Notes From The Record Room: Father’s Day Shopping, Sleep, Pink Fuzz
Record Room: Sunday, 6/21
Current listening: s/t by sunn O)))
Summer Solstice. Father’s Day. Quite tired.
The family and I took a ride out to Quakertown on Friday to visit the Quakertown Farmers Market, a record excursion in mind for my then-upcoming Father’s Day. For what may be otherwise and affectionately referred to as a “dirt mall,” the Q-Mart has a decently stocked record store called Record Revival. I’ve been going to some version of this spot to acquire music since I was roughly 14 or 15 years old, the prices decent compared to the now mostly defunct mall shops. Back then, I was only buying CDs and an occasional cassette or two, maybe shelling out $12-$14 for new releases. Promo copies of new stuff were also often stacked by the register, along with cheap CD singles. My brother and I were at the Q-Mart at least twice a month for a few years back then, my father a Quakertown resident, and his place a destination for us two weekends out of every month. The CD trips were something we looked forward to, along with the ritual of playing our new stuff for my dad afterward, often to his chagrin.
My trip led to the following new acquisitions:
Sleep
“Have Spacesuit Will Travel (4:20 Flexi Edit)”
Third Man Records
Released: 6/18/26
A mixed-bag announcement in the form of a new single from Sleep hit the web on 6/18, “Have Spacesuit Will Travel.” Bassist/vocalist Al Cisneros is maintaining the Sleep name despite a significant shift in personnel and the unfortunate exit of guitarist Matt Pike, whose absence leaves this new track sounding a tad lackluster. The trademark hugeness that Pike would typically bring is missing, making it difficult to justify a new iteration of Sleep without Pike, his brand of metallic trudge and deafening and mutating guitar-bred haze a necessary component of the band’s sonic DNA along with Cisneros’s chugging and snaking low end.
Replacing Pike is guitarist Bubba Dupree of Void fame. Neurosis drummer Jason Roeder, who took over for original Sleep drummer Chris Hakius in 2010, has been replaced with Melvins drummer, Dale Crover.
Sleep 4.20 will be touring in 2026.
There is also a new comic book penned by Cisneros that is available for pre-order from Third Man Records. The book is illustrated by Dave Kloc and Arik Roper.
Pink Fuzz
“Manipulator”
Released: 6/16/26
Finding some thruway between the technicolor garage pop of Ty Segall and the desert rock vastness of Kyuss and Golem-era Wand, Denver-area trio Pink Fuzz released a new single titled, “Manipulator,” the harmonizing power of dual vocalists Lulu Demitro (bass) and John Demitro (guitar) pushed to the front of rhythmic, amplified buzz and wiry solos.
Last year, Pink Fuzz released Resolution, an album that I listened to during a few commutes and enjoyed. The album unfortunately became too far lost into my overcrowded periphery by the time I was compiling my favorites list for 2025 and was not included. Regretful omission.
Based on the strength of Resolution, though, incentive to witness Pink Fuzz live was more than adequate to warrant the bought ticket. On 5/13, with my brother as show companion, we ventured out to Nikki Lopez on South Street in Philly, (formerly JC Dobbs), for a three-band bill: Heavy Temple (local), the aforementioned Pink Fuzz, and Earth Tongue (Auckland, New Zealand). ‘Twas a sludgy evening, intoxicant-runoff tunes fully-weighted and mostly set to a meandering crawl. Even Satan got some props (Earth Tongue are apparently fans).
With Pink Fuzz it’s groove and grit, “we’re not worthy” showmanship loose enough to be fun and tight enough to take seriously.
Bad photo of Pink Fuzz taken by yours truly — Pink Fuzz at Nikki Lopez, 5/13/26
Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead
