Chicago rock institution Pelican have released their first full length in six years, Flickering Resonance, via Run For Cover. With founding guitarist Laurent Schroeder-Lebec rejoining the band for his first full length since 2009’s What We All Come To Need, the album’s eight songs tap into the spirit of their formative era when Schroeder-Lebec teamed with fellow guitarist Trevor Shelley de Brauw and brothers Bryan and Larry Herweg (on bass and drums respectively) during the heyday of Chicago’s all ages hub Fireside Bowl. The venue’s variegated booking style would often result in post-hardcore, space-rock, indie, metal, and emo bands sharing bills, unwittingly providing a vast template of influences for the young band.

Stream "Flickering Resonance" Everywhere

Though Pelican’s thick sonic backbone remains intact, via a recording by longtime ally Sanford Parker (a collaborator as far back as their first EP), the songs on Flickering Resonance demonstrate a more humanistic side of the band. Songs like “Pining For Ever” and “Indelible” tease Pelican’s doom-metal bonafides while feeling equally ebullient and earnest - playing like a downtuned Texas Is The Reason transmuted to a post-rock landscape. Meanwhile songs like the searing lead single “Cascading Crescent” act as an appreciation for the glimmers of joy that occur even in the bleakest landscapes, as represented by an opening cavalcade of heavy riffs that pivot mid-song to a sugar rush of pastoral melodies.

Tickets for their summer tour in support of the album are on sale now. Kicking off in Cleveland on July 17th the east coast and midwest jaunt will make stops in DC, Brooklyn, Toronto and more before culminating in a hometown show at Chicago’s Thalia Hall. See full dates below.

Pelican tour dates:
Jul 17 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom +
Jul 18 Washington, DC - DC9 +
Jul 19 Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts +
Jul 20 Brooklyn, NY - The Meadows +
Jul 21 Boston, MA - The Sinclair +
Jul 22 Montreal, QC - Bar le Ritz PDB +
Jul 23 Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace +
Jul 24 Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme +
Jul 25 - Indianapolis, IN - POST Fest +
Jul 26 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall +
Aug 8 Jaromer, CZ - Brutal Assault Festival
Aug 9 Sinzendorf, DE - Void Fest
Aug 10 Bochum, DE - Bahnhof Langendreer
Aug 11 Tilburg, NL - Hall of Fame
Aug 12 London, UK - The Dome
Aug 13 Manchester, UK - YES
Aug 14 Bristol, UK - Arctangent Festival
Aug 16 Carhaix Plouguer, FR - Motocultor Festival

* supporting Russian Circles
+ with Porcelain

Posted: May 16, 2025

Wisconsin-based songwriter, Graham Hunt, recently announced his fourth full-length, Timeless World Forever, due out June 13th, and today he's back with another fantastic new single, "Been There Done That." 

Timeless World Forever finds Hunt at his absolute best, showcasing his ability to synthesize guitar pop chops with a layered approach to production and a sly lyrical eye. His collage-like style seems effortless, but it takes an incredible amount of craft to make slacker playfulness and heartland earnestness work under the same roof. Where previous singles "East Side Screamer" and "I Just Need Enough" (which earned attention from the likes of Stereogum, BrooklynVegan, and more) showcased Hunt's incredible knack for hooks, "Been There Done That" leans into his chameleonic ability to harness wildly different sounds and styles into something distinctly his own. The song's simmering mood and homespun production sound like some kind of long lost '90s r&b hit filtered through the mind of a midwestern punk. 

Hunt discussed the new song, saying: "I had covid when I wrote this song. I tuned every string on my guitar to a random pitch and put my fingers in different places until it sounded good. I didn’t write down how to play it so I had to do my best to translate what I was doing in my voice memo demo to my normal tuning when I got around to recording the song for real. Initially shelved it in its original form as an Elliott smith style sad acoustic song, it got wheels when I had my friend Stu Manley lay down some funky drums. The lyrics add up to something very specific to me that I’m not interested in sharing. I think it’s cool that they will probably mean something completely different to someone else."

For years Hunt has been a staple of the Midwest indie rock world, leading Midnight Reruns and performing with artists like Mike Krol and Disq. In 2019 he released his first solo record and has been on a tear ever since, steadily creating album after album of songs that are as catchy as they are quirky. Timeless World Forever completes a sonic and thematic trilogy that began with 2022's If You Knew Would You Believe It? and 2023's Try Not To Laugh. The record feels like the culmination of his intricate-yet-infectious songwriting and recording style, and delves further into Hunt's surreal version of Madison and its cast of characters.

