Strokes Perform on Saturday Night Live
The band played two songs from its ninth-track album Reality Awaits as it prepares for an international tour.
U.S. Alternative News
This section covers alternative and indie rock music in the United States — artists, albums, tours, festivals and the independent music ecosystem that sits alongside and often feeds into the mainstream. Reporting takes in both commercial and critically oriented alternative music.
Recent news
November 6, 2026
Jesse Jo Stark Releases Album MUSEThe 14-track record was written over three snow-covered weeks in Colorado and arrives alongside a new video for 'age of being honest.'
November 6, 2026
Teenage Wrist Releases Surprise EP A Different ShineThe duo's first new music in three years arrives as a three-song release produced by Ken Andrews of Failure.
November 6, 2026
Perfect Circle to Release Zoetrope Thirteenth StepThe band's 2003 album will return as a limited-edition 2LP set with four animated zoetrope sides on November 20.
November 5, 2026
Toro Y Moi Announces Album UnusuaThe seven-track record arrives November 20 on Company Studio, with Chaz Bear handling all performance, arrangement, and production.
November 5, 2026
Morphine Releases Unheard Song 'Spaceman Charm'A previously unreleased track from the band's late frontman surfaces alongside a new album built from his abandoned recordings.
November 4, 2026
Kings of Leon to Release O My BelovedThe band's 10th full-length album, shaped by lead singer Caleb Followill's songwriting during a foot injury recovery, arrives November 6.
November 4, 2026
Mamalarky Announces Fourth Album HoverThe Glendale, California band will release its fourth studio album on February 12, 2027, after sharing a video for the single 'Sad Songs'.
November 4, 2026
Cage The Elephant Debuts 'Make It Easy' on KimmelThe Kentucky rock band performed its new single on Jimmy Kimmel Live! ahead of its official release on November 5.
November 3, 2026
Kurt Vile Performs on Tonight Show, Launches TourKurt Vile and the Violators played "99 BPM" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ahead of an 18-date tour.
November 3, 2026
Kora Puckett Signs With TODO RecordsThe Narrow Head guitarist joins TODO Records alongside the release of her new single "In My Veins."
More in Alternative
Reunion tour announcements, album releases and critical reception, festival headliner and lineup news, band breakup announcements, and label signings and independent distribution decisions that shape how alternative artists reach their audiences are the recurring subjects in this coverage. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Phoenix are home to the most active alternative and indie music scenes in the country, and club, venue and festival news from those cities anchors the domestic picture of where the genre's energy is concentrated. Festival season — from spring through late summer — generates the most concentrated burst of alternative music coverage, as lineup announcements, ticket sales and performances produce a sustained wave of news that carries the genre to its widest annual audience. The relationship between critical recognition and commercial success in alternative music has been a persistent analytical subject, as streaming metrics have created new ways to measure reach that sometimes diverge sharply from critical consensus.