The Fat Angel Sings

Sunny War is an Americana singer/songwriter based in Chattanooga, Tennessee with a punk edge, and her upcoming album features two punk legends, Steve Ignorant of Crass and John Doe of X. She’s the finger-picking blueswoman whose life was changed by the punk band Crass – and went viral for busking while homeless. She talks about ghosts, her ‘smelly’ childhood and fighting the far right.

Sunny War delivers another stunning album of punk folk and blues with a full band and guest musicians of old school punks. Seeing her on the streets of LA and seeing where she is now is testament to her strength and belief. She could have faded away – people would see the video and wonder what happened to that bad ass guitar playing homeless girl and probably determined that her talent had been subsumed by drugs and drink. But she became more than that. More than a cliché. She rose above. She inspires.

“Ghosts”, an exploration of her father’s death and its aftermath, appears on her new album, “Armageddon in a Summer Dress”. It is a fantastic record, more evidence of a song writing talent who has attracted the attention of Willie Nelson (who covered her song “If It Wasn’t Broken” on his last album) and Mitski, who invited War to support her most recent New York shows. It deals in Americana deeply rooted in blues – War is a devotee of Elizabeth Cotten, whose song “Freight Train” became a skiffle-era standard, and plays guitar with a distinctive “crab claw” finger-picking style more commonly used on a banjo – but also displays her longstanding love for anarcho-punk.

“Everybody I love is punk,” she shrugs. “As a kid, those are the only people that would be friends with me, because maybe I was a little bit smelly and I had a drinking problem.”

Once a member of a punk duo with the spectacular name the Anus Kings, War has old Discharge and Multi-Death Corporations posters on the wall of her home; she is frequently seen sporting Rudimentary Peni and Conflict T-shirts. The lyrics on “Armageddon in a Summer Dress” cover everything from romance to the urge to switch off from the incessant news cycle. There are definitely moments when they sound remarkably like the barked contents of a 7in punk single: “Sucking dick for a dollar’s not the only way to ho / We sell labour, we sell hours, sell our power, sell our souls.” Even her stage name makes her sound like a member of a punk band – her real name is Sydney Ward 

Signed to a local label and then to the longstanding Americana institution New West – home to Steve Earle, Drive-By Truckers and Elvis Costello and T Bone Burnett’s the Coward Brothers. Her breakthrough came with 2023’s “Anarchist Gospel”, which featured contributions from alt-country royalty David Rawlings. The years of busking prepared her for touring life. “I don’t have a lot of fear that some other performers have, because all the craziest shit that could happen while you’re playing has already happened to me,” she says. “I’ve had gangs of teenagers heckle me. I’ve had a crackhead steal all of my tips out of my guitar case and run away. And I pay a lot of attention to how people react to songs, because as a busker you’re always trying to figure it out: oh, people tip really good if you play this.”

The album also features appearances by Valerie June, Tré Burt, Jack Lawrence of the Raconteurs, Kyshona Armstrong, John James Tourville of The Deslondes, and more. The songs with Steve Ignorant and Tré Burt are out now, and both are great.

Their return is 2025’s most unexpected treat. The Armory Show are back! This minor miracle has gone pretty much under the radar, but after a 40 year gap between albums, they have stormed the barricades with one of the finest albums of the year in “Dead Souls”. The Armory Show manage to be epic and gentle, fresh and traditional all at once, sometimes in the same song.

Led by Richard Jobson of the Skids, The Armory Show has released a brand new album, Punk legend Richard Jobson is best known as the frontman of the Skids.

The Armoury Show emerged in 1983, consisting of Skids members Richard Jobson and Russell Web, along with Magazine members John McGeoch and John Doyle. The band released their debut album “Waiting for the Floods” in 1985, before disbanding in 1988.

In 2019, it was announced that The Armory Show would be resurrected with Jobson as the only original member, and a newly amended name without the letter U.

