San Francisco, CA – January 23, 2026 – Bay Area punk rockers Druglords of the Avenues have just announced pre-orders for their new LP Gotta Light via Pirates Press Records. The LP is scheduled for release on March 20, and features the single “Ghetto Sidewalks,” along with nine other new songs. The album is available for pre-order from Pirates Press Records. “Ghetto Sidewalks” is now streaming on all major platforms! Click here to stream the single.
What began as a side project with legendary San Francisco punk singer Johnny “Peebucks” Bonnel (Swingin’ Utters, Filthy Thieving Bastards, Primitive Heads) and guitarist Matt Grayson quickly evolved into a fully fledged band with a life and perspective all its own. Now releasing their third full length, the band are locked in and firing on all cylinders with their unique brand of rollicking, storytelling streetpunk.
On past albums, influences from the fiery grit of punk & hardcore classics like the Dwarves & Circle Jerks to the ramshackle folk chaos of The Pogues and the dark complexities of The Pixies have been spotted in the mix.
What truly sets Druglords of the Avenues apart is the combination of that punk rock energy with the folk tradition of songwriting as storytelling. While the guitars and the rhythm section – where Bonnel & Grayson are joined by guitarist Rob Pierce, bassist Michael Mininger, and drummer Robert Faria – may be blazing at a breakneck pace, the lyrics are relating street level tales of poor and working class people doing what they have to to survive.
On the single “Ghetto Sidewalks,” primary lyricist Bonnel engages in complex wordplay alongside straightforward snapshots of urban decay with declarations such as “We need some light on the ghetto sidewalks / We’re always stumbling in the dark.” Indeed, Bonnel’s one-of-a-kind, dense but direct lyricism calls to mind a character he describes in “Gutter Roller Mart”: “He’s a street poet / Aggressive misbehavior.”
The characters that populate the streets and sidewalks of Gotta Light have their struggles, mistakes, conflicts, and grudges, but for the most part, they are presented without value judgements. These are simply the stories of lives lived hard, and Druglords of the Avenues are here to tell them.
Gotta Light by Druglords of the Avenues is available from Pirates Press Records on two different 12” Picture Disc editions: both feature the same art by Bonnel on the A-side, while the B-side art is available with both a black & white spiral or a limited edition pink & black spiral. The album will be available everywhere on March 20, 2026!
“The latest serves an uplifting release that chooses positivity amongst chaos and, despite the odds, journeys the desire to thrive in a deteriorating world, all while making sure there’s no one left behind to come along for the ride.” – Remezcla
“Cold World features catchy riffs and an authentic punk attitude that’s both nostalgic and refreshing. It’s an earnest homage to the garage rock scene, packed with tracks that demand to be played loud.” – Knotfest
“Whether or not they want to be lumped in with the current rise in popularity of hardcore as a genre, the punk influence in their music doesn’t go unnoticed — Death Lens make explicit effort to weave social and political activism into their lyrics and live shows.” – AltPress
Death Lens might be the perfect punk band for the moment: four working class, multicultural musicians from Southern California who write stage-dive anthems for the oppressed, wielding a message of resilience and a sound of sweat-soaked celebration that appeals to outsiders of all stripes. Today they are announcing their new album titled What’s Left Now? due for release on April 24th. Their first since 2024’s Cold World and their second for Epitaph Records, it was produced by Zach Tuch (Knocked Loose, Touché Amoré, Movements) for the band’s most fully realized record yet: crunchy, urgent, melancholy, raging and so goddamn easy to headbang along to.
Album opener “Monolith” is out now, beginning with an acoustic guitar and lyrics crooned in Spanish, it explodes into a frenzy of churning guitars and anthemic howling. Vocalist Bryan Torres says of the new song:
“Born with stones in my hands, I carry the weight my parents left behind. Forged under pressure, hardened by everything I had no choice but to bear.” He continues, “Monolith is born from a lifetime of hardship, weight and repetition. It’s my revelation that the role life gives you isn’t the only one you have to play. A testament to how being born with nothing became the source of my strength.”