Upcoming Shows:
06/27 Madison, Wi @ Atwood Music Hall
10/08 Phoenix AZ Rebel Lounge
10/09 Pioneertown CA Pappy & Harriet’s *
10/11 Los Angeles CA Regent Theatre ^
10/12 San Francisco CA The Independent ^
10/14 Portland OR Mississippi Studios ^
10/15 Seattle WA Tractor Tavern ^

* w/ Superchunk, Narrow Head
^ w/ Narrow Head, Rival Schools

Posted: May 14, 2025

Last year One Step Closer released their new full-length, All You Embrace, boldly expanding the scope of their sound and drawing acclaim from the likes of Stereogum, Uproxx, BrooklyVegan, FLOOD Magazine and more. Today the Wilkes-Barre punk heroes are back with a massive new single, "Jinx."

All You Embrace found One Step Closer creating their most anthemic and passionate work to date while still packing the bite that longtime fans have some to love, and "Jinx" pushes that dichotomy even further. Recorded and produced by Jon Markson (Drug Church, The Story So Far, Drain, Koyo) it's a towering cut of widescreen post-hardcore that envelopes the listener in churning guitars and vocalist Ryan Savitski's fierce yet melodic roar.

Stream "Jinx" everywhere

Guitarist Ross Thompson discussed the music video saying: "I was inspired by director Andrei Tarkovsky: come up with a strange concept and make it look pretty. My goal was that if you paused the video at any moment you could print it out and hang it on your wall. Just make a pretty video with my pretty friends. This was all done within two weeks. Three days of filming (one day, one half day, then four hours) and then the rest was editing. I made the first rough draft in iMovie as the demo then my friend Layne who also shot it translated everything into Premiere. This was a group effort and fun project to work on with all the homies."

All You Embrace follows 2021's This Place You Know and 2023's Songs For The Willow which catapulted One Step Closer into the ranks of the most exciting new bands coming out of hardcore. All You Embrace makes good on all of that potential, leaning into the most melodic elements of the band's sound without sacrificing an ounce of energy. The album finds One Step Closer exploring the sonic overlaps of hardcore, emo, '90s alternative, and more--resulting in the most ambitious songs they've ever written. “I wanted to showcase One Step Closer in its fullest state,” explains vocalist Ryan Savitski. “Every single part of the band, I wanted it to be there. I wanted us to be 100% ourselves and be as authentic to our band as we could possibly be.” All You Embrace is certainly imbued with that sense of identity, a testament to knowing who you are in a world of uncertainties, and a powerful new era for One Step Closer.

One Step Closer have been touring nonstop in support of All You Embrace, their next round of shows is a lengthy North American headline run with support from Bleed, Magnitude, World of Pleasure, Stateside, and more. Attendees will be able to snag a tour-exclusive CD mixtape of songs (including "Jinx") along with a 20 page zine made by the band.

Upcoming Shows:
05/17 Lakewood, OH @ Mahall’s *+&
05/18 Chicago, IL@ Subterranean *+&
05/20 Minneapolis, MN@ Legion Hall *+&
05/21 Lawrence, KS @The Bottleneck *+&
05/23 Denver, CO @ HQ *+&
05/25 Salt Lake City, UT@ Kilby Court *+
05/27 Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project *+^
05/28 Portland, OR @ McMenamins Mission Theater *+^
05/30 Berkeley, CA @ 924 Gilman *+^
05/31 Los Angeles, CA @ The Midnight Hour Records *+^
06/01 Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction *+^
06/03 Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge *+^#
06/05 Austin, TX @ The Ballroom at Spider House *#!
06/06 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada *#!
06/07 Houston, TX@ White Oak Music Hall *#!
06/09 Louisville, KY @ Portal *#!
06/10 Detroit, MI @ The Sanctuary *#!
06/12Boston, MA @ Middle East Downstairs *#!
06/14 Brooklyn, NY @ The Meadows *#!
06/17 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar *#!
06/18 Richmond, VA @ The Canal Club *#!
06/20 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade (Purgatory) *#!
06/21 Greensboro, NC @ Hangar 1819 *#!

* w/ Footballhead
+ w/ Bleed
& w/ Ends of Sanity
^ w/ World of Pleasure
# w/ Stateside
! w/ Magnitude

Posted: May 07, 2025

Armlock, the up-and-coming Australian indie rock duo of Simon Lam and Hamish Mitchell, released their latest album, Seashell Angel Lucky Charm, in 2024 and drew attention from the likes of Stereogum, The FADER, BrooklynVegan, FLOOD Magazine, Paste Magazine, Bandcamp Daily, and more. Today the band are back with a new single "Strobe."