 Armory Show: Dead Souls released on Last Night From Glasgow

One of the most exciting new bands in the UK – but with the cool reserve of quietly heroic past-masters. This is a band for the new generation. Teenagers and twenty-somethings who are looking for the new, exciting and original in guitar-based music. This is a band who live in their imagination. Record their day-dreams and write about their nightmares. Tulpa don’t need hype and hyperbole. They are the real deal and sooner or later, the (secret) public will get what they want…the coolest, genuinely Indie-pendant Band in the UK

A band that sound so cool, write songs that are so strange, but look so unexpectedly  normal and ordinary that you wouldn’t give them a second glance in the street. The songs are about pyromaniacs, spies, monsters, tulpas, stick-figure boys, UFO’s, reveries, phantoms and psyops.

The singer/bass-player Josie Kirk will be dubbed ‘the Mona Lisa of New Indie’ and Dan Hyndman who provides the male vocal on a couple songs is the definition of laconic as a singer.  Both he and Myles Kirk alternate in playing lead and rhythm guitar which meshes beautifully, underpinned by drummer Mike Ainsley who always seems dressed for bad weather.

Tulpa are so cool, you really would think that they are American…. the music press/business Always found it easier and preferable to mythologize and eulogise bands from the USA rather than the UK…. Talking Heads, Sonic Youth, Arcade Fire… rather than UK bands.  Maybe it was to do with ‘market forces’ but so many British bands never achieved their potential worldwide  and its always been a bugbear of mine that American bands always used to get preferential coverage.

These things don’t matter to me generally but Tulpa have huge commercial potential, being as they are ‘midway between the Sunday and Pixies’ or Lush and Pavement…  They have a kinda ordinariness and a mystique that could well translate into mainstream success without vulgar commerciality.

The Skep Wax label seem to specialize in bands who are essentially the spiritual children of the bands they formed themselves as youngsters, Talulah Gosh & Heavenly. So in tandem with reissues of their old material, they are releasing brand new, box-fresh, jangle-pop, naive C86-style indie, thus flooding the market with their signature sound. A style of music and associated look, that was much-mocked by the laddish music press at the time.

“Monster of The Week” is laidback and groovy slacker-pop personified with a hint of The Monochrome Set. You feel like everyone’s against ya is a killer opening line which pale-boys and sad-girls will immediately relate to. Every song on “Monster of The Week” is perfect in isolation… but fit together as a immaculate collection

They open with an instrumental, ‘Theme‘.   (Like Pixies did on Bossanova) “Transfixed Gaze” next, condenses the Sundays and The Wedding Present formulae into one perfect 3 minutes 11 seconds of cynical, cyclical pop… the narrative of which has an echo of Devoto (to me, but must be sheer coincidence…) “Psyops” has a chorus/hookline that goes…. you’re so sad and I don’t know why – repeated like a mantra until it becomes hypnotic. “Pyro” is super-fast  -the Primitives meets Josef K.

“Let’s Make a Tulpa” will be, in time, looked back upon as an utter classic. Perfection. “Stick Figure Boy” is so perfect, lazy, corny and too long – like a twee parody of Dinosaur Jnr – but still irresistible.

“You’re Living in a Reverie” has a hint of the purity-of-sound of Ceremony, and the lyric is astounding in that it seems to use vocabulary drawn from Ian Curtis, Howard Devoto (reverie), Morrissey (ill at ease), Buzzcocks (inside my head there is harmony) and again, Pixies (Let’s take a ride on a UFO baby..).  None of which I’m suggesting is deliberate, but it will hook in older listeners…

“It’s Amateur Hour. I need professional help” is just such a great couplet, sung sweetly with an almost imperceptible hint of menace. “Raw Nerve” is all frenzied guitars, and may remind seasoned listeners of the spiky excitement of Josef K say the label. “Whose Side Are You On?”  is the eternal question and a great song sung by Dan to close the album on a slacker note, sounding as it does like Blur in their Pavement phase.

