Fake Names unleash Punk Ruins with new lyric video and 2027 London date
Fake Names have released their third studio album, Punk Ruins, through Epitaph Records, pairing the record’s arrival with a lyric video for its title track.
Recorded at Chicago’s Electrical Audio with producer Matthew Bernhardt, the album finds the collective drawing together D.C. post-hardcore muscle, sharp-edged punk and flashes of jangling power-pop. Its lyrics take aim at fascist ideals and propaganda, while the music moves between the driving opener Until It’s Normal, the groove-led Diamond Buzz and the wiry charge of Punk Ruins.
The record was made by Brian Baker, Dennis Lyxzén, Michael Hampton, Johnny Temple and drummer Mario Rubalcaba. Baker said the sessions allowed the group to follow instinct rather than a fixed brief.
“There are no guardrails or perceived direction here and this just comes out,” Baker says. “This album is a collective expression, and a lot of the fun is seeing how the hell it is going to turn out.”
Lyxzén adds that the material gave him space to push beyond his usual approach: “I think that a lot of these songs give me an opportunity to sing in a way that nowadays I usually don’t. It’s always cool to be able to experiment with your voice, melodic sensibility and language.”
A full record of punk friction and melodic turns
Punk Ruins spans 12 tracks, with the band bringing together their various musical instincts without sanding down the abrasion. The title track’s lyric video is available now, while the album can be streamed via the band’s official release page.
Stream Punk Ruins here and watch the lyric video for Punk Ruins.
- Until It’s Normal
- Good Old Days
- Punk Ruins
- Cover The Distance
- What I Tell Myself
- Diamond Buzz
- Language Lost
- Beautiful Scars
- If You Could See Me Today
- The Little Wonders
- Scream
- Paradise
European run includes London’s Underworld
Fake Names will take Punk Ruins on the road in early 2027, beginning in Sweden on 26 January before crossing mainland Europe and ending with a London date at The Underworld on 7 February.
Tickets and further tour information are available here.
- 26 January – Umeå, Sweden – Stage Umeå
- 28 January – Paris, France – Glazart
- 29 January – Köln, Germany – Club Volta
- 30 January – München, Germany – Backstage
- 1 February – Milano, Italy – Legend Club
- 2 February – Ljubljana, Slovenia – Kino Šiška
- 3 February – Wien, Austria – Arena Wien
- 5 February – Hamburg, Germany – Knust
- 6 February – Berlin, Germany – Lido
- 7 February – London, United Kingdom – The Underworld
More Fake Names on Punkinfocus: Fake Names share If You Could See Me Today ahead of Punk Ruins (September 2026) · Fake Names – the punk supergroup have just dropped a surprise EP (August 2021)
