“…rippling power pop cut.”- [“Might See You There”] Exclaim!@
March 4th, 2026 - Weird Nightmare has released an official video for the rollicking new track“Pay No Mind,” another standout from the infectious second LP Hoopla by former METZ frontman Alex Edkins. The new song will have you singing along in no time and is available today on all streaming services.
“We had a blast making this video with director Ryan Faist. It was a nod to the Elvis Costello and the Attractions “Pump it Up” video and some early footage of the Buzzcocks on cable access TV.
“The lyric was lifted from an Atlantic City tourism t-shirt. “I’m so broke, I can’t even pay attention” struck me as a particularly accurate comment on modern life. Obviously, the shirt is meant to be funny, but it felt quite dark to me. Due to the overwhelming onslaught of information and emotional baggage that comes with it, I think there is a tendency for people’s lives to become quite myopic. As a coping mechanism, we become more and more insular, ignoring the world around us”.
Hoopla was co-produced by Edkins and Spoon’s Jim Eno at Seth Manchester’s Machines With Magnets in Providence, RI. Edkins expands Weird Nightmare’s dimensions to new heights, resplendent with sunny guitar pop, 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. As previously announced, Weird Nightmare has confirmed North American, UK, and European dates beginning on April 24th in San Diego, with festival appearances at the Soundscape NW Festival in Portland, on April 28th with labelmates Bully, and a 5-date Canadian run in June with Wintersleep. Additional live dates will be announced soon.
Fri. Apr. 24 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar Sat. Apr. 25 - Los Angeles, CA - Gold Diggers ^ Sun. Apr. 26 - Oakland, CA - Thee Stork Club ^ Tue. Apr. 28 - Portland, OR - Soundscape NW Festival * Wed. Apr. 29 - Seattle, WA - Baba Yaga 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 Sat. May 16 - Halifax, NS - Marquee Ballroom # 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 Fri. Aug. 28 - Malaga, ES - Canela Party Festival Tue. Sep. 01 - Leeds, UK - The Attic Wed. Sep. 2 - Glasgow, UK - Hug & Pint Thu. Sep. 3 - Birmingham, UK - Hare & Hounds Fri. Sep. 4th - Southampton, UK - Heartbreakers Sat. Sep. 5 - London, UK - The Lexington Sun. Sep. 6 - Rotterdam, NL - Rotown Tue. Sep. 8 - Berlin, DE - Urban Spree Wed. Sep. 9 - Koln, DE - Bumann Thu. Sep. 10 - Paris, FR - Point Ephemere Fri. Sep. 11 - Lille, FR- Aeronef Sun. Sep. 13 Asten, NL - Misty Fields Festival
* with Bully ^ with Mrs. Magician # with Wintersleep
Hoopla will be available on May 1st from Sub Pop Worldwide and Dine Alone in Canada. LP preorders in the US through Sub Pop Mega Mart will receive the limited Loser Edition on Emerald Green-Blue vinyl; preorders 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: “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
SPRINTS today share avowedly political new single “Trickle Down.” The Irish four-piece have just returned from a sold-out and extremely well-received US tour. They will now begin the European leg, a run that takes them all the way to festival season - including some recently announced appearances at 2000trees, Bulletproof Festival, and Float Along Festival.
On the new single, the band says: “’Trickle Down’ is about watching systems fail in slow motion, housing crisis, rising costs, culture wars, climate collapse, and being told to stay patient. It’s the frustration of a generation stuck in “wait mode” while everything burns.”
SPRINTS have long been celebrated for crafting a ferocious live show that echoes the band’s recorded sound, equal parts raw and refined, catapulting listeners into controlled chaos. See below for a full list of dates.
