“Bootleg” is the sixth studio album by the American experimental rock duo the Garden. It was released on July 10th, 2026 via Epitaph Records. As the slightly ramshackle name might already suggest, the Shears siblings had no particular plans behind the LP:
“Bootleg” is a compilation of songs written and recorded overtime with no particular intent or goal in mind,” the pair said in a statement. “This album is and was purely a pleasurable endeavor by us both. Every track has its own meaning or story, not unlike a chapter book of different narratives.”
As the band demonstrated over their career, musically uncategorizable? Like throwing darts blindfolded. But is it also the best kind of odd and jarring, and a yet another slice of undeniable lo-fi magic from the brothers Shears?
The album was self-produced and self-recorded by the band in Los Angeles. In a statement by the band, they stated that the album lacked a cohesive theme, rather being a compilation of tracks each with their own individual meaning or story. Three singles preceded the albums release, “Ugly”, “5 Mile Ponytail”, and “Eve of Nothing”
Critics described the record as an “anarchist’s dream and a civilian nightmare, built like a moving diorama of a supernatural world set in place with heavy-duty staples.” They praised the albums diversity, stating that the album “careens between punchy punk rock and spectral detours that guide us through the band’s long-running intrigue into the experimental and—more prominently felt—the paranormal.”
Others also highlighted the albums diversity, exclaiming that the band “continue embracing the beautifully uncanny instrumentation that has become synonymous with The Garden’s identity, stitched together by visceral production the pair meticulously sculpted themselves.”
An Official Music Video for “Eve Of Nothing” by The Garden from the album ‘Bootleg’
It’s an “aggressive and vulnerable, chaotic but intentional, nostalgic yet completely unfamiliar.” Moreover, believing the album to embrace a heavier 80s-punk sound when compared to past releases by the band, while still retaining the unpredictability the band is known for.
Wyatt Shears: Bass, Guitar, Vocals, Electronics
Fletcher Shears: Drums, Vocals, Electronics
All songs written and recorded by Fletcher Shears & Wyatt Shears
Produced by Wyatt Shears & Fletcher Shears
The Fat Angel Sings 