Skep Wax say: A whole set of loud, catchy, perfectly-crafted pop songs have been conjured into existence – and want to be part of your life. Josie’s hyper-melodic lead vocals are cool and crystalline – but the lyrics are warm and human. The twin guitars create a sonic mesh, a web of textures that traps you, whether you like it or not. And yes, something scarier does lie below the surface. Occasionally the guitars force their way to the front, furious and intense. And sometimes those lyrics aren’t as innocent as they first appear. The danger, just below the surface of the songs, is maybe that’s what makes this album so arresting…

Tulpa are so good they could be mistaken for Americans says Ged Babey. ‘Midway between The Sunday and Pixies’ is the tag-line. Tulpa are: Josie Kirk, Daniel Hyndman, Mike Ainsley, Myles Kirk.

Tulpa: Monster of the Week released on Skep Wax released November 28th, 2025

We’re excited to share a new track from our album Arctic Moon — ‘Saviours Are A Dangerous Thing’ — released today as a full promo video. It was the final song written for the album, and one that holds a lot of weight. As Vox explains:

“I’m especially pleased with how this one came together. The initial idea was brought in by Stephen Rice, and from there, it became a full band collaboration. The melody and lyrics came quickly — influenced by what was unfolding politically at the time. There was chaos, and I couldn’t help but see the parallels with the 1930s — and the implications felt deeply troubling, not just for the country I now live in, but for the Western world as a whole.”

“Arctic Moon” has a good claim to be Chameleons’ best album yet: it has breadth, maturity, sophistication and not a single weak track. Time to stop thinking of them as “coulda been contenders” – they’re back in contention now, with an energy that shames many a younger band.

Chiming, cheering guitars and muscular riffs are filtered through a deep melancholy: this is the sound of summer turning slowly yet ineluctably into autumn. It’s a perfect showcase for Vox’s dissections of twisted, tortured relationships. “I need someone who’s not afraid/Of this dark dynamic we have made,” he sings on the opening track, “Where Are You?”

Since they first emerged in 1981, Chameleons have often been described as the most underrated band of their generation. But now, the release of their fifth studio album could finally bring them the acclaim they deserve. Time has taken its toll on the original line-up, remembered for their three genre-defining 1980s albums and their short-lived early 2000s reformation. However, vocalist, lyricist and bass player Vox Mark Burgess remains at the helm, still accompanied by guitarist Reg Smithies. Second guitarist Stephen Rice, drummer Todd Demma and keyboardist Danny Ashberry complete the squad.

“Arctic Moon” arrives September 2025. 

The album will be available from all the usual US and UK/EU outlets. 

With their fourth album, “Billboard Heart”, Sub Pop-signed the Seattle indie-rockers Deep Sea Diver are in contention for Album of the Year. With the standout track “What Do I know” showcasing frontwoman Jessica Dobson’s captivating singing, with echoes of peak Patti Smith, while her impassioned guitar-playing nods to Radiohead and Yo La Tengo. Skilfully combining ear-worm melodies, propulsive riffs and arresting lyrics, “Billboard Heart” is one of the must-hear albums of 2025.”

St. Vincent, TV on the Radio, and Flock of Dimes, bands that have found newly ornate and magnetic ways to make indie rock by discarding notions of how it must sound or what it must say. It’s their fourth album and first for Sub Pop, and it is a coup, a triumph over self-doubt, transforming failure into an opportunity to find new freedom, belief, and strength. In the middle of July 2023 in a Los Angeles studio, Deep Sea Diver mastermind Jessica Dobson took a guitar solo but somehow felt nothing. Just days earlier, her Seattle band played a series of semi-secret shows for devotees as de facto rehearsals for a new record. The sets had gone well, but the new songs seemed muddled, Dobson’s conviction lost somewhere in the 1,000 miles between Southern California and the home studio she shares with partner, drummer, and frequent cowriter Peter Mansen. On that first night in Los Angeles, she broke down, wondering what she was doing there, and pondering how to fix it. Deep Sea Diver retreated home without an album.

