Formed in 2003, Voxtrot quickly made a name for themselves with global attention for their EPs Raised By Wolves and Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives, released through their own Cult Hero Records. After disbanding, the indie-pop/rock band made their much-anticipated return in 2022. The group has now announced their first full-length album in 18 years.
Dreams In Exile
The album, Dreams In Exile, was written and recorded all in Lockhart, Texas, the band’s home state. It came to life in bassist Joson Chronis’ Haunted Air Studio. Dean Reid, known for his work with Lana Del Rey and James Blake, took on the task of mixing the album.
Dreams In Exile is an album of renewal, passage of time, and the hope and connection that stays throughout. It expands their legacy rather than rebuilding it, continuing their early 2000s, blog-era sound.
The album will be released to the world on February 27, 2026. Physical versions of the album and merch are available for pre-order here! See pre-save here!
Fighting Back
Alongside the album announcement comes “Fighting Back”. The groovy, indie-pop/rock tune was inspired by Ramesh Srivastava’s time living in Los Angeles. It revolves around a period of uncertainty, transformed into something defiant and cinematic. The song captures the upcoming album’s core through its lyrical themes and sound.
Srivastava spoke about the single, stating, “I moved to Los Angeles in 2015. Voxtrot had been broken up for a few years by that point, so I decided to throw myself headfirst into the entertainment industry and see what Tinseltown had to offer. On the drive from Texas to California, I caught wind of a room for rent on Rosemont Street in Echo Park and agreed to move in, sight unseen.”
“My three roommates were musicians as well: two were in an indie band called Cold Violets (who opened for Voxtrot at the Regent Theater during our 2022 reunion tour), and the third was a bluegrass musician who plays in a band called The Hillbenders.”
He continues, “For a few weeks I worked for a courier company. It was early spring, so a big part of my job was picking up haute couture from boutiques on Beverly Hills’ Rodeo Drive and delivering it to actors and musicians to try on ahead of the Oscars and Grammys. Having had a bustling career myself not long before, a job like this was obviously a significant blow to my ego, but it catalyzed a long process of coming back to myself.”
“In general, those days were bizarrely shapeless. Often I would wake up at 5 a.m. and wander the streets of Los Angeles, stopping in coffee shops to write poetry and stare into infinity. But with that directionlessness came a certain levity, and I relished the nights hanging out with my roommates – drinking, singing, playing acoustic guitar, and listening to records. It was a freedom I hadn’t felt in a long time.”
“Musically, ‘Fighting Back’ echoes the catchy propulsiveness of early Voxtrot, but my favorite element is the cornucopia of synths peppered throughout. Jason and I borrowed a Juno and went to town! I love the dark ’80s atmosphere, and whenever I hear it, I picture the crimson-lit bar scenes in American Gigolo, which were filmed at the Beverly Hills Hotel… where I distinctly remember the doorman shouting that I had ten minutes to make my delivery before he was gonna tow my car.”
Video
The single’s accompanying Super 8-shot video was directed by their longtime collaborator, Annie Gunn, with cinematography by Peter Simonite. The mix of black and white shots blended with blue-tinted scenes creates the perfect atmosphere to mirror the song’s energy. Shots of the band performing are stitched together with depictions of various flowers before a blank background.
On the video, Srivastava shares, “The video for ‘Fighting Back’ was directed and filmed by our longtime friend and artistic collaborator Annie Gunn. She’s taken many pictures of us over the years, including the majority of our record covers, but this is our first time working with her on a video. Cinematography was by Annie’s partner, Peter Simonite, with whom she previously co-directed Explosions in the Sky’s ‘Postcards from 1952.’ Peter also brings a deep feature-film background, including second-unit and additional photography work within Terrence Malick’s filmmaking world (including The Tree of Life, To the Wonder, and Song to Song), and he has also directed music video work for Spoon.”
Gunn said, “I’ve been collaborating with the band since the early 2000s on stills for album artwork. The visuals I’ve made for the band have always been in the analog black and white world so it felt fitting that the video for ‘Fighting Back’ also be shot on film. I wanted to bring some of the grainy, textural, imperfect nature of the stills we’ve done into motion. Peter Simonite as cinematographer brought his 1960s super8 camera and we shot on different film stocks, embracing all the organic the fame lines, light leaks, grain and imperfections we could. I hope the result feels like a moving collage of the band’s performance and I love how it ties into the visual world we’ve been creating for the last 20+ years.”
North American Tour
Voxtrot has announced their North American Tour in support of the album. The tour is stopping in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Toronto, Brooklyn, Washington, D.C., and more. See the full tour dates below.
The Bandsintown presale is available now and can be fround here! General on-sale begins this Friday.
Tour Dates
03.25 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
03.26 – Los Angeles, CA @ Pacific Electric
03.27 – Costa Mesa, CA @ Constellation Room
03.28 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
03.30 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
03.31 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
04.02 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Urban Lounge
04.03 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
04.05 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
04.06 – Toronto, ON @ The Great Hall
04.08 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry
04.10 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
04.11 – Washington, DC @ The Atlantis
04.13 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
04.14 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade (Hell)
04.15 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
04.17 – Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Art Co
04.18 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
