Doors 6pm | Show 7pm | Advance $18 / Day of Show $22 + Dice Fees | 21+

W/ Queen Serene

In Ensenada, Mexico, where the Pacific horizon cuts a clean, unwavering line, Holy Wave recorded their latest full-length, i’m DADA, a record that feels both expansive and newly concentrated for the subterranean pop four-piece. Stepping outside the United States was less a retreat than a shift in perspective, creating distance to recognize a new sound that had been slowly taking shape among them. i’m DADA quickly revealed its character: more propulsive, more candid, and their most structurally deliberate work to date.

Working alongside experimental duo Lorelle Meets the Obsolete at their studio El Derrumbe the sessions folded community into the album, though its emotional core had already formed over months of pre-production. Half of Holy Wave is Mexican, with roots in the El Paso border region, so recording in Ensenada felt intuitive and relaxed. Joo Joo Ashworth, mixing engineer and longtime friend, also provided a pivotal presence helping crystallize the album’s rhythmic language and subtly expanding the band’s sound. The songs began reflecting conversations about fatherhood and partnership, breakups and estrangement, the queasy acceleration of AI, and what it means to remain present and principled while the world lurches unpredictably forward.

This tension is not announced but absorbed into the music. Holy Wave stretches their familiar sense of woozy atmosphere into something leaner and more direct. There are more loops and samples woven throughout than before, grooves that feel constructed, cyclical, hypnotic. Some tracks drift toward dub’s elastic spaciousness; others pulse with cinematic downtempo gravity. There is a fresh sense of momentum throughout the record, rhythms that pull forward, dream-saturated textures, sheets of fuzz, and softly suspended vocals.

“dewey’s dirge” unfolds patiently: hazy guitars bloom, a softened motorik pulse moving steadily beneath. The vocals remain submerged, widening rather than exploding. It feels expansive and reflective, a comedown hymn that trades drama for immersion. “i’m DADA,” by contrast, locks into a lean, circular groove. A tight drum figure, rubbery bassline, and clipped guitar phrase repeat until they begin to feel animate. Lyrically, the song circles the complicated devotion of fatherhood, written in a brief pocket of rare solitude for a parent: Always loving (Try to do what’s right) / Always learning (There’s never enough time). “s33.u.in/HAL” plays like a transmission caught midair, faintly mechanical, immersive without ever fully resolving, capturing the album’s central sensation: the act of trying to communicate clearly through static.

If earlier Holy Wave records often felt defined by their sense of drift, i’m DADA feels newly grounded. The album doesn’t abandon immersion; it disciplines it. Grooves settle, repetitions accrue weight, and the music is composed and unshaken amongst its heavier themes. What emerges is not reinvention but a sharpening, with Holy Wave sounding less like a band drifting through atmosphere and more like one deliberately shaping it amongst the chaos.

Doors 6pm | Game 7pm | FREE | All Ages

We’re bringing Jeopardy to the Hotel Congress Plaza! This isn’t your average trivia. This smartphone-based game features authentic questions from the show’s writers, dynamic league leaderboards, and the chance to qualify to be contestants on the actual TV show! Join us every Wednesday for some Jeopardy fun! Food from the Cup Cafe and drinks will be available for purchase.

Doors 7pm | Show 7:30pm | Advance $18 / Day of Show $22 + Dice Fees | 16+

W/ Practically People & Kaity

Born Without Bones has always been a band that didn’t quite fit in. While rooted in the Massachusetts DIY punk scene, they’ve always pulled from a wide range of influences. Traces of big guitars and even bigger hooks of ‘90s alternative mixed with the storytelling and subdued tones of heartland singer-songwriters, culminate in a sound that is distinctly their own. Born Without Bones’ emphasis on crafting pop hooks sets them apart from most of their punk scene peers. The band has released four full lengths, Say Hello (2010), Baby (2013), Young At The Bend (2017) and Dancer (2022).

The band formed in 2010 as a solo project by singer and guitarist Scott Ayotte. After the release of their debut LP “Say Hello,” The band self released their sophomore record, “Baby” in 2013 and began touring the country in earnest. After a few years on the road the band released their third record, “Young At The Bend” on their own imprint, Devil You Know Records. In 2021, they signed to Pure Noise Records and simultaneously released the “Pictures Of The Sun EP”, a collection of re-recorded and reimagined favorites from the band’s catalog like “Baby” and “Falling Asleep.” Their fourth full length album, “Dancer” was released the following year. In 2023, the band embarked on a 23 date US tour to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of their sophomore album “Baby.”

Born Without Bones is Scott Ayotte (vocals, guitar), Jonathan Brucato (guitar), Sam Checkoway (drums) and Ryan McKenna (bass).