GASKET Release "BABYLON" EP on 6/21 + Band Shares "ACOLTYE"

Baltimore quartet GASKET, who released Dull the Needle, a seven-song EP back in November 2023, have just dropped their new EP BABYLON today, June 21, via Blue Grape Music.

Get the EP, which is earning raves from Revolver, Metal Sucks, Brooklyn Vegan,and more, here on vinyl or cassette.

Listen to "ACOLYTE" here.

"'ACOLYTE' is about coping with the monotony of life and accepting that the only thing that can change for the better is yourself," says vocalist Flynn Zimmer.

Regarding the EP as a whole, the band says, "This EP is the hardest we've ever worked on anything together. As simple as it may sound, it's a culmination of all of our favorite bands.  Lyrically, it's a melting pot of experiences and feelings we've had for the past two years that we hope people can relate to. BABYLON represents GASKET as a whole; it's our escape from reality and we couldn't be more grateful for it." 

BABYLON is a perfectly executed and lethal mix of crusty punk, gnarly, old school hardcore, and grimy metal. Most of the tracks span under two-and-a-half minutes, but the band uses the time wisely. Every song is a like a grenade blast that you won't soon forget.

GASKET will also be hitting the road this summer on a series of headline dates. All dates are below. More touring is planned through the year and will be announced in due course.

GASKET ON TOUR: 
7/4: Greenville, SC
7/5: Atlanta, GA
7/6: Athens, GA
7/7: Gainesville, FL
7/8: Orlando, FL
7/9: Miami, FL
7/10: Tampa, FL
7/11: TBD, NC
7/12: BABYLON Release Show (Baltimore, MD)
7/13: Philadelphia, PA
7/14: NYC, NY
7/16: Manchester, NH
7/17: Boston, MA
7/18: Salem, MA
7/19: Providence, RI

GASKET ARE:
Flynn Joseph Zimmer — Vocals
Maxwell Bagster-Collins — Bass
Calvin Mumma — Guitar
 Austin Jenkins — Drums

GASKET To Release "Babylon" EP on 6/21 + Band Shares "Syndicate" Video

Baltimore quartet GASKET, who released Dull the Needle, a seven song EP back in November 2023, are pleased to announce their forthcoming BABYLON EP. The EP arrives June 21 via Blue Grape Music. Pre-order it here on vinyl or cassette.

Today, the band has dropped the video for "SYNDICATE." Watch it below. 

It also premiered over at Brooklyn Vegan. 

"'SYNDICATE' is the most personal song on the record, and the most fast-paced," the band shares. "The song is about an old friend you wish you'd never met."

Regarding the EP as a whole, the band says, "This EP is the hardest we've ever worked on anything together. As simple as it may sound, it's a culmination of all of our favorite bands.  Lyrically, it's a melting pot of experiences and feelings we've had for the past two years that we hope people can relate to. BABYLON represents GASKET as a whole; it's our escape from reality and we couldn't be more grateful for it." 

BABYLON is a perfectly executed and lethal mix of crusty punk, gnarly, old school hardcore, and grimy metal. Most of the tracks span under two-and-a-half minutes, but the band uses the time wisely. Every song is a like a grenade blast that you won't soon forget.

GASKET will also be hitting the road this summer on a series of headline dates. All dates are below. More touring is planned through the year and will be announced in due course.

GASKET ON TOUR: 
7/4 — Greenville, SC*
7/5 — Atlanta, GA*
7/6 — Jacksonville, FL**
7/7 — Orlando, FL**
7/9 — Miami, FL**
7/10 — Tampa, FL**
7/11 — Charlotte, NC**
7/12 — Baltimore, MD // EP Release Show
7/13 — Philadelphia, PA**
7/14 — NYC**
7/15 — Manchester, NH***
7/16 — Boston, MA***
7/17 — Worcester, MA***
7/18 — Providence, RI***
7/19 — Connecticut***
*With Snuki
**With Watts
***With Prayer Position

