On their forthcoming debut album “People Only Like Me When I’m Leaving” (out 9/25), NYC’s rapidly rising Nautics enter a new phase–bridging the grit of New York’s DIY lineage with a more expansive, modern, alternative sound exploring the messy realities of relationships, self-obsession, and emotional vulnerability. Balancing their meticulous playing and raw songwriting, radio’s addictive first taste off the album comes in the haunted empowerment of “Wasteman.”

Born from New York City’s alternative underground scene, Nautics are a Downtown-born indie rock band redefining what it means to make music in the modern era. Comprised of Kenzo Repola (vocals/guitar), Van Cameron (bass), Kitt Flamer-Calder (guitar), and Levitt Yaffe (drums), the four friends first started playing together in high school, and since then have shaped a sound that blends the city’s culture and legacy while pushing the sonic boundaries of what listeners expect from an NYC band.

Nautics first connected over a shared love of artists like The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, and Bloc Party, whose art-rock approach inspired the band’s own mix of sharp guitars, dynamic rhythms, and emotionally charged songwriting. They’ve become a fixture of the city’s live scene, earning a reputation for electrifying performances at legendary venues like Irving Plaza, Mercury Lounge, and Bowery Ballroom.

Recently signed to independent label Bright Antenna Records, and with more new music and tour dates on the way (see tour dates page!), Nautics are carrying forward the legacy of NYC rock while amplifying their singular sound to a global audience.

Listen: Nautics – “Wasteman” (clean radio edit)

Nautics – “Wasteman” (clean radio edit)

Listen: Twisted Teens – “When First We Met”

Twisted Teens – “When First We Met”

With the New York City trio’s high-energy “BLOOM” EP right around the corner (out 9/18!),  King Falcon air out their frustrations with power imbalances on their fully-charged new single “Hungry Dog Run.” 

“‘Hungry Dog Run’ is about what happens when frustration turns into momentum. It comes from the sense that a lot of ordinary people feel ignored, overworked, and backed into a corner while those in power remain untouched by the consequences. How long can we keep getting the worst end of the deal before something gives?” – Michael Rubin (King Falcon)

“‘Holding Out’ is a bonafide slice of modern alt pop…..I can hear this song everywhere.” – Matt Pinfield/KCSN

The forthcoming “BLOOM” EP from King Falcon pushes the band’s sound to new territory while maintaining their singular sonic identity and foundation over five eclectic tracks. With its anthemic choruses and searing guitar riffs, the NYC band dives head-first into a more refined, self-assured sound. Frontman and primary songwriter Michael Rubin says, “These songs have new sonic elements beyond what we’ve done in the past and we’re really excited about that. This EP is the bridge between our first record and more music we’re currently working on for 2027.”

Listen: King Falcon – “Hungry Dog Run”

King Falcon – “Hungry Dog Run”

Following the “scathing” (SPIN) lead single “Sounds We Cannot Hear,” which discusses the slow paralysis of modern life, the New Share from Detroit post-punk legends Protomartyr’s forthcoming album “Hotel Usona”  (out 9/25) tackles AI. “Feed The Sewer” is Live Now!

What is a Protomartyr? A person or persons who want to be part of something beautiful and interesting, with the understanding that you may pay a price for that, and that others who come after will have an easier time. So then there is Protomartyr the band. Four guys who are very, very skilled musicians and creators who I suspect would be totally f*cked without the intervention of their talents, which are considerable. They are, to put it crudely, a kind of rock band out of Detroit. That’s a subject I know something about. — Iggy Pop

“Protomartyr is back with a new dispatch from the end times.” — SPIN

One of the band’s best and most ambitious songs…very layered, very wonderful”— The Needle Drop [BEST TRACK: “Sounds We Cannot Hear”]

Of “Feed the Sewer,” Protomartyr lead vocalist Joe Casey says, “The title comes from a line of dialogue in a Peter Greenaway movie. The sentiment of the song is that artificial intelligence is against humanity. The belief is that people are often willing to destroy the world in exchange for convenience. The lyrics are the usual mish-mash of political fears, personal grievances, literary references, and poop jokes. The music is very loud, like a data center.”

Protomartyr’s upcoming album  “Hotel Usona” was recorded with legendary producer Dave Fridmann (Sleater-Kinney, MGMT, The Flaming Lips) at his Tarbox Road Studios in western New York, and finds the Detroit post-punk outfit reckoning with the horrors of our current moment. It is not easy listening. It’s essential.

Over the last two decades, Protomartyr—vocalist Joe Casey, drummer Alex Leonard, bassist Scott Davidson, and multi-instrumentalist and co-producer Greg Ahee—have built one of the most rewarding and often exhilarating bodies of work in recent memory by veering in and out of darkness, grappling with what most frightens us, saddens us, disgusts us, embarrasses and enrages us, and with a gallows humor for the ages, gives a sense of the comedy inherent in so much that we encounter. Essentially, the stuff that makes us human.

Listen: Protomartyr – “Feed The Sewer”

Protomartyr – “Feed The Sewer”

Chicago’s Fort Frances have been grinding it out for 15 years creating music about fears that the universe is teetering on the edge of doomsday, and Even if that’s true, the band figures we all may as well just enjoy it all while we can.

Their new habit-former single about life is “Parliament Lights,” which will be pulled from the upcoming EP of the same name this fall, and which we’re excited to bring you ever-lovin’ radio forward thinkers First!

“Do you remember smoking cigarettes with the windows down, feeling the rush of air colliding with you on the highway? I do. It was great. And I remember convincing myself that I plenty of years to reverse the damage. This song is about capturing that feeling that everything is still ahead of you, that time is still on your side. It’s about staying out until the bartender tells you it’s time to go home and waking up the next day to go to work to make enough cash to do it all over again.” — David McMillin (Fort Frances)

“All we ever really want to feel is the feeling of beginning,” David McMillin sings at the close of the chorus of “Parliament Lights,” the title track of the forthcoming Fort Frances EP. That’s pretty tough to do for a band that has been around for 15 years, but the grizzled Chicago rock quartet — Aaron Kiser on drums, Jason Ryan on guitar, Tim Konn on bass and McMillin — channels the magic of a band in the in-fancy of its career. From the DIY basement show energy of “At Your Fingertips” to the drunk-by-the-campfire sense of “Go for Broke,” this collection of songs brims with the innocence and invincibility of a band that just wants to go — no matter where it is they’re heading.

Listen: Fort Frances – “Parliament Lights” (radio edit)

Fort Frances – “Parliament Lights” (radio edit)