Across the realm of independent music, 2026 has ushered in a rising excitement around Historic New Jersey, a Philadelphia-based collective and label conjuring retro-tinged pop-rock—gritty yet meticulously crafted, familiar in mood yet seemingly arriving from an alternate timeline. The buzz took shape in February when Emily Moales delivered the standout Star Moles record Highway To Hell, and it broadened this summer with the release of Love & Devotion from siblings Sam and Louise Sullivan. Kevin Basko, whose home studio hosts much of this output, had begun to show up repeatedly in coverage of these projects, leaving me curious about when a defining release from his own endeavor, Rubber Band Gun, might surface. Abruptly, that moment has arrived.
A brand-new Rubber Band Gun album titled Bloodwork appeared online late Wednesday night. It naturally features plentiful contributions from Moales and the Sullivans, and if you’re drawn to the classic, just-off-kilter vibe these collaborators provide, there’s plenty to adore in Basko’s craft as well. His vocals carry a restrained, conversational swagger—slightly detached yet never lacking in conviction—primarily dwelling in his lower range, not unlike Nate Amos. The arrangements glide with ease and beauty. Sam Sullivan’s lead guitar on “Carlo” is particularly alluring, and the record’s overall character is sharpened by the backing harmonies from Moales and Louise Sullivan throughout.
In step with his gifted peers, Basko floods his songs with memorable lines. “Zombie In The Country” alone is stuffed with quotable pop-culture nods that anchor Rubber Band Gun in the present, even as the music feels out of time. It’s hard to pick a favorite sequence: “We found love in a homeless place/ We found blood where the bulls parade/ Think I get what Rihanna was saying/ Think I hate how the sausage is made” or “Prince would be mad at us/ Prince would be mad at us/ Lynch would be rippin’ up our guts/ Like a zombie in the country.”
Bloodwork comes with this artist’s statement on Bandcamp:
Records are blood tests
Blood changes fast these days
Blood breaks, blood builds
Blood legos, blood hot wheels
Blood falls asleep, blood wakes up
We are up and at ’em, up and atom, up and Adam
and my temperatures a rising
This blood feels hotter than ever
This blood needs to be tested its so bubbling over
We cant even afford to get this blood out of me
We want to keep these precious bodily fluids
I don’t want to change a thing
I don’t wanta close my eyes,
dont wanta fall asleep cause i miss you baby
And i dont wanta miss a thing
But a little change would do some good
And every little thing she does is magic
a wop bop a loo bop
Count these platelets and hit me one more time
And Basko shared the following stories on Instagram announcing the album:
They’re back, and with their return, we are too. Stream Bloodwork now.
Bloodwork drops today via Historic New Jersey. You can purchase it here.