Did they need to scrap it, to begin again with new material? Not at all: Following a brief break, Dobson found a renewed sense of self, a trust in her vision for her band and songs and her ability to capture them. Over dinner with longtime collaborator Andy Park, a humbling confession that she needed help inspired Dobson to reimagine and reinvigorate Deep Sea Diver. This revelation set the stage for the power and brilliance of Billboard Heart, Three years before Dobson’s galvanizing dinner with Park, Deep Sea Diver issued its third album, 2020’s “Impossible Weight”, via the colossal indie imprint, ATO. It was a significant step up, and earned the band a groundswell of exposure and a spot on Billboard charts. But the success caused Dobson to doubt her impulses, to wonder what an idea’s impact or reception might be as much the strength of the idea itself. Moments of domestic creation, with her at the piano and Mansen on guitar in their Seattle living room, forged a path forward, and reinvigorated the pair’s songwriting partnership.

From end to end, the material on “Billboard Heart” is astonishing. The title track is the one song Deep Sea Diver actually finished in Los Angeles. It’s a radiant and magnificent thing, the billowing synths of Elliot Jackson and tunnelling pedal steel of Greg Leisz bolstering an anthem for fearlessly advancing into the future. “Emergency” links hardcore’s vim to electroclash’s instant allure with Dobson’s captivating vocals and guitar work in the spotlight. Tender and vulnerable, “Tiny Threads” is a sweeping anthem for anyone trying to hold anything together—life, love, themselves. “If it haunts me, let it haunt me,” Dobson sings softly over a stillness framed only by bass and noise. She lets her guitar careen into feedback, then steadily sculpts it into something tuneful. It’s a lifetime of anxiety and sublimation, crystallized into 10 seconds. Billboard Heart feels that way at large. “Billboard Heart” emerged when Dobson trusted her instincts, a personal breakthrough that prompted an artistic one. It is, in turn, the best Deep Sea Diver album yet, a defiant and brilliant exclamation mark at the end of a long period of wandering.

Deep Sea Diver: “Billboard Heat” released through Sub Pop

Genre-bending Tropical Fuck Storm present their highly anticipated fourth album. The band’s DIY approach, creating sonic tapestries that depict the dystopian world through which we sleepwalk, while still, occasionally, offering us a glimmer of hope that we can come out the other side, has resulted in a shift in focus that proves just what we already knew. There is no background music here, no distraction, no second screen scrolling. “Fairyland Codex” is a journey, an album that demands attention from start to finish.

The songs on ‘Fairyland Codex’ immerse us in the chaos of a fateful landslide, picking out the characters that litter the impending collapse of society. Acidic, acerbic, anarchic; Tropical Fuck Storm’s command of wordplay, undercut by snarling guitars, pulsing rhythms, and explosive salvos, populates a hinterland between light and dark. The vocal interplay between Liddiard and the soaring harmonies of Kitschin and Dunn creates a teetering balancing act that’s intensified by the frantic narratives that evolve from their collective psyche.

Freshly signed to Fire Records, Tropical Fuck Storm is the Australian rock band and supergroup formed by Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin of The Drones. Their sound is characterised by elements of art punk, noise rock and experimental rock.

“Tropical Fuck Storm are masters of tension and release.” The Guardian.

“Tropical Fuck Storm Stir Up A Psychedelic, Dadaist Spectacle” Bandcamp.

“A messy, hyperverbal, supremely danceable monolith.” Aquarium Drunkard.

“In Tropical Fuck Storm’s determination to engage as fully as possible with the reality of human existence, in all its ugliness and contradictions, they are tapping into its truths.” The Quietus

“It’s the Golden Age of Arseholes.” Has any band captured the insanity of the last decade in such vivid, poetic, hallucinatory detail better than Australia’s Tropical Fuck Storm? Formed in 2017 by Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin of The Drones, with Lauren Hammel (High Tension) and Erica Dunn (Mod Con), the band have been reporting from the edge of the apocalypse — a surreal “future now” that’s only slightly removed from our actual reality. That lyric is from “Goon Show,” one of many awesomely phantasmagoric songs on TFS’ fourth album. “I’ve seen the cellphone footage and it’s raining cats and dogma,” Liddiard continues. “You can rob a bank, but you don’t really rob the bank.”