Tour Dates Tue. Mar. 10 - Tourcoing, FR - Grand Mix Wed. Mar. 11 - Brussels, BE - Botanique (Orangerie) Thu. Mar. 12 - Amsterdam, NL - Melkweg Sat. Mar. 14 - Cologne, DE - Kantine Sun. Mar. 15 - Hamburg, DE - Übel & Gefährlich Tue. Mar. 17 - Copenhagen, DK - Loppen Wed. Mar. 18 - Berlin, DE - Metropol Fri. Mar. 20 - Warsaw, PL - Voodoo Sat. Mar. 21 - Prague, CZ - Akropolis Sun. Mar. 22 - Munich, DE - Strom Tue. Mar. 24 - Zurich, CH - Bogen F Wed. Mar. 25 - Milan, IT - Arci Bellezza Sat. Mar. 28 - Paris, FR - Cabaret Sauvage Sun. Mar. 29 - Luxembourg, LU - Atelier Tue. Mar. 31 - Munster, DE - Skate Palace Cafe Wed. Apr. 1 - Wiesbaden, DE - Schlachthof Wiesbaden Thu. Apr. 2 - Schorndorf, DE - Club Manufaktur Sat. Apr. 4 - Schijndel, NL - Paaspop Sat. Apr. 18 - Dresden, DE - Polimagie Fri. May. 22 - Derbyshire, UK - Bearded Theory Sat. May. 30 - Neustrelitz, DE - Immergut Festival Fri. Jun. 5 - London, UK - Bulletproof Festival Fri. Jun. 19 - Neuhausen, DE - Southside Sun. Jun. 21 - Scheeßel, DE - Hurricane Tue. Jun. 23 - Zagreb, HR - INmusic Festival Sat. Jun. 27 - Clermont Ferrand, FR - Europavox Wed. Jul. 8 - Gloucestershire, UK - 2000trees Sat. Jul. 18 - Carhaix, FR - Les Vieilles Charrues Sat. Aug. 1 - Curraghmore Estate, IE - All Together Now Sun. Aug. 30th - Ravenglass UK - Krankenhaus Festival Sat. Sep. 26 - Sheffield, UK - Float Along Festival
2025 was a banger year for SPRINTS, gracing the cover of Dork Magazine, a myriad of 5* album reviews, features with The Guardian and others, a Jools Holland slot, and continued support at BBC 6Music.
What people are saying about SPRINTS All That Is Over:
“A representative mix of personal and political atrocities, All That Is Over is far from a grim headbanger, rather offering a cathartic, frustrated call to action that seems timely as ever in its blunt demands for care and safe spaces in a world on fire.” - All Music
“Building on their raucous garage punk roots, All That Is Over feels like a big step forward, with striking crescendos, sludgy subdued moments, and, of course, the fierce vocals, searing guitars, and pounding drums that first drew listeners in.” - KEXP
“As with any great thrill ride, by the time ‘Desire’ has simmered down and its final note brought All That Is Over to a close, there is an overwhelming urge to do it all over again as soon as possible.” Spectrum Culture
“The Irish garage-punks are charged with the spirit of something unholy” - Record Collector
“Cathartically boisterous, brutally candid post-punk” - The Guardian
“All That Is Over is the sound of a group with something urgent to say, and the chops to say it louder, weirder and smarter than anyone else” -Dork
“The anger remains palpable, the lyrics ever relatable, and ‘All That Is Over’ injects enough ingenuity to keep SPRINTS right at the top of the class” - DIY
“The race to rock stardom is a marathon, not a 100-metre dash. But with this superb record, Sprints – sometimes fast, sometimes furious, always fucking fantastic – prove they’re in it for the long haul.” Kerrang!
