Los Angeles noise-pop outfit Rocket have officially touched down with their debut album R Is For Rocket, out now via Transgressive Records and Canvasback. It’s the band’s first full-length release after three years of building a reputation as one of the most promising guitar bands of their generation – and it arrives charged with both emotion and energy.
Formed in 2021, Rocket are Alithea Tuttle (vocals, bass), Baron Rinzler (guitar), Desi Scaglione (guitar) and Cooper Ladomade (drums), lifelong friends who started making music together in an unmarked shed in suburban Los Angeles. That homemade beginning quickly exploded into a whirlwind few years of touring and acclaim, with Rocket’s early EP Versions of You earning glowing reviews and support slots with alternative icons Ride, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Silversun Pickups.
Now, R Is For Rocket captures the band’s evolution from garage beginnings to fully realised sonic architects. It’s a record that fuses ‘90s fuzz and distortion with stadium-sized choruses, equal parts Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, and the jagged pop sensibilities of bands like The Smashing Pumpkins. But what makes Rocket stand apart is the chemistry between the four members, a musical shorthand developed over years of friendship, now immortalised in ten tracks of restless, cathartic noise.
“We dedicated this record to Alithea’s dad, who passed away unexpectedly this year,” the band shared. “Choosing him as the cover was the perfect way to immortalise him forever on our first record. This record is so special and close to our hearts.”
R Is For Rocket balances melancholic introspection and blistering guitar work in equal measure. The band split recording sessions between two iconic Los Angeles studios: 64 Sound in Highland Park, home to an enviable collection of vintage equipment that shaped the quieter moments, and Foo Fighters’ Studio 606 in Northridge, where they captured the massive drum sounds and wall-of-sound textures that define Rocket’s live identity.
“We spent years getting it to the place it is now,” says guitarist Desi Scaglione, who also produced the album.
“Recording the second half eight months after the first gave us time to think, to evolve, and to push the songs even further.”
That patience pays off across the record – from the explosive opener “The Choice” to the swirling intensity of “Wide Awake” and “Crossing Fingers.” The band’s latest single “Another Second Chance” arrives with a tongue-in-cheek video paying homage to Devo, KISS, The Beatles, and Blue Man Group – a playful contrast to the emotional core of the album.
Following international festival slots and a recent UK run supporting The Smashing Pumpkins, Rocket will embark on their first headline U.S. tour in October, kicking off with a special in-store at Amoeba Hollywood on October 7. European and UK headline dates will follow in early 2026, taking in London, Berlin, Paris and beyond.
“All of the touring led to the songs changing for the better,” says Tuttle. “We got to play them for so many different kinds of audiences and hear what worked and what didn’t.”
Rocket – ‘R Is For Rocket’ Tracklist
The Choice
Act Like Your Title
Crossing Fingers
One Million
Another Second Chance
Pretending
Crazy
Number One Fan
Wide Awake
R Is For Rocket
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