"Strobe" highlights Armlock's uniquely minimalist approach to deeply immersive and hooky music. With only a few layers of instruments and a vulnerably unvarnished vocal, the band provide a huge musical and emotional payoff.

Stream "Strobe" everywhere

Longtime friends and collaborators, Lam (vocals and guitar) and Mitchell (guitar and keyboards) met studying jazz at Monash University in Melbourne, eventually discovering a shared love of electronic music. After a handful of electronic and dance-oriented projects (I’lls, Couture, Kllo) Armlock began in earnest and the two musicians began incorporating guitar into the songs they were making for the first time. Their debut Trust was released in 2021 and laid the groundwork for their imaginative and sonically rich sound, at times recalling Pinback’s lean alternative, Alex G’s adventurous indie, or the wave of mysterious-yet-endearing genre-bending music coming out of the UK from label’s like Dean Blunt’s World Music or Vegyn’s PLZ Make It Ruins. Armlock's second album Seashell Angel Lucky Charm introduced the group to the broader indie world and now "Strobe" continues their hot streak.

Armlock's upcoming UK and EU tour dates start next week, see full itinerary below.

Upcoming Shows:
May 9 Dublin, UK @ Bello Bar
May 10 Glasgow, UK @ The Huge and Pine
May 12 Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
May 13 Manchester, UK @ Yes
May 14 London, UK @ Lexington
May 16 Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape Festival
May 18 Brussels, BEL @ Les Nuits Boutique Festival
May 19 Paris, FR @ L'International
May 21 Rotterdam, NET @ V11
May 24 Bristol, UK @ Dot To Dot Festival
May 25 Nottingham, UK @ Dot To Dot Festival

Posted: May 01, 2025

Chicago heavy rock stalwarts Pelican have shared “Pining For Ever,” the third advance sample of their first full length in six years, Flickering Resonance (coming May 16 on Run For Cover). The song arrives on the heels of a flurry of activity for the group, including appearing on the cover of the latest issue of Decibel magazine, wrapping up their expansive west coast tour with Russian Circles, and debuting the album in full at a 420 party at Chicago’s Half Acre this past Sunday. Akin to the album’s preceding singles the song in conjunction with an abstract visual by multidisciplinary artist Joshua Ford - watch it here.

Stream “Pining For Ever”

Pelican head back out in July for an east coast run with Porcelain before shifting to Europe for a run of festivals in August, including appearances at Arctangent, Motocultor, Void Festival, and more.

Though Pelican’s thick sonic backbone remains intact, Flickering Resonance demonstrates a more humanistic side of the band, tapping into the spirit of their formative era when Schroeder-Lebec teamed with fellow guitarist Trevor Shelley de Brauw and brothers Bryan and Larry Herweg (on bass and drums respectively) during the heyday of Chicago’s all ages hub Fireside Bowl. The venue’s variegated booking style would often result in post-hardcore, space-rock, indie, metal, and emo bands sharing bills, unwittingly providing a vast template of influences for the young band. The album’s eight songs manifest as an outward expression of the deep, grounded appreciation that dwells within the band members.

Upcoming Pelican tour dates:

Jul 17 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom +
Jul 18 Washington, DC - DC9 +
Jul 19 Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts +
Jul 20 Brooklyn, NY - The Meadows +
Jul 21 Boston, MA - The Sinclair +
Jul 22 Montreal, QC - Bar le Ritz PDB +
Jul 23 Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace +
Jul 24 Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme +
Jul 25 - Indianapolis, IN - POST Fest +
Jul 26 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall + (w/ Coalesce)

Aug 8 Jaromer, CZ - Brutal Assault Festival
Aug 9 Sinzendorf, DE - Void Fest
Aug 10 Bochum, DE - Bahnhof Langendreer
Aug 11 Tilburg, NL - Hall of Fame
Aug 12 London, UK - The Dome
Aug 13 Manchester, UK - YES
Aug 14 Bristol, UK - Arctangent Festival
Aug 16 Carhaix Plouguer, FR - Motocultor Festival

+ with Porcelain

Posted: April 22, 2025

Runnner isn't slowing down anytime soon! Los Angeles-based songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist Noah Weinman has been on a mad dash of impressive new singles, including "Untitled October Song," "Coinstar," and "Spackle," and today he's back with another, the sweeping "Chamomile."