GASKET ARE:
Flynn Joseph Zimmer — Vocals
Maxwell Bagster-Collins — Bass
Calvin Mumma — Guitar
 Austin Jenkins — Drums

Introducing Blue Grape Music, New Label Powered by Former Roadrunner Records Executives

INTRODUCING BLUE GRAPE MUSIC, A NEW INTERNATIONAL LABEL POWERED BY FORMER ROADRUNNER EXECUTIVES DAVE RATH + CEES WESSELS

TWO-TIME GRAMMY NOMINEE CODE ORANGE ARE THE LABEL'S FIRST SIGNING WITH NEW MUSIC OUT TODAY SERVING AS INAUGURAL RELEASE

LABEL TO BE DISTRIBUTED BY THE ORCHARD

READ EXCLUSIVE NEWS AT BILLBOARD HERE

In 2022, industry veterans David Rath, former head of A&R at the esteemed Roadrunner Records, and Cees Wessels, founder of Roadrunner Records, formed Blue Grape Music. The name will be familiar to rock music fans, as it was the merchandise company also launched by Wessels.

Read more over at Billboard. 

With a rich history of working with bands such as Nickelback, Slipknot, Type O Negative, Killswitch Engage, Fear Factory, Sepultura, Turnstile, and more — bands that truly broke ground and went on to have long, successful, platinum-plus careers — Rath and Wessels are bringing their wealth of expertise to a new era of bands and a new era of the music industry.

Rath spent 21 years in the A&R and Creative Departments of Roadrunner Records, having been A&R on albums by Slipknot, Korn, Gojira, Coheed and Cambria, Slash, The Amity Affliction, Trivium, Stone Sour, Dream Theater, and Megadeth, and where he oversaw music videos from Nickelback, Theory Of A Deadman, Killswitch Engage, Jerry Cantrell,and Slipknot. Rath helped guide the label through multiple changes in ownership and management, after which he oversaw the signings of platinum-selling acts Young The Giant and Vance Joy for Atlantic and Elektra Records. As the head of the A&R department at Roadrunner, Rath most recently signed and A&R'd Grammy nominated acts Turnstile and Code Orange, along with White Reaper and Motionless In White, both of whom recently scored #1 Alternative and Active Rock radio hits. Prior to Roadrunner, Rath, a graduate of Villanova University, was the Director of The Philadelphia Music Conference and drummer for the Columbia Records band Heavens Edge.

The new label strives to empower its artists with the support and tools needed to create the kind of music and art that inspires the culture and propels it forward. 

The current staff also includes Roadrunner alumnae Suzi Akyuz as SVP of Marketing, and Paolo d'Alessandro as Executive VP of International.

Distributed by Sony Music's The Orchard, Blue Grape's artists have the muscle and reach of a major with the attention and dedication of an indie. With a global staff, each artist's team is carefully crafted to best serve their creative vision and goals. 

"My time with Cees developing some of the most important bands in music history was the most valuable in my career to date," says Rath. "I couldn’t ask for a more knowledgeable partner to begin this journey with."

Blue Grape's inaugural signing is the two-time Grammy nominee Code Orange and the first release for the label will be What Is Really Underneath? The release arrives on February 17 and serves as a companion album to the critically acclaimed Underneath that is part-remix, part-soundtrack.

"I have been lucky enough to be on the ground floor with Dave Rath and co. watching them build the foundation of Blue Grape Music," says Code Orange frontman Jami Morgan. "There is no group of people that I have more faith in to create a fresh, forward leaning home for rock music and beyond. Code Orange are plank walkers. First goers. That is exactly what we intend to do here and why we have chosen to partner with BGM. We are excited to establish an artist friendly home for those looking to forge new ground on a major level. As a team we will learn from the past and build the future."

Code Orange's trajectory thus far embodies the Blue Grape ethos — that dedication, forward-thinking strategies, and quality music will always propel a band to the next level. 

Additional Blue Grape signings will be revealed in the coming months.

Blue Grape will be headquartered in NYC with its European operation in Amsterdam.