RELEASE SOPHOMORE ALBUM
‘FAKE MOON’
OUT NOW
Photo Credit: Ryan Faist
LEAD SINGLE & MUSIC VIDEO ‘HEAT DEATH’ OUT NOW
BAND KICK OFF THEIR HEADLINE TOUR IN UK & IRELAND NEXT WEEK
INCLUDING THEIR BIGGEST EVER SHOW AT LONDON’S ELECTRIC BRIXTON
LONDON (March 14th, 2025) – Toronto duo CLEOPATRICK today release their sophomore album FAKE MOON, via their own label Nowhere Special Recordings – listen here. The announcement also comes alongside the lead single and music video ‘HEAT DEATH’ – watch here.
CLEOPATRICK’s sophomore album, FAKE MOON, is a daring leap into new territory for the Cobourg Ontario-based post-rock duo. It’s a record spanning time, influence, and sound, blending lo-fi intimacy with grand, expansive production. For Luke Gruntz and Ian Fraser, this album represents more than just a sonic shift – it’s a bold solidification of their ever-developing creative identity.
When it came to recording, the pair slowed the process and expanded their crew for the first time. They enlisted respected guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Haldeman and the expertise of producer Philip Weinrobe (Adrianne Lenker/Hand Habits/Tomberlin). Hunkered down in Weinrobe’s Brooklyn studio, together they shaped the sound from an “as long as it feels good, it sounds good” approach, where the angular recordings from the pair’s instinctive style of throwing up mics and tracking on whatever device was closest formed its foundations.
The new track ‘HEAT DEATH’ is a visceral opener born out of a corrupted demo session that required a painstaking, stem-by-stem rescue operation that Luke describes as “The will of a technocracy foiled by two humble men.” The song channels its own chaotic origins into a sovereign anthem of defiance, daring a universal authority to “take it from me, man.”
Speaking on the single and music video, Luke says, “HEAT DEATH was actually the first song I wrote for this record, and in a way, it set the tone for everything that followed. I made it on my laptop, just exploring new sounds, and it really opened the door to the kind of territory I wanted to explore sonically. It’s not only a fitting opener thematically, diving into those big-picture concepts of inevitability and cosmic collapse, but it also embodies the album’s approach to sound—a quilt of textures, demos, and future ideas all coming together. It’s where we first embraced that blend of lo-fi experimentation and digital manipulation, and everything else kind of grew from that place. It’s like the blueprint for the whole FAKE MOON era.
The video has me going full method actor. It was super fun to film. Ian shot and edited the whole thing. At times he was filming me from like a kilometre away which really helped me fall into the character because I felt so alone. This guy’s trying to get the word out about the inevitable collapse of our universe.”
Returning refreshed from a creative breather, after the rigorous post-pandemic touring of debut LP BUMMER, the newest record on their own ‘Nowhere Special Recordings’ is a captivating collision of lo-fi grit, quiet introspection, and overt existentialism. Anchored in refusal of conformity, and captured with what can only be described as the audio equivalent to Playstation 1 graphics – FAKE MOON navigates power, vulnerability, and the complexities of individual identity with both rawness and precision.
FAKE MOON is CLEOPATRICK at their most adventurous. Look overhead and perhaps you’ll spot the orbiting influences of Radiohead’s experimental brilliance, the grounded surrealism of Dijon’s Absolutely, or the raw intimacy of favourites since highschool, Califone. “We’re just trusting our creative compass,” they say. “I actually tried to write BUMMER 2 at first – but it immediately felt as if I was putting on the costume of a 23 year old me. It wasn’t coming out honest.”
The band will be playing their UK & IE headline tour this month where they will take to the stage in Brighton, Bristol, Nottingham, Manchester, Dublin, Glasgow, Leeds, Birmingham and play their biggest show to date at London’s Electric Brixton. Newly energised, CLEOPATRICK are ready to head back out, not only sharing what they have been up to in the studio, but also re-interpreting the music fans have come to love over the past few years.
Since their inception, CLEOPATRICK have proven themselves to be one of the most in-demand rising rock bands on the planet. They were the only band picked for Amazon Music UK’s Ones To Watch 2021, and have amassed over 100 million streams alongside multiple sell-out tours in the UK, EU and US, performed at festivals ranging from Lollapalooza and Reading & Leeds, and served as direct support to Royal Blood and Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes.
CLEOPATRICK’s gargantuan debut album ‘BUMMER’ received critical acclaim across the board from the likes of The Guardian, The Independent, MTV UK, DIY, Kerrang, Rock Sound, Dork and Upset. The band were also chosen as BBC Radio 1’s first ever Future Artist, with regular plays on air from tastemakers Annie Mac, Jack Saunders and Daniel P. Carter. The album also earned the duo their very first JUNO nomination for ‘Breakthrough Group of the Year’ at the 2022 JUNO Awards.
View the album artwork and track listing for FAKE MOON below:
Album artwork credit: Luke Gruntz
FAKE MOON Track Listing
HEAT DEATH
BAD GUY
HAMMER
PLEASE
SOFTDRIVE
CHEW
BIG MACHINE
SARAH
FAKE MOON
LOVE YOU
Live Dates:
18-Mar-2025 Brighton, UK Chalk [LOW TICKETS]
19-Mar-2025 Bristol, UK SWX [LOW TICKETS]
21-Mar-2025 Nottingham, UK Rock City [LOW TICKETS]
22-Mar-2025 Manchester, UK Academy 2 [SOLD OUT]
23-Mar-2025 Dublin, IE Academy
25-Mar-2025 Glasgow, UK SWG3
26-Mar-2025 Leeds, UK Stylus
28-Mar-2025 Birmingham, UK O2 Institute 2 [SOLD OUT]
29-Mar-2025 London, UK Electric Brixton [SOLD OUT]
Connect with CLEOPATRICK:
Website | Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music | Amazon Music | YouTube