Matt Pryor (The Get Up Kids) today shared “Union Transfer,” the cathartic final single from his new solo album The Salton Sea out this Friday via Nightshoes Syndicate/Big Scary Monsters. “This is the most vulnerable song I’ve ever written. It marks the place and date of where I hit rock bottom,” Pryor explains. The album stand-out is out now alongside an acoustic version performed live near the namesake train station in Philadelphia, The First Unitarian Church, and filmed by Michael Dubin and Christopher Kopinto. “This show in the chapel was the first time I ever played it. To debut the song here was important to me because Philly is a part of that story,” he adds. 

Pryor will support the release on an extensive headlining U.S. & U.K. tour in 2026. Beginning on January 22nd in Dallas, the 50-date trek includes shows at LA’s Permanent Records on March 2nd and NYC’s Mercury Lounge on April 9th. All U.S. dates will also feature support from Small Uncle, featuring his kids Lily & Jerzy Pryor, who will also be playing as part of his live band. A full itinerary is listed below and tickets are now on-sale HERE. “Union Transfer” follows The Salton Sea singles “The Dishonesty” and the title-track. The Salton Sea is available for pre-order HERE.

The self-produced, 10-track LP, featuring mixing and additional production by Peter Katis (The National, Interpol), sees The Kansas City native explore an expansive, full-band sound reminiscent of The Afghan Whigs and Bob Mould’s Sugar–specifically the band’s 1992 LP Copper Blue–with dreamy guitars, big drums, and shimmering production. It should be noted that the chosen title for his seventh album is not one that was picked arbitrarily. For those unfamiliar, The Salton Sea in Southern California is what’s known as a “terminal” lake–meaning that new water never flows into it, and its salinity increases incrementally due to evaporation and pollution. The once high-spirited desert oasis–a tourist attraction for celebrities and the upper crust in the 1950s and 60s–is now a bona fide wasteland. It’s not difficult to imagine that, while in the throes of addiction, Pryor felt exactly like this: a shadow of his younger self.

“The story that these songs tell is about that time in my life,” notes Pryor. “Autumn rolling into spring because the winter was a blackout. How the good times were great until one day they weren’t. How I lost myself and hurt people that I care about. How I got help that didn’t stick and how I lost faith in the help that did. That I came out on the other side of the whole ordeal only to realize I am still a work in progress, that we all are.”

Matt Pryor & The Salton Sea Tour Dates:

01/22/26 – Dallas, TX – Club Dada

01/23/26 – Austin, TX – The 13th Floor

01/24/26 – San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger

01/25/26 – Houston, TX – White Oak

01/28/26 – Tampa, FL – New World Brewery

01/29/26 – West Palm Beach, FL – Respectable Street

01/30/26 – Orlando, FL – Will’s Pub

01/31/26 – Jacksonville, FL – Jack Rabbits

02/01/26 – Charleston, SC – The Music Farm

02/03/26 – Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall

02/04/26 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle

02/05/26 – Asheville, NC – Eulogy

02/06/26 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl

02/07/26 – Birmingham, AL – TrimTab Brewing

02/08/26 – Nashville, TN – DRKMTTR

02/26/26 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar

02/27/26 – San Diego, CA – Soda Bar

02/28/26 – Pioneertown, CA – Pappy + Harriet’s

03/01/26 – Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room

03/02/26 – Los Angeles, CA – Permanent Records

03/04/26 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill

03/06/26 – Portland, OR – Show Bar

03/07/26 – Seattle, WA – Sunset Tavern

03/08/26 – Spokane, WA – Big Dipper

03/10/26 – Boise, ID – Shrine Social Club Basement

03/11/26 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court

03/13/26 – Denver, CO – Skylark Lounge

03/31/26 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th St Entry

04/01/26 – Milwaukee, WI – Anodyne

04/02/26 – Chicago, IL – Cobra Lounge

04/03/26 – Ferndale MI – The Loving Touch

04/04/26 – Cleveland, OH – B Side Lounge

04/07/26 – Boston, MA – Sonia

04/08/26 – Fairfield, CT – StageOne

04/09/26 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge

04/10/26 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church

04/11/26 – Washington, DC – Songbyrd

04/14/26 – Pittsburgh, PA – Brillobox

04/15/26 – Columbus, OH – Rumba Cafe

04/16/26 – Indianapolis, IN – The Hi Fi

04/17/26 – Louisville, KY – Zanzabar

04/18/26 – St. Louis, MO – The Sinkhole

04/30/26 – Bristol, UK – Rough Trade Bristol

05/01/26 – Cardiff, UK – Clwb Ifor Bach

05/02/26 – London, UK – The Lexington

05/03/26 – Nottingham – Bodega

05/05/26 – Glasgow, UK – Hug & Pint

05/06/26 – Leeds, UK – The Attic

05/07/26 – Manchester, UK – Star & Garter

05/08/26 – Cambridge, UK – Blue Moon