head-trip.” BROOKLYN VEGAN
“Album of the Week,” Louder Than War
Clipping Dead Channel Sky Plus
Tracklisting: 1.Intro 2. Dominator 3. Change the Channel 4. Run It 5. Go 6. Simple Degradation (Plucks 1-13) (with Bitpanic) 7. Code 8. Dodger 9. Malleus (with Nels Cline) 10. Mirrorshades pt. 1 11. Scams (feat. Tia Nomore) 12. Keep Pushing 13. “From Bright Bodies” (Interlude) 14. Mood Organ 15. Forever War 16. Polaroids 17. Simple Degradation (Plucks 14-18) (with Bitpanic) 18. Madcap 19. Mirrorshades pt. 2 (feat. Cartel Madras) 20. “And You Called” (Interlude) 21. Hard-Eyes 22. Night of Heaven (feat. Counterfeit Madison & Kid Koala) 23. Welcome Home Warrior (feat. Aesop Rock) 24. Ask What Happened
Today, August 13th, you can hear Six Finger Satellite’s “Massive Cocaine Seizure (2025 Remaster),” the raucous A-side from the band’s rare, out-of-print 7” single, originally released on Sub Pop in 1996. The new remastered version is available today on all DSPs, and is from the forthcoming Severe Exposure: Deluxe Edition, the expanded 30th anniversary version of the group’s exhilarating 2nd album available worldwide from Sub Pop on September 12th, 2025.
In addition to the original album, Severe Exposure: Deluxe Edition includes a bonus 12” of the 1994 Machine Cuisine EP, and a download of 17 additional songs, including rare singles, compilation tracks, and unreleased material (see “Parlous Games (2025 Remaster)” Official Video). All the material has been freshly mastered by JJ Golden, and the vinyl is packaged in a lovely slipcase with individual jackets for each LP.
Severe Exposure would go on to become Six Finger Satellite’s best-selling album to date, which the band recorded at their own studio, The Parlour, in Providence, Rhode Island.
Formed in 1990 in Providence by J. Ryan (singer/keyboards), John MacLean (guitar), Peter Phillips (guitar), Chris Dixon (bass), and Rick Pelletier (drums), Six Finger Satellite quickly signed to Sub Pop for the Weapon EP. Shortly thereafter, they released their landmark 1993 debut, The Pigeon Is the Most Popular Bird, and then, in 1995, Severe Exposure.
Severe Exposure foreshadowed the early ‘00s revival of post-punk and synth-oriented rock by adding synths to the band’s caustic, tense post-punk sound. All Music called the album, “Herky-jerky pandemonium rife with buzzing guitars and spooky, deliberately melodramatic synth and Moog lines, Severe Exposure is filled with tight, paranoid riffs that fulfills the deepest wish of anyone who ever wanted to find out what the unholy progeny of Big Black and Devo would sound like.” Trouser Press wrote that “‘Rabies (Baby’s Got The)’ and ‘Simian Fever’ are animal aggressive and messy, while sharing the synthetic digitone lusts of new wave.” The SF Weekly praised it as “a party record, the kind you slip on at that inevitable point when you want ‘certain people’ to head home.” Chunklet doubles down on the album’s festive vibe: “Severe Exposure is a guaranteed party…”
Severe Exposure: Deluxe Edition is now available to preorder from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com, Mega Mart Europe, and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser Edition on Coke Bottle Clear & Transparent Orange (the EU edition is limited to 1k copies).
