Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 10/15/25

R is for Rocket, out Oct 3rd via Transgressive Records / Canvasback (Greg Freeman, War on Drugs) sees the band deliver on all of the promise of their 2023 self-released debut EP. Great introductory story at Rolling Stone if you’re unfamiliar. Stream the new album, check out the Press Kit, and watch videos for “Wide Awake” & “Crossing Fingers,” both great examples of their fully formed sound. 

The band’s jagged, fuzzed-out sound has antecedents in ‘90s guitar bands like Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine, but Rocket are doing something uniquely their own with those touchstones. It’s no wonder they are widely considered one of the most promising guitar-forward bands of their generation. They’ve just wrapped up a tour with Smashing Pumpkins, and this will be their debut headline tour. Definitely worth catching this very promising band at this stage!

“an explosive introduction.. levels up their dynamic, Nineties-inspired rock sound” – Rolling Stone

“nods to ’90s indie rock staples..blissfully detached dream-pop..hard-hitting numbers..Rocket have built themselves a solid launching pad” – Stereogum ‘Best New Artists of 2024’

“It’s rare to find a band so fully developed without an album out.. they’re certainly not lacking in the songwriting department” – Consequence ‘Artists to Watch in 2025’

“combines a laid-back California charm with biting lyricism and tight, synergetic compositions. If Sonic Youth made pop chart-friendly hits, you’d have Rocket”- Paste Magazine 

“The harmonies glide, whereas the riffy, daydreamy guitars build to a glorious climax in the back half, reminiscent of Sonic Youth and Momma” – Alternative Press ‘Rising Artists to Know’

“this underground band are making big, open-hearted anthems for a new generation to rally around” – NME ‘Cover Story’

“catchy, yearning ballads that evoke nostalgia for adolescent frustrations” – Document Journal

Los Angeles, CA’s Rocket have released their highly anticipated debut album, R is for Rocket, their first for Transgressive Records / Canvasback. “We dedicated this record to Alithea’s dad, who passed away unexpectedly this year,” the band shared in a heartfelt statement. “Choosing him as the cover was the perfect way to immortalize him forever on our first record. This record is so special and close to our hearts and we spent years getting it to the place it is now.”

Comprised of Alithea Tuttle (vocals, bass), Baron Rinzler (Guitar), Cooper Ladomade (Drums) and Desi Scaglione (Guitar), Rocket have had a busy few years. The Los Angeles crew with friendships stretching back to their childhood formed in 2021, convening in an unmarked shed to put their debut EP to tape. Despite it being the first time any of them had seriously approached the idea of a ‘band,’ they seemed to arrive fully formed with combustible, airtight songs.

R is for Rocket, the quartet’s remarkable debut album, is a joyride through sonic terrain that is gloriously loud, anthemic, bombastic and beautiful, with instantly captivating songs that achieve the rare feat of evoking nostalgia while sounding completely new. The band’s jagged, fuzzed-out sound has antecedents in ‘90s guitar bands like Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine, but Rocket are doing something uniquely their own with those touchstones. It’s no wonder they are widely considered one of the most promising guitar-forward bands of their generation.

While the album builds on the energy of their critically lauded Versions of You EP, R is for Rocket is also hugely evolutionary, elevating the band’s craft in major ways. By the time they began work on the album in early 2024, they’d been on a near constant touring schedule, spending countless hours on the road opening for their heroes Ride, Sunny Day Real Estate and Silversun Pickups, and writing in their modest studio – a back house in drummer Cooper Ladomade’s parents’ yard – both refining and expanding their sound.

The quartet have been slowly releasing their first new music since the 2023 EP this year, sharing album cuts “Crossing Fingers” & “One Million,” before formerly announcing the album in July with the head turning “Wide Awake,” which arrived alongside an in-depth Rolling Stone profile, and support from Alt Press, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, FLOOD Magazine, Consequence and many more, and was followed by the euphoric and sparkling “Act Like Your Title.” The album’s final single, “Another Second Chance,” arrived alongside an iconic music video featuring a medley of homages to Devo, Kiss, The Beatles, and Blue Man Group, and an in-depth ‘Best of What’s Next’ feature with Paste Magazine. 

This Fall, Rocket will embark on their debut US headline tour, kicking off in October after having wrapped international festival appearances and a UK run supporting Smashing Pumpkins. They’ve also announced their debut headline tour of Europe kicking off in early 2026. They’ll perform a special LA show at Amoeba Hollywood next Tuesday, Oct 7th. Tickets on sale HERE. 

“All of the touring led to the songs changing for the better,” says Tuttle, “because we got to play them for so many different kinds of audiences and hear what worked and what didn’t.” Whenever they got home from a tour, they were infused with new ideas for how to finish the in-progress tunes, and many were upgraded in major ways thanks to the time Rocket took to hone them. “Recording the second half of the album eight months after the first half gave us a lot of time to think about what we were doing,” says Scaglione.

With guitarist Desi Scaglione again at the helm as their producer, Rocket logged time at two Los Angeles studios that provided the perfect balance between those extremes. They tracked the more introspective elements at 64 Sound in Highland Park, which offered an array of tasty vintage gear that was ideal for the quieter, more intimate tunes. The heavier moments were captured during sessions at the Foo Fighters’ Studio 606 in Northridge, where they could get the massive drum sound they wanted for tracks like “Crossing Fingers” and “Wide Awake.”

TOUR DATES:

Tickets Here

2025

Oct 7th – Los Angeles, CA @ Amoeba Hollywood

Oct 27th – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge

Oct 30th – Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves

Oct 31st – Austin, TX @ Mohawk (Indoors)

Nov 3rd – Nashville, TN @ drkmttr

Nov 4th – Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5

Nov 6th – Washington, DC @ DC9

Nov 7th – Philadelphia, PA @ Warehouse on Watts

Nov 8th – New York, NY @ Baby’s All Right

Nov 11th – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison

Nov 13th – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups

Nov 14th – Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern

Nov 15th – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry

Nov 18th – Seattle, WA @ Barboza

Nov 19th – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall

Nov 21st – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill

Nov 22nd – Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy 

2026

Feb 10 – Bristol, UK @ The Croft

Feb 11 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club

Feb 12 – Glasgow, UK @ King Tut’s

Feb 14 – Dublin, IE @ The Workmans Club

Feb 16 – Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute

Feb 17 – London, UK @ Scala

Feb 19 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique – Witloof Bar

Feb 20 – Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown

Feb 21 – Utrecht, NL @ EKKO

Feb 23 – Berlin, DE @ Neue Zukunft

Feb 24 – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & SOHN

Feb 26 – Paris, FR @ Point Ephémère

Feb 27 – Tourcoing, FR @ Le Grand Mix