BIG STIR RECORDS proudly announces the long-awaited full-length debut from LA-based neo-postpunk quartet WALKER BRIGADE. The new album IF ONLY, which sees release on CD and Digital on May 27, is up for pre-order at www.bigstirrecords.com and everywhere now, streaming worldwide on the release date. Featuring 13 tracks including the new single/focus

BIG STIR RECORDS proudly announces the long-awaited full-length debut from LA-based neo-postpunk quartet WALKER BRIGADE. The new album IF ONLY, which sees release on CD and Digital on May 27, is up for pre-order at www.bigstirrecords.com and everywhere now, streaming worldwide on the release date. Featuring 13 tracks including the new single/focus track “Choker” and all of the prior singles, notably the combination of “No”, “Fallout” and “Tower” which landed the band on the first ballot for the Grammys, IF ONLY finally gives the world a proper introduction to one of LA's best kept secrets: melodic, abrasive, slyly funny and completely beguiling, WALKER BRIGADE has truly arrived.

WALKER BRIGADE has always been one of the most exciting and enigmatic bands in Big Stir Records' corner of the Los Angeles guitar pop scene. The art-punk-pop four-piece, veterans of a series of live shows and acclaimed singles under the label's auspices, present themselves with a blazing onstage presence, jagged but tuneful hooks, and an arresting male-female vocal frontline (guitarists Tracy Walker and Jeff Charreaux). The drive of the rhythm section – drummer Craig Tyrka, a NY transplant with many a CBGB gig on his resume, and bassist Mark Fletcher whose jazz-punk fusion style recalls Mike Watt – provides the unique bedrock of the band. The full package recalls the energy and ambition of their oft-cited influences – X-Ray Spex, The Soft Boys, Mission of Burma, and inevitably hometown heroes X – with a distinctly modern twist. Walker Brigade have described themselves as “serving up anthemic despair with savoir faire since 2014”, and IF ONLY is an overdue summation of exactly what that means.

The sound is an invigorating throwback to the days circa 1978-1981 when “angular” and “catchy” went hand-in-hand, before New Wave smoothed over the rough edges... inventive, original, cathartic and more than a little mysterious. The band in fact seems to thrive on mystery, if not outright contradiction. Take the fact that IF ONLY sports two covers amongst its spiky-sweet originals: one by Wire (“Sand In My Joints”) and one penned by Mel Brooks (“I'm Tired” as originally performed by Madeline Kahn in Blazing Saddles). There's the bewildering amount of invented and real names by which the members, and indeed the band, have been known since their inception. And there are those Grammy considerations: a resounding mainstream nod for some of the most invigoratingly fractured and bracing music Big Stir has ever issued, leavened by singalong passages like the unforgettable chorus of “Tower”.

In yet another paradox, although those recordings were selected for the “Best Rock Album” category, there was no album... until now. IF ONLY collects those three tracks, previously issued as digital singles by Big Stir, along with most of the now out-of-print debut mini-album THERAPY ANIMAL and new material for the definitive introduction to the band as an artistic force. Taken as a whole, it's a hell of a document. Walker Brigade describe their music as “informed by the isolation created by social media, private mythologies and identities, and the desire to play the timeless music of the post-punk era,” but the music isn't limited to that early heyday. The eerily catchy “Disease” evokes Pixies and The Breeders, “V.D. Doll” rides a revved-up blues progression, and “Shake Shimmy” borders on melodic hardcore.

The single “Choker” shows the band – and the Walker/Charreaux vocal chemistry – at its most melodic, even as the lyrics warn “trust nobody, not even me”. There's also “Judy Holliday” sounding like an art-damaged Pretenders tune, “What Is Wrong With Me” which puts a new spin on the X template, the near-Stonesy future single “Fancy Boots”, and Tracy's full-throated declarations on “No” bringing to mind Sleater-Kinney at their fiercest. The band's sonic signature unites all of these diversions, sandwiched between the primal throb of the opening “Fallout” and the punk cabaret of the closing cover “I'm Tired” (the video must be seen to be believed). The lyrical landscape, mostly envisioned by Tracy and Jeff separately and together, is nothing short of fascinating, living up to that promise of private mythologies – fans will find themselves either puzzling out the seemingly coded connections, or simply giving themselves over to the gleeful wordplay on offer.

