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Protomartyr Announce New Album Hotel Usona: Hear “Sounds We Cannot Hear”
Detroit post-punk band Protomartyr have announced their sixth studio album, Hotel Usona, alongside the release of lead single "Sounds We Cannot Hear" and its accompanying music video. It is the follow-up to 2023's Formal Growth In The Desert and marks a return to new material after the band spent last year marking the tenth anniversary of The Agent Intellect with a live album and shows.
The new record was recorded with producer Dave Fridmann, known for his work with Sleater-Kinney, MGMT and the Flaming Lips, at his Tarbox Road Studios in western New York. Iggy Pop, a long-standing admirer of the band, contributed an effusive endorsement comparing the album's ambition to Wagner's Tristan and Isolde. Hotel Usona features nine tracks, including "The Old Hotel," "Converts" and "Checking Out," and its announcement comes with a run of North American tour dates beginning in October 2026.
In short
- Protomartyr announce new album Hotel Usona, share lead single
- Recorded with producer Dave Fridmann; praised by Iggy Pop
- North American tour dates confirmed from October 2026
Explained simply
Protomartyr are a post-punk band from Detroit, known for music that pairs Joe Casey’s spoken, often stark vocals with tense guitar-driven arrangements. Hotel Usona is their sixth studio album and follows Formal Growth In The Desert, released in 2023.
The album was recorded with producer Dave Fridmann, whose credits include work with Sleater-Kinney, MGMT and the Flaming Lips. Iggy Pop has praised the band for years, bringing attention to their place in a wider lineage of American punk and alternative music.
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