Six Finger Satellite Severe Exposure: 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
1. Bad Comrade 2. Parlour Games 3. White Queen to Black Night 4. Pulling a Train 5. Simian Fever 6. Cock Fight 7. Dark Companion 8. Where Humans Go 9. Rabies (Baby’s Got The) 10. Board the Bus 11. Love (Via Machine) 12. Blue Melodica 13. The Magic Bus 14. Hans Pocketwatch 15. The Well-Tempered Monkey 16. Like to Get to Know You 17. The Greek Arts 18. White Temples 19. Untitled Instrumental* 20. Fisher of Men* 21. 2MuchKungFu* 22. EV365a* 23. kgbg* 24. Rabies (Baby’s Got The) dub* 25. Mistaken Street* 26. Swing Alone* 27. Spooks/So Lonely* 28. Shadows Moving* 29. Trigger Mac* 30. Man Behind the Glasses* 31. War Crimes* 32. Dark Companion (7” Version)* 33. If I Tried* 34. Massive Cocaine Seizure* 35. Human Operator* *Digital download bonus tracks
On September 12th, Guerilla Toss will release their latest long-player, You’re Weird Now, available worldwide on CD/LP/Digitally from Sub Pop. Today, the band has shared a new single, entitled “CEO of Personal & Pleasure.”
“Instead of marinating in the void, I’ve chosen to gaslight myself into greatness by firing my inner critic and reinstating myself as the slightly unhinged CEO of my own emotional start-up,” shares the band’s front person, Kassie Carlson. “The CEO of Personal & Pleasure doesn’t have a 5-year delusion, but I do have dogs, vicious optimism, and a vague idea that being alive should occasionally feel good. Late-stage capitalism meets self-care nihilism … and blooming from it, the CEO of Personal and Pleasure.”
Beginning on September 12th, Guerilla Toss will embark on a 28-date North American run. This tour includes standout dates in Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle, Los Angeles, Austin, and Brooklyn, culminating in Boston, MA, on October 19. See below for a complete tour routing.
Fri. Sep. 12 - Bethel, NY - Bethel Woods Center for the Arts Sat. Sep. 13 - Kingston, NY - Tubby’s Tue. Sep. 16 - Buffalo, NY - Nietzsche’s Wed. Sep. 17 - Lakewood, OH, Mahall’s Thu. Sep. 18 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle Fri. Sep. 19 - Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club Sat. Sep. 20 - Davenport, IA - Raccoon Motel Sun. Sep. 21 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry Thu. Sep. 25 - Seattle, WA - Vera Project Fri. Sep. 26 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios Sat. Sep. 27 - Boise, ID - Shrine Basement Sun. Sep. 28 - Reno, NV - Holland Project Wed. Oct. 01 - San Francisco, CA - Chapel Thu. Oct. 02 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room Fri. Oct. 03 - San Diego, CA - Casbah Sat. Oct. 04 - Phoenix, AZ - Linger Longer Lounge Sun. Oct. 05 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress Tue. Oct. 07 - Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves Showroom Wed. Oct. 08 - Austin, TX - Hotel Vegas Thu. Oct. 09 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall Fri. Oct. 10 - New Orleans, LA - No Dice Sat. Oct. 11 - Atlanta, GA - Aisle 5 Sun. Oct. 12 - Nashville, TN - Blue Room @ Third Man Records Tue. Oct. 14 - Washington, DC - DC 9 Thu. Oct. 16 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl Fri. Oct. 17 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny B’s Sat. Oct. 18 - Burlington, VT - Foam Sun. Oct. 19 - Boston, MA - Crystal Ballroom
What people are saying about Guerilla Toss: “Red Flag to Angry Bull…serves up their signature playful ferocity and catchy hooks.” - [“Red Flag to Angry Bull”] Stereoboard
“It’s the work of a band fully in control, bursting with bizarro majesty as it bounces toward anthem status.” - [“Red Flag to Angry Bull”] Stereogum
”The boisterous, synth-heavy jam takes elements of math rock and art pop and combines them into an overwhelming stimuli of catchy melodies and delirious interludes.” - [“Life’s a Zoo”] FLOOD
”Very cool tune.” - [“Red Flag to Angry Bull”] Deb Grant, BBC 6 Music
“US outfit offer up a wonderfully rich and infectious post-punk stunner.” - [“Psychosis Is Just a Number”]Mystic Sons
“‘Red Flag To Angry Bull’ is witty, playful, and catchy” - [“Red Flag to Angry Bull”] Clash
“freakily delightful new single” - [“Red Flag to Angry Bull”] Our Culture Mag
Guerilla Toss You’re Weird Now
Track Listing: 1. Krystal Ball 2. Psychosis Is Just a Number 3. CEO of Personal & Pleasure 4. LIfe’s a Zoo 5. Red Flag to Angry Bull 6. Panglossian Mannequin 7. Deep Sight 8. When Dogs Bark 9. Crocodile Cloud 10. Favorite Sun
The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life, Debby Friday’s luminous and expansive new album, and the follow-up to GOOD LUCK, her Polaris Prize-winning, full-length debut, is out today worldwide from Sub Pop and in Canada from Royal Mountain Records. The album features the highlights “Bet On Me,” “Lipsync,” “All I Wanna Do Is Party,” “1/17,” and today’s offering, the official video for the shoegaze dancehall track “Alberta.”
