Written by: Sam Santiago
California punk band CEREMONY, featuring Ross Farrar, Anthony Anzaldo, Andy Nelson, Justin Davis, and Jake Casarotti, have announced their seventh studio album Tell Me Your Dream, arriving August 7 via Relapse Records. Alongside the announcement, the band has shared their new single “Death Destruction Mayhem” and revealed a full North American tour set for the fall.
Across more than two decades, CEREMONY have built a reputation as one of punk’s most unpredictable and forward moving bands, shifting between hardcore, post punk, and more atmospheric territory while keeping their core intensity intact.
Photo Credit: Martin Sorrondeguy
Live Chaos and First Encounter
We first heard of CEREMONY some years back but did not really take notice until we found ourselves smack dab in the middle of a mosh pit during Goldenvoice’s NO VALUES FESTIVAL. CEREMONY were ripping apart every punk and mosher from here to Los Angeles in their wake. They were heavy, melodic, and at points, downright scary. We loved it.
That moment now feels like a perfect preview of where the band is headed on this new record.
A Record Built on Intensity and Expansion
Tell Me Your Dream spans ten tracks and leans into a wide range of punk influences, from Discharge and Crass to broader anarcho punk foundations that shaped the band’s earliest political voice.
The result is a release that feels both sharpened and expanded, balancing raw urgency with darker, more reflective tones. New single “Death Destruction Mayhem” sits at the center of that shift, pairing post punk atmosphere with CEREMONY’s trademark bite.
The record follows “Other Hells,” which leaned into a more street level, Rohnert Park era energy while still pointing toward the band’s evolving direction.
Frontman Ross Farrar frames the album around themes of vulnerability and disconnection in modern life:
“Tell me your dream in a time when intimacy and vulnerability seem neglected. Tell me your dream when reciprocity has become a contract. Tell me your dream when they ask, ‘What do you do?’ Something untrained by the mind that sparks inspiration.”
Production and Creative Return
The album reunites CEREMONY with producer John Reis, known for his work with Rocket From The Crypt and Hot Snakes, and for previously collaborating with the band on The L Shaped Man.
Guitarist and keyboardist Anthony Anzaldo notes that Reis played a deeper creative role this time around, effectively becoming part of the band’s internal process rather than an outside presence. That trust reflects the long-standing relationships at the core of CEREMONY, where decades of collaboration continue to shape their evolution.
Tracklist
Tell Me Your Dream
- Prograde
- Other Hells
- Madness
- Dark Summer
- Deep Down Where I Belong
- Antenna
- Justify
- Death Destruction Mayhem
- 10 Planets
- Paradise
North American Tour Dates
Wed. Sept. 9 – Montréal, QC @ Les Foufounes Électriques
Thu. Sept. 10 – Toronto, ON @ East End United Basement
Sat. Sept. 12 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
Sun. Sept. 13 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
Thu. Sept. 24 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Sat. Sept. 26 – Vancouver, BC @ The American
Thu. Oct. 1 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
Fri. Oct. 2 – New York, NY @ Warsaw
Sat. Oct. 3 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Sun. Oct. 4 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
Fri. Oct. 16 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade – Hell
Sat. Oct. 17 – Orlando, FL @ The Abbey
Sun. Oct. 18 – Miami, FL @ Churchill’s
Thu. Oct. 22 – Denver, CO @ Marquis
Thu. Nov. 5 – San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
Fri. Nov. 6 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
Sat. Nov. 7 – Dallas, TX @ Trees
Fri. Nov. 13 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Fri. Nov. 20 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo
CEREMONY continue to push forward with the same intensity that has defined them for over twenty years, balancing evolution with raw impact while still delivering the kind of live energy that turns first time listeners into lifers.