A glockenspiel and saxophone aren’t necessarily indie rock prerequisites, but they’re signature elements for Nineties-inspired sixpiece Stalefish as their optimistic skate-grunge sound grows more unwieldy and adventurous. Out Oct. 9, third album Bueno opens louder and noisier, setting the scene for character sketches, mid-20s musings, and boundary fraying.
“PA Toll Tag” introduces the record’s twin themes of contemplative apathy and sincere soul searching, sprinkled with crunchy distortion and sour-sweet psychedelic effects. Songwriters Dalton Hausman, Jake Magee, and Sam Franklin attempt earnestness for the cringe generation in “Everything’s Embarrassing”; fret over mundanity and boredom on “Fortune Smiles” and “Bump in the Head”; tackle fleeting fame on “Superstar”; and fiddle with the line between social symbiosis and parasitic leeching in a local scene on “Big Fan.”
In between, alt-country riffs, enthusiastic power-pop hooks, beachy harmonies, and iridescent loops courtesy of layered guitars and basslines – and bandmates Avery Delost (tambourine), Jonathen Pedraza (keys, saxophone), and Jonathan Cazares (drums) – create an exuberant sonic landscape.
“Hypnotized,” the third single from the LP, amplifies the delightful shapeshifting the group is becoming experts in, sending dynamic vocals through portals of digital playfulness and bouncing with early-Beck segmentation. Horizons stretch on and on for this increasingly expansive and prolific slacker rock outfit.
This article appears in October 2 • 2026.