Friday codirected the somber and tearful “Alberta” visual with returning collaborator Kevan Funk. She says of the song, and the visual’s place in The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life universe, “Alberta encapsulates so much of what I’ve learned about love, grief, forgiveness and what it means to be together with others. I see your heart and I know that I and Thou are the same. In a way, it is the ultimate ethos of the album. I borrowed a little bit from David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive for the video. There’s this hypnotizing transmission of a deep and shared sadness that happens during the Club Silencio scene that really shook me the first time I saw it.”
Debby Friday is also announcing new UK/EU shows for October 2025 in support of The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life. The dates begin October 12th in Warsaw, PL at VooDoo Club and end Friday, October 24th Manchester, UK at Islington Mill. Tickets for these shows are on sale Friday, August 5th.
As for Debby Friday’s previously announced US shows, those include San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences on Thursday, September 25th; Brooklyn’s Public Records on Thursday, October 30th; Los Angeles at the Moroccan Lounge on Friday, November 7th; And Chicago’s Schubas on Friday, November 21st.
Debby Friday will also appear at Montreal’s Osheaga Festival this Sunday, August 3rd, and at Mexico City’s Corona Capital on Friday, November 14th. Please find a complete list of dates below.
Sun. Aug. 03 - Montreal, QC - Osheaga Music and Arts Festival (2 pm) Sun. Aug. 03 - Montreal, QC - Le Systeme - (Album Listening Party - 8 pm) Thu. Sep. 25 - San Francisco, CA - California Academy of Sciences Sun. Oct. 12 - Warsaw, PL - VooDoo Club Tue. Oct.14 - Berlin, DE - Monarch Wed. Oct. 15 - Hamburg, DE - Betty Thu. Oct. 16 - Cologne, DE - Garage Tue. Oct. 21 - London, UK - Club Cheek Fri. Oct. 24 - Manchester, UK - Islington Mill Thu. Oct. 30 - Brooklyn, NY - Public Records Fri. Nov. 07 - Los Angeles, CA - The Moroccan Lounge Fri. Nov. 14 - Mexico City, MX - Corona Capital Festival Fri. Nov. 21 - Chicago, IL - Schubas
The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life is available now on CD/LP/DSPs worldwide from Sub Pop and in Canda from Royal Mountain. LPs purchased from megamart.subpop.com in the US, MegaMart 2 in the UK and EU, Royal Mountain in Canada, Debby Friday’s live shows, and your local record store will receive the following limited color vinyl versions: the Sub Pop Loser editions on Graphite (US) and Bio Light Blue (EU/UK), and Royal Mountain’s edition on White (Canada) (All vinyl colors whilst stock lasts!).
