Los Angeles’ Rocket are officially blasting off. Today, the band released their long-awaited debut album, R is for Rocket, via Transgressive Records and Canvasback, marking a stunning introduction for a group already being hailed as one of the most exciting guitar-forward acts to emerge from the West Coast in years.
Formed in 2021, Rocket — vocalist/bassist Alithea Tuttle, guitarists Baron Rinzler and Desi Scaglione, and drummer Cooper Ladomade — started in a humble shed, putting together songs that felt fully formed the moment they hit tape. Now, after years on the road opening for Ride, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Silversun Pickups, the band’s debut captures their evolution: jagged, fuzzed-out guitars, thunderous drums, and melodies that linger long after the last chord fades.
R is for Rocket moves between cathartic noise and melodic clarity, nodding to Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, and the anthemic ‘90s alt-rock that inspired them, while staking out its own distinctive territory. Standout tracks like “Wide Awake,” “Crossing Fingers,” and “Another Second Chance” showcase the band’s knack for marrying chaos with hooks that hit like lightning. The album also carries a deeply personal weight: it’s dedicated to Tuttle’s late father, whose image graces the cover, immortalized at the heart of the band’s first full-length statement.
The recording process matched the ambition. Scaglione produced the album, splitting sessions between the intimate vintage gear of Highland Park’s 64 Sound and the massive drum spaces at Foo Fighters’ Studio 606, balancing introspective textures with wide-screen alt-rock power. “Recording the second half of the album eight months after the first gave us a lot of time to think about what we were doing,” says Scaglione, while Tuttle credits touring with shaping the songs in real time.
Rocket hit the road this fall for their debut U.S. headline tour, including a special LA performance at Amoeba Hollywood on October 7, before heading overseas for a UK and European tour in early 2026. With R is for Rocket, the band have crafted a debut that’s both reverent to the past and bracingly fresh — a collection of jagged, hook-laden rock songs ready to stake their claim in the modern alt-rock canon.
R is for Rocket is out now.
Tickets for their tour are HERE
