SPILL NEWS: LOS STRAITJACKETS MANIFEST SURF ROCK GOLDEN AGE WITH NEW SINGLE “POLARIS” | FIRST NEW ALBUM IN OVER 13 YEARS OUT SEPTEMBER 19

LOS STRAITJACKETS MANIFEST SURF ROCK GOLDEN AGE WITH NEW SINGLE “POLARIS” | FIRST NEW ALBUM IN OVER 13 YEARS OUT SEPTEMBER 19

YEP ROC RECORDS

Rock’n’roll veterans Los Straitjackets shared their new single “Polaris” along with an official video off their forthcoming album Somos Los Straitjackets. Due out September 19th through Yep Roc Records, Somos Los Straitjackets is the masked quartet’s first new album of all-original material in over 13 years. A driving, nostalgic tune, “Polaris” was written by founding member/guitarist Eddie Angel and was inspired by the vintage tones of surf rock’s golden age. The video follows a once-legendary luchador exiled from the squared circle, embarking on a surreal pilgrimage to play the slightly-mythic arcade game titled Polaris. He’s not just chasing pixels, he’s chasing redemption.

“This is a song I had been noodling around with that Greg added a cool guitar approach to,” said Angel. “We wanted to have a song as cool as ‘Telstar,’ one of the great instrumentals of the rock ’n’ roll era.” Of the video, he continued, “I actually wasn’t aware of the video game when I wrote this song, but it’s a perfect fit.”

“Polaris” follows the release of the thrilling lead single “High Wire Act,” a suspenseful track with retro surf-attack hooks and a raucous, spry groove.

Los Straitjackets have served as America’s premier surf rock band for over three decades. They have taken their combo sound around the world, making instrumental records, but also assuming the role of all-star backing band along the way, most notably with Nick Lowe for over a decade. It’s that collaboration that fuels Somos Los Straitjackets. The lineup that has been touring since founder Danny “Daddy-O-Grande” Amis had to drop out of day-to-day operations because of his (winning) battle against multiple myeloma is Eddie Angel, longtime bassist Pete “Mr. Pete” Curry, drummer Chris “Gringo Starr” Sprague (The Sprague Brothers, Deke Dickerson) and Rochester guitar hero Greg “Gregario” Townson (The Hi-Risers, John Ellison). Playing hundreds of songs with and without Lowe, this four-piece has coalesced into an incredibly tight, rockin’ combo.

After recording with producer Alex Hall (JD McPherson, The Cactus Blossoms) at Reliable Recorders for Lowe’s 2024 album Indoor Safari, the band knew they had met the man who could capture the renewed sound of this group. They began by tracking early demos at Pete Curry’s Powow Fun Room studio in LA, then continued to fine-tune the new songs at soundchecks and even peppered them into live sets. The result is a down and dirty, electrifying, and beautiful album that pulsates with wit, twang and thunderous rock n’ roll. Somos also features two re-recordings of pandemic-era remote compositions (Townson’s “Genesee River Rock” and Angel’s “April Showers”) as well as a reimagined version of “Spinout,” a track recorded by Eddie’s other band The Neanderthals (bolstered by some guest vocals from voice-over king Tom Kenny).

“The recording process we used this time was different,” stated Angel. “We got together numerous times at the studio to work up the songs, then we recorded demos to listen back to. Having some time to tweak the songs, and in some cases play them live, really helped when it came time to record.”

With shimmering tremolo, relentless drum grooves, and hooks so catchy they don’t need lyrics to get stuck in your head, Somos Los Straitjackets is produced with a vintage touch but packed with fresh intensity. It’s both a love letter to rock ‘n’ roll’s past and a declaration of purpose with feet firmly planted in the present. It demonstrates why Los Straitjackets have reigned as the kings of modern instrumental rock for over thirty years.

Tour Dates

Los Straitjackets
07/13 – Gierle, BE @ Sjock Festival

Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets
07/31 – Tarrytown, NY @ Tarrytown Music Hall
08/01 – Norwalk, CT @ District Music Hall
08/02 – King Of Prussia, PA @ Concerts Under the Stars
08/03 – Pittsburg, PA @ Hartwood Acres Amphitheater
08/05 – Alexandria, VA @ Birchmere
08/06 – Annapolis, MD @ Rams Head On Stage
08/08 – Woodstock, NY @ Levon Helm Studios
08/09 – Woodstock, NY @ Levon Helm Studios
08/12 – North Truro, MA @ Payomet Performing Arts Center
08/13 – Natick, MA @ Center For Arts In Natick
08/15 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Lanes
08/16 – Bethlehem, PA @ Musikfest Cafe

Los Straitjackets
10/22 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
10/23 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Music Hall
10/24 – Homer, NY @ Homer Center for the Arts
10/25 – Rochester, NY @ Temple Theater
10/26 – Buffalo, NY @ Sportsmens Tavern
10/28 – Old Saybrook, CT @ Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center
10/29 – Northampton, MA @ The Iron Horse
10/30 – South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
10/31 – Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Hall
11/01 – Fall River, MA @ Narrows Center for the Arts
11/02 – Troy, NY @ Hangar on the Hudson

Artist Links

Background Photo Credit: Dave Brolan