New York City rock-and-roll quintet BODEGA return with a new single, “Pick up the Check” via Chrysalis Records, a first taste of things to come. With it the group share a video, directed by BODEGA guitarist/vocalist Ben Hozie.

Discussing the single,Hozie notes, “This song is set at an imagined date at a faux fancy restaurant w/ art deco wallpaper and fish-tank ambiance. I know too many friends who tolerate unfulfilling relationships (either romantic, platonic, artistic, or business) out of politeness or fear of letting others down. You don’t have to. The real danger of spending time w/ people who don’t inspire is how their way of being rubs off on your mind and persona. Strike the set, rewrite the draft, and pick up the (metaphorical) check.”

With a different perspective and a new philosophy, the band looked to expand upon their sounds and explore a new musical palette. “Pick up the Check” was recorded in Leeds, England with producer Matt Peel (Yard Act, Honesty, Divorce) at the Nave, his studio set up in a deconsecrated church, marking the first time BODEGA has recorded outside of New York City. The track was mixed in Brighton, with Theo Verney (English Teacher, Lime Garden).

BODEGA’s previous albums — 2018’s Endless Scroll, 2022’s Broken Equipment, and 2024’s Our Brand Could Be Your Life — drew well-earned comparisons to CBGB mainstays like Television, Talking Heads, the B-52s, and Sonic Youth. “We’re always gonna be thought of as a post-punk band, which is accurate, I guess,” says Hozie, “but that lane has gotten so overcrowded. There’s a million wannabe David Byrne  and Mark E. 

Smith’s out there, there’s frat boys doing the post-punk thing now.” So this time around, “We were very into channeling this late ‘80s/early ‘90s Stone Roses-meets-Jane’s Addiction thing, with more riffing and guitar solos. While aiming at something larger, warmer, watery, and metaphysical inspired by the optimistic alt rock of our half-remembered youth.”

BODEGA will join Spoon and Ratboys for a free show at New York City’s Central Park Summerstage on July 8. Play the Elsewhere Rooftop in Brooklyn, August 19. Before a tour of Spain, London + Paris performances, and hit the road in the Western half of North America supporting Cheekface in October, with more dates to be announced in the coming weeks.

Tour Dates [Tickets]:

07/08 – New York, NY @ Central Park Summerstage [FREE] %
08/19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Rooftop
09/04 – Tenerife, ES @ Phe Festival
09/05 – Miranda de Ebro, ES @ Ebrovisión Festival
09/07 – Madrid, ES @ El Sol
09/08 – Valencia, ES @ 16 Toneladas
09/09 – Barcelona, ES @ Upload
09/10 – Zaragoza, ES @ La Lata de Bombillas
09/11 – Donostia, ES @ Boga Boga Festival
09/13 – Asten-Heusden, NL @ Misty Fields Festival
09/15 – London, UK @ 100 Club
09/16 – Paris, FR @ Pop Up!
10/11 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater ^
10/13 – Midvale, UT @ The Pearl on Main ^
10/14 – Boise, ID @ Shrine Social Club ^
10/15 – Portland, OR @ Hathorne ^
10/16 – Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall ^
10/18 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile ^
10/21 – Reno, NV @ Holland Project ^
10/22 – Fresno, CA @ Strummers ^
10/23 – Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone ^
10/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom ^

% w/ Spoon + Ratboys

^ w/ Cheekface