Tropical Fuck Storm avoid specifics — names are rarely mentioned — but they always nail the mood. Living in the Australian bush outside Melbourne, where the barren terrain is home to all manner of weird and deadly wildlife, perhaps gives the band their uniquely Darwinian perspective: viewing the current climate as just the latest natural disaster the Earth must weather before eventually hitting the reset button. “Don’t you worry about money, don’t you worry about being alone,” Liddiard sings — backed by Kitschin and Dunn’s harmonies — on the contemplative, brooding ballad “Stepping on a Rake.” “Don’t worry about what’s coming, some things are not worth knowing.”

The interplay between Liddiard’s gruff, distinctly Aussie howl and Kitschin and Dunn’s sweet harmonies — often in call-and-response form — is also at the core of what makes Tropical Fuck Storm so unique. Liddiard calls it like he sees it: a world on the brink, its inhabitants doing what they must to survive. Kitschin and Dunn offer some flicker of faith in humanity. Dunn and Liddiard also have a near-telekinetic guitar interplay, with performances that are wildly unhinged and skronky but somehow land back in the pocket, never going overboard. “Fairyland Codex” mixes Grand Guignol psych-rock and funk (“Irukandji Syndrome,” “Goon Show,” “Bloodsport”) with surprisingly tender moments, like the title track — a perfect example of TFS’ balance of dystopia and hope: “A village in hell is waiting for you… if you choose.”

This new album from An Slua from County Galway is a fine slab of twin guitar fuelled gruff Oi adorned with intricate artwork, They sing about the state of modern day Ireland and their name translates as The Crowd. I hadn’t heard of them before listening to this record — all I knew was that they come from County Galway in Ireland. Their album “Sure Look It” was released through a cooperation between Longshot Music and Distr-Oi! Records.

After listening to it, three things keep running through my head. I can’t neatly slot their music into any one subgenre. It’s definitely Oi! punk, but with a strong sense for melody. Musically this band draw on a range of influences, but centred round a heavy thumping fast take on Oi. It’s in the raw vocals, the terrace roar of crew choruses and the pounding drums- the incised guitar attack of AC/DC, the power chords of Steve Jones and that 12 bar blues riffing of Cock Sparrer/Status Quo (take your pick), albeit heavier and darker. Everything sounds pushed into the red, so you get the full ferocity.

From the first seconds, the band lays out its clear signature: two guitars, a gritty Oi! punk sound, and urgent vocals often backed by stadium-style gang shouts. It works in the opener “Plan of Campaign“, and equally so in “Dry Shite“, which leans even more heavily into dual-guitar tension and build up. The third track, “Arseways“, has an intro and chorus that give me vibes of Rancid’s more playful material. Then come “Big Man Yeah” and “Mountain of Rubbish“, the latter playing with tempo changes — a lot happens in two and a half minutes.

Side B opens with “Agrarian Agitation“, which shifts from a slow build to one of the fastest songs on the album. “Fed Up” brings back the stadium-style refrains. The two scorchers “Thick As Shit” and “Saoirse don Phalaistín” are fast, guitar-driven tracks. The closer, “Gifts From Galway“, is an ode to their home region — the kind of track that balances just the right mix of melancholy and punk grit, avoiding a sappy ballad while keeping that proper bittersweet undertone.

As for the political element already mentioned, their direction is clear from their own declaration: „All people, all species, all equal.“ Lyrically, the band tackles topics like capitalism, gentrification, widening social inequality, consumerism, the housing crisis, events in Palestine, and the rise of the far right.

