NYC indie post punks The Van Pelt are back with fresh new material with their long-awaited fourth studio LP- out now!
We’ve already had a sneak preview of what the album may have to offer with first single ‘Punk House‘, released back in January.
The next single from the album- ‘Grid‘- is out now with accompanying video directed by Mark Nardelli of 5Boro and featuring the skateboarding prowess of Keith Hardy.
Front man Chris Leo describes the gritty, angular track as, “A little adventure with the loser protagonist trying to find their wallet.’
The band’s first studio recording in over 25 years, was recorded and mixed in Summer / Fall 2021 by Jeff Zeigler (The War On Drugs, Kurt Vile) at Uniform Recording in Philadelphia, PA, and features guest appearances by Nate Kinsella and Ted Leo among others.
The nine-track release is a strong return to the kind of indie, psychedelic, post-punk surrealism that have gained the band such a cult following.
From the dreamy, psychedelia of opening track ‘We Gotta Leave‘ you’re subsumed into this floating, ambient album that can do harmonious drift as well as spiky, punk poetry.
It’s the musical equivalent of a warm bath in tracks like ‘Image of Health‘ but the riffs get harder and sharper in the title track ‘Artisans and Merchants‘.
Those wanting something more punky will like the pace and urgency of the Richard Hell-esque ‘Grid‘ and the avant garde stroytelling of ‘Cold Cococnuts‘.
We land softly with closing track ‘Love is Brutal‘ which is anything but- it’s an expansive, gentle, stirring track which closes the album with a contented sigh.
Definitely more of an indie album than punk but that’s no bad thing- it’s a well-crafted, harmonious and atmospheric release which embodies the punk ethos of challenging boundaries and refusing to be pigeonholed or constrained.
‘Artisans and Merchants’ is out now. Order the album HERE.
- We Gotta Leave
- Image of Health
- Artisans and Merchants
- Punk House
- Old Souls From Different Epochs
- Grid
- Cold Coconuts
- Did We Hear the Same Song
- Love is Brutal
Follow The Van Pelt on Their Socials
Need more Punk In Your Life?
Teenage Bottlerocket and DeeCRACKS energise Arena, Vienna on 20th Jan 2026!
The sold-out former slaughterhouse, Arena in Vienna, is buzzing with anticipation long before the bands are ready to take to the stage – which confirms
Album review: The Molotovs debut – ‘Wasted On Youth’ – is anything but!
The Molotovs’ eagerly anticipated debut album ‘Wasted On Youth’ is a bold mix of new wave punk, indie, and garage rock, showcasing the band’s raw
Resolution Festival: Steve Ignorant Band / Sleaford Mods 11th Jan at London’s 100 Club
It’s the annual Resolution Festival at the iconic 100 Club on London’s Oxford Street. A special Sunday matinee show billed as ‘A Day for Raye’
Resolution Festival: Menace / The Outcasts 4th & Conflict / Rubella Ballet / Bones of the City 7th Jan at London’s 100 Club
Your Punktuation Editor resolved to see several top bands at the annual Resolution Festival at the 100 Club in London. Joint headliners Menace and The
Album Review : Self Torque’s debut album is about to land, and is all set for some heavy rotation
Self Torque have influences that spread fairly far and wide, including the likes of Weezer, Buzzcocks, Stiff Little Fingers, Hot Snakes, Young Livers and The
Album review: Buzzcocks make an ‘Attitude Adjustment’
Steve Diggle’s decision to keep Buzzcocks going, taken after the all-star Pete Shelley tribute show at the Royal Albert Hall in 2019, is a pressure.
I’m Molly Tie- I Love punk! I play drums (badly), write a lot about punk (not as badly) and I’m particularly interested in issues relating to women in the music scene.
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