A generous selection of bonus tracks rounds out the package, featuring covers of tunes by key influences The Soft Boys and The Only Ones, alternate mixes of the singles, and a few surprises it wouldn't do to spoil. The new record is at once a summation of the musical cosmos-unto-itself that is WALKER BRIGADE for those who've been watching and waiting all along, and a brilliant introduction for the world at large. Despite its title, IF ONLY is anything but tentative... it's a statement as brash as they come, and the time has come for WALKER BRIGADE to be heard far and wide.

THE WALKER BRIGADE storms back with this week's Big Stir Digital Single! “No” b/w “Fallout” is out Friday, March 20 and is up for pre-order at www.bigstirrecords.com/big-stir-digital-singles now. It's the followup to their previous single “Tower” (collected on the BIG STIR SINGLES: THE FOURTH WAVE CD) and a taste of what's to come from LA's most

THE WALKER BRIGADE storms back with this week's Big Stir Digital Single! “No” b/w “Fallout” is out Friday, March 20 and is up for pre-order at www.bigstirrecords.com/big-stir-digital-singles now. It's the followup to their previous single “Tower” (collected on the BIG STIR SINGLES: THE FOURTH WAVE CD) and a taste of what's to come from LA's most exciting postpunk pop combo: big hooks, an X-style vocal attack, and a sound that can only be triangulated by their propensity for covering Wire, The Soft Boys, and Mel Brooks... in other words, wholly unique and absolutely essential.

What do the band – Tracy Walker (lead vocal & guitar), Mark Fletcher (bass), Craig Tyrka (drums) and Jeff Walker (guitar & vocals) have to say about themselves, and this new outing? “Anthemic despair... savoir faire... members from elsewhere... NYC, Philly, Chicago, L.A. (really everywhere)... punk, art-pop, tight harmonies, and songs we want to hear. Influences: Childhood.” The tracks were produced by the band with David Guerrero and recorded and mixed by Karen Basset at her faaaabulous Laurel Canyon studio; Marc Doten at Trend Coma Bootlegs, Echo Park; Brad Gordon at Magic Carpet Studios, North Hollywood; and David Guerrero at Sparkle Palace Sound, Atwater Village, and mastered by Mark Linett.

Of the A-side, they note: “In the chaotic and confusing year of 2018, Tracy Walker felt desperate for clarity, and wrote an early ’90s-styled homage to the only one word sentence.” Bassist Fletcher explains the much longer genesis of “Fallout”: “Some years back, when I was in a band with Larry Jacobson (Youth Chairs), and Michael Mooney (Manby’s Head), our rhythm guitarist Andrea Ogarrio showed us the beginnings of a song about the breakup of her first marriage. The rest of us joined in with chord changes, riffs, and a few minor revisions to the lyrics. We recorded the song twice, the second time with Marc Doten, but neither was ever released. Here it is for the first and third time.”

It all adds up to some of the most intense and bracing music that Big Stir's had the pleasure of releasing this year. If you're locked down, quarantined, or carefully practicing your social distancing, here are the cathartic rockers you just might need to feel a little less penned in. Turn 'em up, rock the hell out, and just say “No” to feeling trapped. The Walker Brigade is riding to the rescue... we're saved!

The next Big Stir Digital Single comes from THE WALKER BRIGADE, frequent and favorite performers at Big Stir's Burbank concert series since its very earliest days, before the label, before the magazine, before anyone showed up. The brand new “Tower”, b/w their cover of Madeline Kahn's Mel Brooks-penned “I'm Tired” (!) with its attendant video, are

The next Big Stir Digital Single comes from THE WALKER BRIGADE, frequent and favorite performers at Big Stir's Burbank concert series since its very earliest days, before the label, before the magazine, before anyone showed up. The brand new “Tower”, b/w their cover of Madeline Kahn's Mel Brooks-penned “I'm Tired” (!) with its attendant video, are out Friday October 4 at www.bigstirrecords.com/big-stir-digital-singles and up for pre-order now!