Runnner's latest songs have marked a sonic shift, foregoing the home-recorded crackle of his previous work for a widescreen sound reminiscent of the early 2000s indie rock boom. The high fidelity treatment lends Weinman's songwriting a new immediacy without losing any of the intimacy of his earlier material. "Chamomile" bursts from the speakers with punchy drums and vibrant guitars that perfectly buoy Weinman's seemingly endless well of stirring melodies.

Weinman discussed the new song saying, "I wrote this song back in 2017. It’s kind of about depending on small, insignificant things to make big, important changes in my life, and how silly that is. There’s a lyric in the second verse about re-recording a thousand times that became a kind of prophecy in that I’ve made dozens of versions of the song before this one. I’m very relieved to finally be putting it out.”

Runnner had a very busy 2024, releasing an ambient album (Starsdust), and an improvisational performance album (Dust 2), before kicking off his current marathon of singles. Where much of his music last year leaned into the more experimental side of Runnner, Weinman's 2025 singles are marked by a musically ambitious, deeply earnest kind of songwriting that's defining his next chapter. Stay tuned for more from Runnner!

Posted: April 17, 2025

Last month Wisconsin-based songwriter, Graham Hunt, joined the Run For Cover Records roster, and luckily listeners haven't had to wait long to find out what's to come from the new partnership. Today Hunt is announcing his fourth full-length, Timeless World Forever, due out June 13th.

Timeless World Forever finds Hunt at his absolute best, showcasing his ability to synthesize guitar pop chops with a layered approach to production and a sly lyrical eye. His collage-like style seems effortless, but it takes an incredible amount of craft to make slacker playfulness and heartland earnestness work under the same roof--as proven by Hunt's latest single "East Side Screamer." The track follows last month's "I Just Need Enough" and sounds like some kind of alternate reality where Paul Westerberg fronted The Beta Band. Or as Hunt even more intriguingly puts it, "'East Side Screamer' is a true story about an encounter with a supernatural entity on the east side of Madison, Wisconsin."

For years Hunt has been a staple of the Midwest indie rock world, leading Midnight Reruns and performing with artists like Mike Krol and Disq. In 2019 he released his first solo record and has been on a tear ever since, steadily creating album after album of songs that are as catchy as they are quirky. Timeless World Forever completes a sonic and thematic trilogy that began with 2022's If You Knew Would You Believe It? and 2023's Try Not To Laugh. The record feels like the culmination of his intricate-yet-infectious songwriting and recording style, and delves further into Hunt's surreal version of Madison and its cast of characters.

Hunt will be hitting the road starting tomorrow for a run of North American tour dates with Liquid Mike and Dazy. He'll also be supporting Superchunk, Rival Schools, and Narrow Head in California this October. See full itinerary below.

Upcoming Shows:
04/02 Lakewood, OH @ Mahall's *
04/03 Detroit, MI @ Edgemen *
04/04 Toronto, ON @ More Reality 2 *
04/05 Montreal, QC @ Cabaret Foufs ^
04/07 Brooklyn, NY @ TV Eye ^
04/08 Medford, MA @ Deep Cuts ^
04/09 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's ^
04/10 Washington, DC @ DC9 ^
04/11 Pittsburgh, PA @ Bottlerocket Social Hall ^
04/12 Ft. Wayne, IN @ The Brass Rail #
06/27 Madison, Wi @ Atwood Music Hall
10/09 Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s +
* w/ Dazy
^ w/ Dazy, Liquid Mike
# w/ Liquid Mike
+ w/ Superchunk, Rival Schools, Narrow Head

Posted: April 01, 2025

Patience, Moonbeam is Great Grandpa’s most collaborative and sonically expansive work yet. From the sparkling pop-grunge of their first record Plastic Cough (2017), to the sprawling indie rock of Four of Arrows, the band has been on a clear trajectory of both refining and re-defining their sonic identity. Patience, Moonbeam delivers on that promise, taking the band’s DNA and elevating it. All of Great Grandpa’s signature elements are there—the untraditional song structures, the abundance of hooky melodies, Al’s soothing yet stirring lead vocals—but with a sophistication that mirrors their years of personal growth.

Swinging like a pendulum from heavy to tender, playful to weighty, these 11 songs seem to paint a sonic illustration of the pains and pleasures of being alive. The band picks at the complexities of life and growing up while moving deftly through a sea of melodies and scene changes. These close-knit friends - Al Menne, Dylan Hanwright, Pat and Carrie Goodwin, and Cam LaFlam - have crafted a triumphant document of what happens when your collaborators become your chosen family.

