When not cranking out new Guided By Voices albums at an impossible clip, American lo-fi rock 'n' roll hero Robert Pollard also creates music under alternate guises. As of two years ago, those ventures include Rip Van Winkle, a new band that aligns Pollard with a cast of Dayton-based musicians entirely separate from the dudes that fill out GBV's current lineup. Rip Van Winkle first emerged in 2024 with an EP called The Grand Rapids, then followed it up with their full-length debut Blasphemy in 2025. Now they've got a second album on the way under a slightly altered band name.
As of now, Rip Van Winkle will be known as the U.S. Rip Van Winkle. The newly rechristened band — which also includes Joe Patterson, Ben Penry, and Jason Short — will release their self-titled album in October on Splendid Research Records. The 15-song collection is billed as "spontaneous lo-fi psychedelia cranked out in two days." Below, you can get a sense of what those days felt like by hearing lead single "The Loser," which is a bit darker and danker than your average Pollard track.
TRACKLIST:
01 "The U.S. Rip Van Winkle (By Title)"
02 "See The Clerk"
03 "Earth To Channel 12"
04 "When Melvin Turns In"
05 "Paint Pow"
06 "Harlequin Ghost"
07 "Ex's and Ohs"
08 "Odd Pocket"
09 "Anonymous Hangman"
10 "Personal Death At Edward The 7th"
11 "Monkey Puzzle Forest"
12 "Broken Toys"
13 "The Loser"
14 "Headpiece Of A Crow"
15 "Blow My Drums"
The U.S. Rip Van Winkle is out 10/2 via Special Research. Pre-order it here.