Equal parts art-punk and pop, the band caught our ears with their early demos, mixing fine originals in the vein of X and Pixies with covers of Wire, Only Ones, Ramones and Soft Boys tunes (Rex is still badgering the band to let BSR release their version of “Rock and Roll Toilet”). We count ourselves fortunate to have been able to include their track “DisEASE” on the pre-BSR compilation CD BIG STIR: THE FIRST YEAR and can't believe it's taken us this long to feature them on an “official” release from the label!

The driving, angularly melodic “Tower” is their debut selection from recent recording sessions at Karen Basset’s Laurel Canyon New Boom Chic Studios. Side B is “I’m Tired” with a video conceived, produced and art-directed by the band’s front-person, Tracy. The song has been licensed and placed in a film, coincidentally entitled “Tired”, featuring award-winning actor Bradley Whitford. The band’s video stars genius competition-champion, drag artist Abhora. It was filmed on location at the spectacular Salton Sea.

During the pre-Brexit, American Kardashianation period, Tracy Rose Keaton and Mark Fletcher became obsessed by UK bands like Wire, Subway Sect, X-Ray Spex, The Soft Boys, and The Only Ones. During that era, no two great groups sounded alike. (That was a thing.) They began learning those songs to play them live. After people at their shows at The Redwood, Café NELA, Taix, etc. said they could not tell which songs were covers or the band’s own, The Walker Brigade began recording their debut album Therapy Animal, released in 2017... but not before the kraütrock-meets-the Pixies “DisEASE was selected by the Big Stir powers-that-be to appear on their Big Stir:The First Year CD compilation. The tune was singled out for praise in a Goldmine magazine review of the multi-artist compilation. Therapy Animal was hailed as ‘[a]n instant classic (Ralph Brown, The Guardian, UK)' and the band itself cited as “a catchy combination of anthemic despair and savior faire: Punk, art-pop, and some clever harmonies” by David Bash (International Pop Overthrow).

Tracy and Mark employ a writerly sensibility to their approach to The Walker Brigade. Tracy’s training as a playwright brings emotional nuance to her songwriting and performing. (Her book on The Shangri-Las was published by Rhino.) Mark is a staff writer at AFI and brings a cineaste’s sensibility to his metteur-en-scène bass arrangements. Drummer Craig Tyrka has played with Doug McGuire (Mod Hippie) and Chissum Worthington (Wormstew) – he's a New Yorker and a CBGB alumnus. Jeff Charreaux, a bridge-and-tunnel guitar player, eventually made his way to L.A. too. He co-wrote two songs on Michael Simmon’s celebrated First Days of Summer solo LP and sings on a track by The Armoires on their Side Three EP—securing him a Champniss of London Big Stir caricature.

THE WALKER BRIGADE continues work with Karen Basset (Test Pressings, Pandoras, Arthur Alexander Band) on the followup to Therapy Animal for release in 2020. “Tower” gives a bracing glimpse into what to expect from the new record as the band continues to gig regularly around the LA area, winning new attention with each performance. More on the band can be found at: www.facebook.com/thewalkerbrigade

“Tower” (Jeff Charreaux) Radical Inclusionist (BMI) Recorded by Karen Basset at New Boom Chic Studios, Laurel Canyon, Mixed by Brad Gordon at Gordotone, Los Angeles. Mastered by Steven Wilson

“I’m Tired” (Brooks) Warner-Tamerlane Publishing (BMI) Recorded by Marc Doten at Coma Trend Bootlegs Studio, Echo Park. Mastered by Brad Gordon

Walker Brigade is:

Tracy Landecker—vocals & guitar Jeff Charreaux—guitar & vocals Mark Fletcher—bass & acoustic guitar Craig Tyrka—drums & percussion