“We recorded 12 songs in five days. It’s not as hard as you think.” Punk rock supergroup Fake Names share Until It’s Normal, the first song taken from upcoming album Punk Ruins
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Punk rock supergroup Fake Names have released the video for Until It's Normal, the first single from their third studio album, Punk Ruins, due out on 23 October via Epitaph. The band unites vocalist Dennis Lyxzén (Refused), guitarists Brian Baker (Minor Threat, Bad Religion) and Michael Hampton, bassist Johnny Temple and new drummer Mario Rubalcaba, and the release offers the first taste of new material alongside confirmation of a European tour.
The album was recorded at the late Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studio in Chicago and produced by Matthew Barnhart, with the band completing all 12 tracks in just five days after preparing remotely beforehand; Lyxzén reportedly recorded all his vocals in a single day. The 12-song tracklist includes Good Old Days, Punk Ruins and Paradise, and the band have announced European dates for January and February 2027, taking in Sweden, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Austria and the UK, including a London show at the Underworld on 7 February.
- Fake Names release Until It's Normal, first single from new album Punk Ruins
- Album, out 23 October via Epitaph, recorded in five days with Steve Albini's studio
- European tour dates confirmed for January–February 2027
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Fake Names are a punk supergroup rather than a new band, bringing together musicians best known from other well-established acts: singer Dennis Lyxzén of Refused, guitarists Brian Baker (Minor Threat, Bad Religion) and Michael Hampton, bassist Johnny Temple, and drummer Mario Rubalcaba. They formed to combine members' experience from across the punk and hardcore scene, and are now working on their third studio album together.
The band's back catalogue and reputation come from decades in punk and hardcore music, so a new album carries weight with fans of those earlier bands as well as punk listeners generally. Their studio choice also matters to some readers: the record was made at Electrical Audio, the Chicago studio built by the late producer Steve Albini, who was influential in independent and punk recording circles before his death.
The new material is being released through Epitaph, a long-running independent label closely associated with punk rock, and will be supported by live shows across Europe. This combination of a known lineup, a notable studio and an established label is the context for understanding why a single song release and tour announcement is being treated as a significant moment for fans of the genre.
Full account
Fake Names, the punk rock collective drawing members from Refused, Bad Religion and several other underground stalwarts, have announced their third studio album, Punk Ruins, due for release on 23 October through Epitaph Records. The band marked the announcement by releasing a video for the lead track, 'Until It's Normal', which serves as the record's opening song and takes aim at those swayed by present-day authoritarian rhetoric.
The group is built around vocalist Dennis Lyxzén, best known for his work with Refused and INVSN, guitarists Brian Baker (Minor Threat, Bad Religion, Dag Nasty) and Michael Hampton (S.O.A., Embrace), and bassist Johnny Temple of Girls Against Boys and Soulside. They are joined for this record by a new drummer, Mario Rubalcaba, formerly of Rocket From The Crypt and OFF!. Punk Ruins was tracked at Chicago's Electrical Audio, the studio built by the late engineer Steve Albini, with production handled by Matthew Barnhart, known for his work with Superchunk and Bob Mould. Baker has described an unusually swift recording process, saying the twelve songs that make up the album were completed in just five days, with Lyxzén laying down all of his vocal parts in a single session. Baker credited the band's habit of preparing material independently at home before convening in the studio, noting that guitar parts and solos were often worked out and shared with bandmates in advance, which he suggested made the rapid turnaround less daunting than it might appear.
Punk Ruins is being pitched as an exploration of political manipulation and social anxiety in contemporary life, filtered through the band's blend of Washington D.C.-style post-hardcore and more melodic power-pop songwriting. It follows the band's self-titled 2020 debut and 2023's Expendables, the latter produced by Adam Greenspan, who has also worked with IDLES and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Baker has spoken of the album as a genuinely collaborative effort, saying much of the enjoyment came from seeing how the other musicians' contributions reshaped his and Hampton's initial ideas.
The band's twelve-track listing runs from opener 'Until It's Normal' through to closing song 'Paradise', taking in tracks including the title cut, 'Diamond Buzz' and 'Beautiful Scars' along the way. Live dates have also been confirmed, with the band set to tour early in 2027, including a run of European shows stretching from Sweden to the UK, where they are scheduled to play London's Underworld in February.
Where outlets differ
Louder (Source 1) focuses heavily on a detailed run of confirmed European tour dates for January–February 2027, listing each city and venue including a London show at the Underworld, whereas Blabbermouth (Source 2) instead references a short US tour for February 2027 without giving specific dates or venues.
Blabbermouth provides more context on the album's lyrical themes, explicitly framing 'Until It's Normal' as a response to 'fascist propaganda' and describing the record as dissecting 'political manipulation and social neurosis' — detail not found in the Louder piece.
Blabbermouth includes additional background on the band's history and discography, noting this is their first new music in three years and referencing their 2020 self-titled debut and 2023 album Expendables (produced by Adam Greenspan); Louder does not mention the band's earlier releases.
The two sources give slightly different personnel credits for guitarist Michael Hampton's past bands (Louder cites 'One Last Wish', Blabbermouth cites 'The Faith') and spell the producer's surname differently ('Barnhart' in Louder versus 'Barnhardy' in Blabbermouth), suggesting at least one outlet made a transcription error.
Louder specifically attributes the Electrical Audio studio to the late Steve Albini, a detail Blabbermouth omits, simply calling it 'legendary'.
Louder describes the release as a 'video', while also calling it a 'lyric video' later in the same piece; Blabbermouth simply calls it a 'song/video' without specifying format.
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