“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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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.

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