Lo-fi rock duo stepbrothers return with ‘Bones + Gristle’, the first release from their forthcoming debut album ‘In Love With Everyone’. Opening a new chapter for the London-based duo, the single thrives on contrast, colliding distorted guitars and hard-hitting drums with bright melodic lift and synth refrains. Fast becoming a staple of the London live circuit, stepbrothers channel chaotic energy and a distinctly DIY ethos, drawing sonic comparisons to Car Seat Headrest, Wilco, and of Montreal. Set for release on 20 February, ‘Bones + Gristle’ pushes the band into a more expansive, narrative-driven sound, pairing disarming lyricism with infectiously euphoric hooks.
About Bones & Gristle
‘Bones + Gristle’ captures stepbrothers (Sam Orman, Armando Carlo IV) at their most focused and ambitious to date. Pushing at the edges of lo-fi rock, the duo collides fuzzed-out guitars and with soaring harmonies and bright synth arpeggios, as the single swings from laid-back verses into dense, towering choruses. Lyrically, ‘Bones + Gristle’ sketches a dystopian future shaped by inequality in excess. With fossil fuels exhausted, the track imagines ‘me-othermal power’, a grotesque industrial system in which the wealthy sustain themselves by burning the poor for energy.
Speaking on its’ inspiration, Sam shares,
“The initial idea came from my cycle home from work. I pass this huge field with trees and grass that’s surrounded by a bunch of tall buildings and cranes. It got me thinking about a dystopian landscape where there’s just tall buildings everywhere, and swamps of pollution start to develop in the earth, so everyone starts to live as high up as they can – the rich be the highest out of everyone.”
Rather than sinking into bleakness, stepbrothers leaned into the contradiction. Somber verses give way to a chorus that’s eerily upbeat and immediately catchy, echoing the voices from the high-rises themselves, packaging exploitation as optimism and selling the system back to those trapped within it. Restless by nature, ‘Bones + Gristle’ is driven by propulsive drums and weighty guitar riffs, with stepbrothers’ signature harmonies anchoring the surging arrangement below. From Sam’s understated opening, to Armando’s rallying call and response, the single arrives as a defiant anthem for growing political discontent.
Drawing sonic parallels to the grunge-flecked exuberance of The Flaming Lips and the raw emotional directness of Daniel Johnston, this upcoming single nods to stepbrother’s lo-fi rock lineage, while pushing into bold new territory. Recorded in their home studio, with lead guitar from Rodrigo Espiranza, ‘Bones + Gristle’ captures stepbrothers’ instinctive DIY approach, embracing spontaneity and character as it signals the direction of their debut album ‘In Love With Everyone’, set to arrive later this year.
“Bones + Gristle is the introduction to our first cohesive release that really tells people who we are and what we’re about. We are both very proud of everything we’ve released so far, but I think it’s all been a bit of a warm-up. With this single, it really feels like the starting pistol is going off this time.“ [Armando]
About stepbrothers
Two brothers. Not related. As a growing staple in the North London scene, stepbrothers never fail to bring their chaotic energy to the stage and studio. Made up of Sam Orman and Armando Carlo IV, the duo fuse a wide breadth of influence, resulting in a genre-resistant approach that shifts between noisy, punk-leaning energy and stripped-back emotion. Handled entirely in their DIY recording space, from recording through to mixing and mastering, the band’s music carries a sincere naïveté reminiscent of Car Seat Headrest, Wilco, and of Montreal.
Since debuting in 2024 with ‘SHE TOLD ME’, stepbrothers have been steadily sharing a rich and evolving body of work. Their early singles ‘LATE TO THE PARTY’ and ‘PINOT NOIR’ established their place as a rising act in the London alt-rock circuit. Later releases’ ‘Never Bothered 😀’’ and ‘I ONLY CALLED YOU (‘cause you showed up in my dream last night)!’, have become fixtures of the band’s vibrant live sets at venues such as Fitzgerald’s (Chicago), Old Blue Last (London), The Shacklewell Arms (London) and The Finsbury (London).
With upcoming single ‘Bones + Gristle’, stepbrothers are gearing up to release their pivotal debut album later this year, ‘In Love With Everyone’. With a passion for DIY live music and supporting independent spaces, stepbrothers have also now begun curating gigs as Frankie Boots.
Find stepbrothers on INSTAGRAM| TIKTOK| FACEBOOK| YOUTUBE
Listen To stepbrothers onSPOTIFY|APPLE MUSIC|TIDAL|BANDCAMP