Olivia Tremor Control returns from the Great Beyond!

Twenty-seven years. Two departed songwriters. One long-lost hard drive. And finally, a new Olivia Tremor Control album.

On this episode of The New Dad Rock, Steve and Keith dive into the unlikely arrival of The Same Place, the first new album from the Elephant 6 psychedelic collective since Black Foliage in 1999. With founding songwriters Bill Doss and Will Cullen Hart both gone, how did their bandmates manage to complete a record that had been in the works for years? The answer involves forgotten recordings, multiple formats, decades-old sessions, and a musical community determined to finish what it started.

But this isn't just a story about archival archaeology and unfinished business. Steve and Keith revisit the strange, wonderful world of Olivia Tremor Control: the irresistible pop melodies, sprawling sound collages, tape-loop experiments, and psychedelic excursions that made the band one of the most fascinating acts to emerge from the nineties indie underground. Along the way, they revisit the parallel paths of the Sunshine Fix and Circulatory System, consider the legacy of Elephant 6, and ask the big question: does The Same Place stand up as an album in its own right, or does its extraordinary backstory shape how we hear it?

Can a record assembled across decades recapture the spirit of a band that no longer exists? And where does it belong alongside those first two remarkable albums?

It's a story about friendship, experimentation, memory, and the strange afterlife of music. Some records take a little longer to find their way into the world.

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What makes a song Halloween music? Is it ghosts, goblins, and things that go bump in the night—or is it the creeping suspicion that Tom Waits is building something in his basement?

On this fifth Halloween outing, Steve and Keith go far beyond Monster Mash and Thriller to build the ultimate soundtrack to the gradual collapse of civilization, one record at a time. From Bauhaus, The Cure, and John Carpenter to King Gizzard, Phish, Hawkwind, Skinny Puppy, and the gloriously unhinged Igorrr, the guys explore the fine line between spooky atmosphere, psychedelic weirdness, industrial chaos, and music that might just clear the room.

Along the way, they debate what belongs on a Halloween playlist, celebrate the art of the perfectly timed musical descent into madness, and reveal why a great party mix needs more than a few novelty hits. You need pacing, menace, a little theatrical nonsense—and an emergency escape route back to The Time Warp.

So dim the lights, pour yourself something questionable, and join two dads with an unreasonable number of Halloween records as they venture from haunted glamour to musical sacrilege.

Listen responsibly. If you hear Bauhaus coming from an empty room, don't investigate. Just add the song to your playlist.

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What if the next Led Zeppelin album isn't made by Led Zeppelin?

This week, Steve and Keith tackle a question that sounds ridiculous today and inevitable tomorrow. From the first time Cleveland listeners heard Rush's "Working Man" and thought it was Led Zeppelin, to the rise of AI-generated music that can recreate almost any sound, we ask whether the world's most famous bands are ever really finished.

Along the way we discover that Ed Sheeran is worth how much?!? Then we follow the money to answer a deceptively simple question: how do musicians actually make a living in 2026?

Streaming royalties, touring, merch, VIP experiences, posters, limited-edition foil prints, and the strange economics of modern fandom all make an appearance. We revisit Radiohead's famous pay-what-you-want experiment and compare it to today's creator economy, where music itself sometimes feels like the least profitable part of being a musician.

Plus:

• Why a King Gizzard foil poster can cost more than a month of streaming revenue
• The enduring magic of The Fillmore poster tradition
• Whether legacy bands should keep making new music or simply tour the classics
• King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard's seemingly impossible business model
• Who actually gets paid when you press play

Most importantly, Steve and Keith debate whether we're heading toward a future where every great band can release "new" albums forever.

Maybe the question isn't whether there's going to be a new Led Zeppelin album. Maybe it's who gets to make it.

Welcome to possibly our best episode yet.

Let us know what’s up.

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Did you know that The New Dad Rock has swag? Coffee mugs, pillow and t-shirts in a multitude of colors and arm lengths.