What People Are Saying About Debby Friday’s The Starr Of The Queen Of Life: “The Starrr… has clearly been born of sweaty city nightclubs and subsequent comedowns, tying together dancefloor escapism and the shock of hurtling back to the real world.” ★★★★ DIY
”Where once her voice was all rasp and growl, falsetto now glides through kinetic beats pulled from Detroit techno, Gqom, baile funk and even “shoegaze dancehall” …The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life’ is way more open, more pop, more emotional, like a sparkly dancefloor moment mixed with a late-night diary entry – wild and vulnerable all at once.” NME
“ It’s a sweaty, clubby effort that digs just deep enough into various underground styles (hello Detroit ghettotech phenoms HiTech) to lend it some authentic grit, and a production glow-up that matches FRIDAY’s confidence better than anything on her debut.” 8/10, EXCLAIM!
“The result is a kinetic headrush of genre-blurring electro-pop, one that moves through genres at a breakneck speed.” Toronto Star
“‘1/17’ and ‘All I Wanna Do Is Party’—are euphoric, neon-lit EDM bangers ready for Electric Daisy Carnival or Ultra Music Festival… “In the Club” is a terrific dancefloor filler, co-produced by Hi-Tech, while the pulsating strut of ‘Lipsync’ is right in her wheelhouse. There’s also the sexy, successful drum-and-bass workout ‘Bet on Me’ and the slippery ballad ‘Higher’—both highlights. Best of all, the album closes with ‘Darker The Better,’ a gothy jam powered by a Cure-esque bassline that feels more like Debby’s natural habitat than where the album begins.” “Indie Basement” - BROOKLYN VEGAN
“The Toronto-based vocalist and producer Debby Friday won the Polaris Music Prize for her sharp 2023 debut album, Good Luck. She returns with the euphoric electro-pop single ‘1/17,’ a dance-floor confessional that shows off yet another side of her multifaceted talent. “I swear you’re a sign,” Friday sings in an airy atmosphere punctured by percolating synths. The track builds layer atop gauzy layer until it explodes in a burst of club-ready catharsis.” [‘1/17”] The New York Times
“The song brings back some of that old PC Music feeling. It’s a euphoric, unapologetically cheesy trance-pop confection. As synth-bloops whirl all around her, Friday chants, “Poetry and nude selfies, love the way that you know me.” It feels like it’s heading toward a climactic beat-drop…the drums do eventually arrive, and that moment is awesome. Friday co-directed the bare-bones ‘1/17’ video with Kevan Funk, and it makes a great case for her as a performer.” [‘1/17”] STEREOGUM
“Last time we heard a single from Debby Friday, the Toronto artist was commanding girls to the dance floor on a minimal club track co-produced by Detroit rascals HiTech. She’s in a totally different headspace on the hyperpop ballad ‘1/17,’ singing about love and sensuality over bubbling synths which eventually give way to a euphoric trance finale.” [‘1/17”] THE FACE
“It’s a banger” [“All I Wanna Do Is Party”] BROOKLYN VEGAN
“…fully three-dimensional in intent and tone, it finds Debby Friday severing herself from the past. Carnal and exultant…” [“All I Wanna Do Is Party”] CLASH
“Brooklyn drag queens and music directors of upcoming all-female action films: There’s a new irresistibly catchy, dark-pop song for your consideration.” [“Lipsync”] NYLON
“The song is a bubbling electro-rap cut with half-spoken words from the Toronto-based songwriter, going full rave banger during the chorus. It almost makes me—who never wants to dance—wanna dance.” [“Lipsync”] FLOOD
“hazy yet kinetic… the chanted vocals are a particularly delightful touch” [“Bet On Me”] Our Culture
“…riotous with self-belief” [“Bet On Me”] “The Playlist,” The Guardian
Debby Friday The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life
Tracklisting: 1. 1/17 2. All I Wanna Do Is Party 3. In The Club feat. HiTech 4. Lipsync 5. Alberta 6. Higher 7. ppp (Interlude) 8. Arcadia 9. Leave. 10. Bet On Me 11. Darker The Better