An Slua are unmistakably a political band in every sense of the word. The album features ten original tracks ranging from a minute and a half to at most three minutes. A fast ride from start to finish. Their modus operandi is straightforward: punchy punk songs with urgent vocals.

“Mountain of Rubbish” is a lament at humanities destructive impact on the planet and the creatures living on it

released August 29th, 2025

An Slua’s members are
Drums: Eugene Kerrigan
Guitar: David Boyle
Bass: Bernard McKeever,
Vocals: Mic Mac Cana
Guitar: Shane Mac Cana

Autocamper are like a breath of fresh air, and one of several bands who have picked up the proverbial gauntlet to keep the jangling end of indie music alive. It would be lazy to reel off the band many influences, and would do them a disservice; you just need to listen to “What Do You Do All Day?” to appreciate they clearly have an impressive collective knowledge of what’s gone before but also with an eye on the future.

Autocamper are the perfect pop tonic to our Age of Anxiety. “What Do You Do All Day?” is their debut album and their wide-eyed reflections on unrequited romances, bedroom tiffs and hungover misdemeanors effortlessly retrofit the jangle pop sounds of the ’80s without any trace of C86 revisionism. Not twee, not anorak, not lucky, just pop: it’s these truths that distinguish them from their peers, the hollow strains of Instagram Indie and the corporate pop that forces us to be joyful. RIYL: Postcard Records, The Pastels, Sarah Records, early Flying Nun label.

Manchester’s Autocamper are the perfect pop antidote to the city’s predictable post-punk machismo. Like a Northern kitchen sink rendering of The Vaselines’ call and response motif, vocal duties are shared by Jack Harkins and Niamh Purtill — their world-weary reflections on bedroom tiffs and hungover misdemeanors capture the jangle pop spirit of the ’80s without the C86 revisionism.

Recorded at Glasgow’s Green Door Studio and produced by Chris McCory of Catholic Action, Autocamper shed their bedroom pop roots on their debut LP while retaining the candid, bittersweet sincerity of earlier releases. Vocalist and guitarist Jack Harkins’ casual lilt often resembles a less baritone, Northern English iteration of Calvin Johnson, countering keyboardist Niamh Purtill’s soft, whisper-like timbre. This classic dynamic runs through the album, yielding a tenderness that strikes a perfect balance — never too cloying, and offering a modern twist on the unpretentious earnestness found in ’60s sunshine pop of groups like The Millennium.

A good melody is inherently sincere as it originates from an authentic emotional space. In the case of Autocamper, memorable melodies are abundant, shaped by an impressive collective knowledge of music’s past, present, and future. Their sound is both nostalgic and fresh, combining the DIY pop sensibilities of the early Flying Nun and Sarah label bands with the jangling, melodic impulse of James Kirk-era Orange Juice, while also capturing the heartfelt songwriting of Curt Boetcher and Sandy Salisbury.

“Map Like A Leaf” parallels the later output of The Pastels, a connection strengthened by Tom Crossley from the band contributing his flute to the track. On “Dogsitting,” Niamh’s pleasantly wonky organ echoes Martin Duffy’s keyboard ruminations during mid-period Felt. The rhythm section, comprising Harry Williams on bass and Arthur Robinson on drums, resides somewhere between the crispness of The Feelies and the pure, youthful pop essence of Motown, evinced in Robinson’s complete control of the snare. Those bouncy basslines act as a shimmering glue that binds the pieces together, not unlike the standout moments of The Field Mice’s Michael Hiscock.

Autocamper add colour to the everyday; transforming a sigh-ridden, pedestrian Sunday into moments of fleeting optimism amid the tangled web of love and life in The Age of Anxiety. Not twee, not anorak, not lucky, just pop: it’s these truths that distinguish them from their peers, the hollow strains of Instagram Indie and the corporate pop that forces us to be joyful. 

Out on Slumberland Records / Safe Suburban Home Records on the 11th July 2025

Craig Finn is a Minnesota-bred singer/songwriter based in New York City, best known as the singer of The Hold Steady.