Stream “Monolith” here Watch the “Monolith” music video here
What’s Left Now? is the product of two tumultuous years for Death Lens, both as people and as bandmates. The year Cold World dropped, the band toured for nine long months, honing their craft as live performers and increasing their fanbase tenfold. However, all of that time on the road stress-tested the band as an interpersonal unit, and Death Lens ended up shedding two members from the subsequent growing pains. Ultimately, they bounced back stronger than ever, gaining guitar virtuoso Ernie Gutierrez into the core lineup of frontman Bryan Torres, guitarist Jhon Reyes, and drummer Tony Rangel. Now, Death Lens are closer as friends and more musically in-sync than they’ve ever been, and What’s Left Now? is a testament to their glow-up.
“Every time we feel like we’re gonna implode, we end up expanding,” Torres exclaims. “We thrive on stress and the energy of anxiety.”
What’s Left Now? is an honest record by a band who’ve always cut the bullshit. Growing up in lower-income homes 20 miles east of Los Angeles, Death Lens’ members weren’t afforded the privilege to effortlessly ascend in the music scene. They’ve had to grind for every opportunity they’ve gotten, and they continue to write music for people just like them. “Our messaging is towards those who always feel like they don’t have a voice,” Torres explains.
Their new record includes songs about first breakups (“Am I A Drug To You?”) and learning to be genuinely, uncomfortably true to yourself (“Out of My Skin”), but also tracks about trials that are far more challenging to conquer. “Saints in the Panic Room” speaks to a present-day nightmare that Death Lens’ own families and communities are facing on U.S. soil. “I’m talking about the ICE raids, things close to home,” Torres says. “Immigrant families who don’t have papers. These are the struggles that we talk about every day.”
What’s Left Now? captures that dichotomy with creativity and candor. A fist-pumping punk-rock escape, and a hard dose of reality. Because for Death Lens, one doesn’t exist without the other.
Death Lens ‘What’s Left Now?’
Tracklisting 1. Monolith 2. Power 3. Out Of My Skin 4. Waiting to Know (feat. Militarie Gun) 5. Drown 6. Am I A Drug To You? 7. Saints In the Panic Room 8. Off The Edge 9. Useless 10. Last Call 11. Pulling Teeth 12. Debt Collector
Death Lens Tour Dates w/Seahaven Jan. 21 – Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory
w/ Drug Church & White Reaper March 14 – Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall March 15 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theater March 16 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line March 18 – St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall March 19 – Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck March 20 – Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall March 23 – Seattle, WA – Neumos March 24 – Porland, OR – Aladdin Theatre March 25 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Fest* March 27 – San Francisco, CA – August Hall March 28 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre March 29 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park March 31 – Las Vegas, NV – Area15 Portal April 1 – Phoenix, AZ – Walter Studios April 3 – Dallas, TX – Ferris Wheelers April 4 – Austin, TX – Mohawk
The Casualties Share New Single “People Over Power” First New Music In 8 Years Via Hellcat Records
Today, punk lifers The Casualties break an eight-year hiatus with their blistering new single “People Over Power”, the band’s first release via Hellcat Records. Starting off the year with a lethal right-hook to the chin of the system, the track’s roaring bark is a call to action imploring us all to fight back against injustice.
“We’re getting stomped by the world, by the government, by the bad news,” vocalist David Rodriguez says of the new song. “We want systemic change, total transformation, degradation to the state. ‘People over Power’: It’s as simple as it sounds.”
“It’s a protest song through and through,” drummer Marc “Meggers” Eggers adds. “We want the vibe to be: You listen, get angry, get your crew together, and get out on the streets.”
The Casualties are the voice of the disenfranchised, the disillusioned and the dispossessed of this planet. The band originally formed in 1990, but these street fighters are still angry, still political and are still keeping the heart and spirit of punk alive. Founded on a mission to revive the sound of punk pioneers like The Exploited and The Sex Pistols, they lyrically weave in scathing denouncements of authority into frantic anthems of resistance, totaling to eleven studio full-lengths, three EPs and three live albums so far.
The Casualties are David Rodriguez (vocalist), Jake Kolatis (guitarist), Marc “Meggers” Eggers (drums) and Doug Wellmon (bass).
