We Speak Rock

Perennial Take Modernism on East Coast Run With Piebald, Then Head West in January

Published

5 days ago

November 11, 2026

New England band Perennial performing live.

Perennial. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Perennial are taking their 20 minute live marathon back on the road. The New England mod trio will support Piebald across the East Coast in December behind their new album Modernism, then cross the country in January for a West Coast headline run from San Diego to Bellingham.

Perennial Announces East Coast Tour Dates with Piebald

New Album Modernism out now on Ernest Jenning Record Co.

“The New England trio Perennial have an incredibly distinctive audio-visual aesthetic. Their live show is contagiously fun, and their records kick ass. Both the craftsmanship and the energy level are remarkable.” – Stereogum

“This is exactly what I was looking for….You get it in under 2 minutes; you’re always going to be wanting more with a jam like this.” – Robin Hilton, NPR Music All Songs Considered

“The effect is like the band ushering you through a hidden door into a secret clubhouse where mod culture, punk rock, classic B-movies, and art appreciation come together into an irresistible whole, set to ferocious, deeply joyous music.” – Paste

“This is a 21-minute confetti cannon to the face. And, yet, even with its constant blast of yelpy, modded-out dance-punk, there are so many unexpected textures to untangle.” – Lars Gotrich, NPR Music

“Modernism leans into a mod-inspired aesthetic, drawing on the concise, explosive energy that has defined the band’s live reputation.” – The Line Of Best Fit

“It’ll rightfully be placed high up there on the year-end best list. It borders on a miraculous feat the amount of turbocharged chug-chug guitar hooks, splattering organ delight, scream-along choruses, call-and-response girl/boy yelps and beat-tastic insanity that Perennial cram into mere minutes on Modernism.” – Treble Zine

Stream: Modernism on Bandcamp

Watch: “Ready! Steady! Go!” video on YouTube

Photo courtesy of the artist

Perennial is excited to announce East Coast Dates with Piebald. Perennial will be playing shows in support of their new album Modernism out now on Ernest Jenning Record Co. The December tour will include shows in Brooklyn, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Hamden, CT and more. Tickets for the shows are on-sale now.

In January, the band will head to the West Coast for a headline tour that kicks off on January 6 in San Diego and will include shows in Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland, Seattle and more. The full list of upcoming dates is below.

Modernism features the acclaimed singles “Ready! Steady! Go!,” “Emma Peel,” “Modernism,” and “What’s New On The Beat Scene,” which have earned praise from Bandcamp, The Big Takeover, Consequence, CREEM, NPR, Paste Magazine, Rosy Overdrive, Stereogum, Treble Zine, and more. The album was named Album of the Week by see/saw and Pitchfork’s Nina Corcoran calling it a standout release. KEXP praises the record’s “anthemic, energetic rockers that really sink their hooks in ya,” while Bandcamp declares, “Punk has never sounded so stylish, baby.” Stereogum raves, “Both the craftsmanship and the energy level are remarkable,” and Vanyaland adds, “Modernism feels like a classic.”

Perennial is sharp, quick, ferocious, focused. Their bruising, bombastic sets come and go before you know it: all over but the sweating. 20 minute marathons, on stage and wax. On Modernism, the New England mod trio’s newest LP, that lightning-strike chic is devoted to a pocket-symphony rave-up — 10-songs built from all the keenest bits of The Who, The Blood Brothers, Otis Redding, Stereolab, MC5, Wilson Pickett, and Le Tigre. Op art to dance to. Mellotron loops bracket electric feedback squalls; freakbeat riffs tangle up beneath Stax/Volt hooks. The band’s deep, eccentric record collections, turned into a 1,200 second action painting.

Formed in 2015 in Connecticut, Perennial is Chad Jewett (electric guitar and vocals), Chelsey Hahn (electric organ and vocals), and Ceej Wolf (drums). Focusing on both unforgettable live shows — frenetic, joyful dance-punk rites of spring — and studio-as-instrument modernist recordings, the band has built a cult of dedicated international aficionados, one sticky-humid basement show at a time. Touring tirelessly, they honed their Motown-via-Dischord sound to a keen, glossy point. With their longtime producer Chris Teti (The World Is A Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid To Die), Perennial has added layer after layer to their sharp mod collage: free jazz, ambient electronica, big beat, dub, Musique concrète, all within explosive 90-second sprints.