Craig Finn returns with a solo album produced by the War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel. The band also play on “Always Been“, while Kathleen Edwards and Sam Fender contribute vocals. “I believe this to be the most narrative record I have made,” Finn said of “Always Been” in press materials.

Most songs concern a protagonist who pursued a career as a clergyman despite a lack of faith. The record tells the story of his rise and fall and redemption.” Finn shared the singles “People of Substance” and “Bethany” ahead of the follow-up to “A Legacy of Rentals“.

“Always Been” is his sixth solo album from Craig Finn, released April , 2025. The album was produced by Finn’s long time friend Adam Granduciel, is direct both in both music and title. As Finn says, “I’ve always been Craig Finn.” From the opener “Bethany”, a moody piano-driven portrait with a distinctive Granduciel guitar solo, to the propulsion of the first single “People of Substance”, to the vivid storytelling and character development that has marked Finn’s career, this record feels at once familiar and fresh.

Recorded throughout 2024 at One Cue Studio in Burbank, CA, “Always Been” features a host of musicians, including many of Granduciel’s bandmates in The War on Drugs. The musical result is distinctive, purposeful, and commanding. This is perhaps Finn’s most narrative record yet. It tells the story of a man who becomes a clergyman despite a lack of faith. The songs detail his rise, fall, and eventual redemption, while also shining a light to sharply reveal the other characters that populate the world he moves through.

This is perhaps Finn’s most narrative record yet. It tells the story of a man who becomes a clergyman despite a lack of faith. The songs detail his rise, fall, and eventual redemption, while also shining a light to sharply reveal the other characters that populate the world he moves through.

Receiving year end accolades from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Aquarium Drunkard and more, “Always Been” arrives as an exciting next step for this prolific storyteller and songwriter. 

released April 4th, 2025

Produced by Adam Granduciel

Sydney Sprague captures the dizzying intensity and unsteady footing of life’s highs and lows in just a few vivid lines. Her third LP, “Peak Experience” (out September 26^th), takes listeners through the whirlwind of feeling everything all at once – vulnerable and visceral, dramatic and dynamic, catchy yet candid. With sharp lyricism and an electric emotional charge, Sprague’s recent singles strike at the heart of modern anxiety, isolation, and the catharsis that comes from turning chaos into art. “Peak Experience” isn’t just her latest; it’s Sydney Sprague at her absolute best.

Vulnerable, visceral, and vividly self-aware, Sydney Sprague’s latest singles find her spiraling, soaring, and searching for relief in all the messy in-between moments. As she gears up to release her third album ‘Peak Experience,’ the Phoenix indie rocker opens up about anxiety, emotional extremes, and reclaiming control through cathartic, guitar-laced songs.

Since her acclaimed 2020 debut, “maybe i will see you at the end of the world”, Sydney Sprague has built a reputation for indie rock that resonates with anyone who’s ever felt caught between spiralling out and finding clarity. Her relentless touring alongside acts like Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, and The Front Bottoms has deepened her connection with audiences, fuelling an evolution that’s both fiercely introspective and boldly outward-facing. Recorded in her home studio in Phoenix, Arizona, “Peak Experience” marks a pivotal moment of creative freedom for the 33-year-old singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist – each song crafted precisely on her own terms, free from external expectations.

From the raw anxiety of “Fair Field” and emotional desperation of “As Scared As Can Be,” to the feverish existential spiral of “Flat Circle” and the intimate, pleading catharsis of “Long Island,” Sydney Sprague’s latest releases reveal an artist at her most vulnerable, visceral, and vibrant – showcasing her depths as both a songwriter and a guitarist.

We discovered Sydney in 2021 for a road trip through the Black Forest and follow her releases since then. Also “Peak Experience” is a lively, sometimes noisy, indie rock pop punk thing, a bit too short, but with some catchy tunes like “Flat Circle” or “As scared as can be”.

released September 26th, 2025