Fans who’ve been reading the stars since the 2024 release of “Everybody Dies” rejoice: Today, Superchunk officially announce their new album Songs in the Key of Yikes, out August 22! Lead track “Is It Making You Feel Something“ is available now wherever you listen to music and on a hand-numbered translucent blue 7-inch that features non-album, vinyl-only B-side “Sirens and Lights.”

New Superchunk Day is a lot like Christmas morning around these parts, and the Merge store has the goods: 

  • Songs in the Key of Yikes is available to pre-order on orange & black swirl Peak Vinyl, black vinyl, CD, and digital download.
  • A new Superchunk t-shirt, featuring the artwork from the “Bruised Lung” single, is up for pre-order.
  • The 7-inch is in stock and ready to ship, though if you order the single along with any pre-order items, we’ll ship your order when everything is in stock. If you’d like it in your hands ASAP, please purchase it separately.
  • A Songs in the Key of Yikes superbundle combines the Peak Vinyl LP, CD, 7-inch, and shirt at a $10 discount.

“It’s always been the case that everyone is going through something that you may not be aware of,” says the band’s Mac McCaughan. “This is currently more true than ever—but also the case that we are all going through some things together. In the face of that, what good is art and where is happiness found? (Spoiler alert: I don’t know.)” 

In seeking an answer, Songs in the Key of Yikes unleashes a sound that is triumphant and bright in the darkness, Majesty Shredding in overdrive. Lead single “Is It Making You Feel Something” sets the tone early with the band—McCaughan, Laura Ballance, Jim Wilbur, and Laura King—building an anthem out of the potential for joy, diving into slop-polluted waters (“now fakes are faking everything / that once made your poor heart sing”) and emerging with a pearl. 

“This song is about not second-guessing yourself in the very second-guessable process of writing words and music,” McCaughan explains. “It’s about the legitimate question of ‘who needs this and what is it good for?’ but also about not setting such a high bar for making art that you never get started. ‘Is it making you feel something?’ Ok, that’s a place to start.”

Songs in the Key of Yikes is a signature Superchunk album: visceral and timeless and catchy as hell—a cathartic balm for these oppressive times that will feel even better once we’ve figured our collective shit out.

In addition to welcoming Laura King into the fold after two years as their touring drummer, the album features contributions from Rosali Middleman; Bella Quinlan and Holly Thomas of Quivers; and touring bassist Betsy Wright of Ex Hex. The album was engineered by Paul Voran (The Menzingers, Hurray for the Riff Raff) and Eli Webb, and mixed by Mike Montgomery (The Breeders, Protomartyr).

In addition to the new album, Superchunk have also announced supporting acts for their 2025 tour, with Tee Vee Repairmann handling things on their September swing through the East Coast and Midwest, and fellow Merge Records stars Case Oats joining them out west this October. Tickets are on sale now. See below for details.

Superchunk on tour:
Sep 05 Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall
Sep 09 Washington, DC – Black Cat*
Sep 10 Philadelphia, PA – Ardmore Music Hall*
Sep 11 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom* 
Sep 12 Boston, MA – The Crystal Ballroom*
Sep 13 Portsmouth, NH – 3S Artspace*
Sep 14 Woodstock, NY – Bearsville Theater*
Sep 16 Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Cafe & Music Hall*
Sep 17 Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop*
Sep 18 Kalamazoo, MI – Bell’s Eccentric Cafe*
Sep 19 Sawyer, MI – Out There (Special Acoustic Show)
Oct 09 Pioneertown, CA – Pappy & Harriet’s
Oct 10 Las Vegas, NV – Best Friends Fest
Oct 13 Denver, CO – The Gothic Theatre^
Oct 14 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge^
Oct 15 Boise, ID – Shrine Social Club Ballroom^
Oct 17 Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern^
Oct 18 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios^
Oct 19 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios^
Oct 21 San Francisco, CA  – The Independent^
Oct 23 Los Angeles, CA  – Teragram Ballroom^

*w/ Tee Vee Repairmann
^w/ Case Oats