"A bit softer, twangier, and more at peace, [Patience, Moonbeam] finds its strength in the comfort of these longtime friends.” - Pitchfork

“The singles from Great Grandpa’s highly anticipated Patience, Moonbeam have been unpredictable and massive.” - Stereogum

"It’s no exaggeration to call this an epic return.” - Brooklyn Vegan

Posted: March 28, 2025

Last summer Horse Jumper of Love released their latest album, Disaster Trick, drawing acclaim from fans and critics alike. Now they're back with two previously unheard b-sides from the album, out today.

"The Idiot" and "The Car Knows The Way" were recorded at Asheville, North Carolina’s Drop of Sun Studios with producer Alex Farrar (Wednesday, Indigo De Souza) during the Disaster Trick sessions and they retain the album's gauzy atmosphere while standing on their own. Horse Jumper of Love excel at writing patient and expansive music and "The Idiot" leans into that side of the band's oeuvre with a tightly wound coil of fuzzy guitars and restrained percussion slowly unwinding around vocalist/guitarist Dimitri Giannopoulos' cutting lyricism. "The Car Knows The Way" taps into the sparser, more lofi side of the band, cloaking the listener in warm vocals and tape hiss.

Vocalist/guitarist Dimitri Giannopoulos discussed the new songs saying:

"'The Idiot' was initially inspired by Prince Myshkin from the Dostoevsky book. In the beginning of the book he was gone for a few years at a clinic in Switzerland and is on his way to Saint Petersburg only to get thrown into all kinds of drama. I liked the idea of 'stumbling' back into a whole lotta shit.

The song is about stumbling back into your 'real' life after tapping out for some time. When you're in a mentally unavailable state and then you get your shit together, you expect people to have waited for you and to be available themselves when you're 'back.' The first time in your life it happens to you and you realize people have not waited can be hard to face.

'The Car Knows the Way' is about letting the car bring you to where you need to go."

Horse Jumper of Love are staying busy this spring with a lengthy run of tour dates supporting Turnover on their Peripheral Vision ten year anniversary tour along with Balance and Composure. See full itinerary below.

Horse Jumper of Love are staying busy this spring with a lengthy run of tour dates supporting Turnover on their Peripheral Vision ten year anniversary tour along with Balance and Composure. See full itinerary below.

Posted: March 25, 2025

Chicago heavy rock institution Pelican have shared “Indelible,” another taste of their first full length in six years, Flickering Resonance (set for release May 16). Like the album’s previous single “Cascading Crescent,” the new song arrives paired with a psychedelic visual by multidisciplinary artist Joshua Ford - watch it here. The new track arrives as the band winds down their rapturously received tour with Russian Circles, a pairing that has yielded huge turnouts and led to sold out theaters in Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Austin, Minneapolis, Denton, as well as filling iconic rooms like The Fillmore in San Francisco. Pelican head back out in July for an east coast run with Porcelain before shifting to Europe for a run of festivals in August, including appearances at Arctangent, Motocultor, Void Festival, and more.

In anticipation of the release of the new album, the band have announced a very special early listening event in partnership with Chicago independent brewing powerhouse Half Acre and Half Acre’s Second Setting Cannabis. The band will be on hand at Half Acre’s Bowmanville brewery on Easter Sunday (aka 4/20) for a special DJ set that will include a debut playthrough of the vinyl test presses of the new album, along with a selection of favorite jams and other Pelican rarities. Half Acre will be serving pints of their terpene-infused Second Setting IPA, and will be joined onsite by local cannabis purveyors Second Setting and the Budrista Club. The band will have special limited edition merch on hand, including an event-specific 420 shirt (limited to 50 prints, see the Graffix-inspired artwork below) and the very last remaining copies of the “Cascading Crescent" 7” vinyl which includes a vocal version (exclusive to the vinyl) fronted by emo icon Geoff Rickly of Thursday on the b-side.

Though Pelican’s thick sonic backbone remains intact, Flickering Resonance demonstrates a more humanistic side of the band, tapping into the spirit of their formative era when Schroeder-Lebec teamed with fellow guitarist Trevor Shelley de Brauw and brothers Bryan and Larry Herweg (on bass and drums respectively) during the heyday of Chicago’s all ages hub Fireside Bowl. The venue’s variegated booking style would often result in post-hardcore, space-rock, indie, metal, and emo bands sharing bills, unwittingly providing a vast template of influences for the young band. The album’s eight songs manifest as an outward expression of the deep, grounded appreciation that dwells within the band members.

Posted: March 18, 2025