“Many of these songs tussle with the jubilant status of the band – newly anointed off the back of their promising debut Letter to Self – against the apocalyptic landscape of the modern age.” [All That Is Over] - The Independent
“The second album by the noise-rock breakouts is sculpted and anthemic” [All That Is Over] - NME
“Chubb’s lyrics are so sharp they could pierce the skin like a sword” - The Skinny
“An exhilarating helter-skelter between strident, gothic clang and jubilant, unruly rock.” [4/5] MOJO
“Now, with their explosive follow-up All That is Over out now, they’re set to leap from critical darlings to one of 2025’s breakthrough acts” - 1883
“SPRINTS exhilarate on All That Is Over” - The Line Of Best Fit
“SPRINTS continue to be a vessel for clever driven punk music” - Clash
“With its gentle percussion, trembling strings and sweet, cooed harmonies, the song has the intimate, handmade quality of a scrapbook.” [“Memory Be a Blade”] - New York Times
Today, March 6th, waterbaby’s debut full-length, Memory Be a Blade, is available on CD/LP/DSPs worldwide from Sub Pop. The 8-track long player features the songs “Amiss”, “Beck n Call”, “Clay”, “Memory Be a Blade”, and today’s new offering, “Srs Ice.”
On Memory Be a Blade, the Stockholm, Sweden-born singer-songwriter’s second release on Sub Pop, the nostalgia runs deep. Her follow-up to 2023 EP Foam is darker, richer, and more personal than ever. She wanted her lyrics to dig deeper and evolve her writing forward, something she accomplishes stunningly across the eight-track project.
To spark inspiration for her new lyrics, waterbaby reflected on a past break-up. She had moved on and was seeing someone new while recording the album. But when the newer relationship ended, she witnessed how much the album took on a new meaning to reflect the heartbreak she hadn’t anticipated experiencing.
“Many of the songs came to mean very different things than what I had thought when writing them in the first place,” waterbaby admits.
In the two years following Foam, waterbaby and her primary collaborator, Marcus White, took their time to get the album right. They wrote and recorded around Stockholm, the south of Sweden, and even Los Angeles. As it took shape, however, waterbaby began to notice how much she would stiffen up behind the microphone. She admits she gets quite shy in the studio, opting for the familiarity of people like White to stay by her side. But in order to take her words and sound deeper, White encouraged her to improvise what she sang instead of writing it out ahead of time.
Her improvisations were paired with compositions that reflected waterbaby’s classical background. White played piano alongside his lush and ethereal arrangements of string and horn parts. Musicians like violinist Oliva Lundberg, cellists Filip Lundberg and Kristina Winiarski, saxophonist Sebastian Mattebo, trombonist Hannes Falk Junestav, and flutist Pelle Westlin round out the dreamy ensemble (read more at Sub Pop).
waterbaby will begin an 8-date UK & EU headline tour for 2026 in support of Memory Be a Blade. These shows will begin on March 19th in Gothenburg, Sweden, along with dates in Stockholm, London, Paris, and Berlin. Additional live shows to be announced soon. See below for a current list of shows.
Thu, Mar. 19 Gothenburg, SE - Nefertiti Fri, Mar. 20 Lund, SE - Mejerlet Sat, Mar. 21 Linköping, SE - Babettes Sun, Apr. 12 Stockholm, SE - Södra Teatern Wed, Apr. 15 London, UK - The Lower Third Thu, Apr. 16 Paris, FR - Popup! Fri, Apr. 17 Rotterdam, NL - MOMO Sun, Apr. 19 Berlin, DE - Frannz
What people are saying 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, waterbaby’s songs both break you and build you back up.” - Bandcamp Daily
“Under the gaze of auto-tuned vocals and alt-rock textures, waterbaby has forged something wholly original and awing.” - Paste
“An unguarded DIY R&B moment coming out of the Swedish capital.” - The FADER
“A real jewel, a thrilling and evocative slice of future-facing pop” - CLASH
“worth a few hundred plays.” - Loud and Quiet
“the Swedish artist’s knack for instant classics is no accident” - DIY
“waterbaby’s writing feels both fragile and fearless, cementing her status as one of alt-pop’s most quietly devastating new voices.” - Wonderland
“beautiful” - Notion
waterbaby Memory Be a Blade
Tracklisting: 1. Sink 2. Memory Be a Blade 3. Clay 4. Beck n Call 5. Minnie 6. Minnie Too 7. Amiss 8. Srs Ice