Modernism is their best/catchiest/densest LP yet. The hooks pile high and stick fast atop dance floor strata of fuzz bass, tambourine, and Vox Continental organ jabs. Modernism marries the experimental to the ecstatic, the impressionistic to the incendiary. Available now via Ernest Jenning Record Co. (US and International) and Safe Suburban Home (UK), Modernism is a new benchmark for one of punk music’s most intrepid aesthetic explorers.

Tour Dates:
December 12 – Brooklyn, NY – The Meadows +
December 13 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar +
December 14 – Philadelphia, PA – Milkboy +
December 15 – Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom +
December 16 – South Burlington, VT – Higher Ground – Showcase Lounge +
December 17 – Portsmouth, NH – 3S Artspace +
December 18 – Medford, MA – Deep Cuts +
December 19 – Medford, MA – Deep Cuts +
January 06 – San Diego CA @ The Banshee
January 07 – Los Angeles CA @ Permanent Records Roadhouse
January 08 – Oakland CA @ Thee Stork Club
January 09 – Redding CA @ The Dip
January 10 – Eugene OR @ John Henry’s
January 12 – Portland OR @ Off Beat
January 13 – Seattle WA @ Belltown Yacht Club
January 14 – Bellingham WA @ The Shakedown

+ supporting Piebald

Perennial: Modernism Track List
1. Modernism
2. Perennial ’65
3. Cloak & Dagger
4. Me and The Magpie
5. Granny Smith Apple
6. The Shadow
7. What’s New On The Beat Scene
8. Baby, Are You Abstract?
9. Ready! Steady! Go!
10. Emma Peel

EMPATH, Built From Volbeat, Rising And Anti-Ritual Members, Drop Their Self-Titled Debut Album

Published

17 hours ago

November 14, 2026

We Speak Media

EMPATH's four members in a black and white portrait against a dark background

Copenhagen has a new heavy rock band with serious pedigree. EMPATH, formed by members of Volbeat, Rising and Anti-Ritual, have released their self-titled debut album today, November 13th, on Indisciplinarian — a dark and dreamy take on heavy rock built on atmosphere, melody and crushing dynamics.

EMPATH is the sound of a new, dark and dreamy heavy rock band from Copenhagen, Denmark — one that revolves around atmosphere, presence and empathy. The constellation may be new, but the four members carry solid experience from bands such as Volbeat, Rising and Anti-Ritual.

In a digital and efficiency-driven age, where humanity is increasingly giving way to mechanical coldness, EMPATH — as the name suggests — is about presence, empathy and humanity. This ethos runs like a common thread through the band’s self-titled debut album, released today, November 13th, 2026, on LP, CD, cassette and digital formats via Indisciplinarian.

Across nine songs, EMPATH blends elements of progressive metal, doom, sludge and post-rock into a sound that is as dreamy and melodic as it is heavy and riff-driven. The music was recorded live with producer Lasse Ballade (Halshug, Slægt, Eyes) at Ballade Studios in Copenhagen, with vocals tracked at Grapehouse Studios by Morten Grønnegaard. Ballade also handled mix and mastering, while the artwork was created by illustrator Jon Gotlev (Nohr).

The album was first introduced by the single “Waves,” followed by “Vessel,” both pointing toward the band’s balance of melodic clarity and dense, riff-driven weight. EMPATH plays its debut show on December 11th at Hotel Cecil in Copenhagen.

EMPATH Track Listing

1. In Absence
2. Waves
3. Vessel
4. In Formation
5. In Bloom
6. In Thought
7. In Dissent
8. In Memory
9. In Return

Before forming EMPATH, guitarist/vocalist Morten Grønnegaard played with Volbeat on the albums Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies and Seal the Deal & Let’s Boogie. Bassist Christian Qvortrup played in the epic doom metal band Rising, while drummer Jakob Krogholt toured and recorded with Anti-Ritual.