Karina Rykman, Clovers Daughter

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Brantley Guttierrez

Karina Rykman and some glowing boxes.

Karina Rykman

media release: Acclaimed singer-songwriter-bassist Karina Rykman has announced her long-awaited second studio album, Late Checkout, arriving via Karina Rykman/High Rotation Records on Friday, September 25. Recorded with longtime collaborator Gabe Monro at Trey Anastasio’s The Barn in Westford, Vermont, and LCD Soundsystem’s DFA Studios, the LP was preceded by the premiere of the first single, “Easy, Rider,” available everywhere now.

Built on a thick bass groove, the cinematic, sun-drenched track traces a conspiratorial escape down the California coast, with Rykman’s unhurried vocals cutting through the golden haze with impossible coolness. An official music video is streaming now on YouTube.

“‘Easy, Rider’ is a summer bop,” says Karina Rykman. “The propulsive bass line, the reverb-drenched guitar chords, the unbothered vocal vibe…I love this tune. It was written in a windowless basement studio with my producer, Gabe Monro, and then brought to Adam November and Chris Corsico (my band), where we fleshed out the sections together. It was a collaborative triumph. 

“The song is a fictionalized story about a NorCal criminal and their escape down the California coast, inspired by a visit to Boonville, CA, last summer. Cash buried in the hills, stolen sailboats pushed to 30 knots, diffusing bombs by cutting wires - it was extremely fun to write about what I don’t know, and run wild with it for the first time ever. What I do know is I can’t listen to it without bobbing my head, and I’m thrilled to let ‘Easy, Rider’ welcome people into the orbit of Late Checkout.”  

The second single is "Shoegaze Summer."

“‘Shoegaze Summer’ was the first song we recorded at The Barn,” says Rykman. “It was fully written, instrumentally, in a room with my band, Adam November & Chris Corsico, during a 72-hour band lock-in in the summer of 2024, and then I wrote the vocal melody and lyrics shortly thereafter. It’s been a staple in our live sets ever since. 

“Within its dreamy, reverb-drenched atmosphere comes the pummeling weight of riff after riff. It’s a force! It’s catchy and heavy. It’s dreamy and full of left turns. Ethereal drift one minute, and pure adrenaline the next, and the end unleashes a sonic fury that I’m not sure we’ve ever been able to capture in a studio as effectively before.”

Rykman – accompanied as always by her tried-and-true bandmates, Adam November (guitar, loopers, effects) and Chris Corsico (drums) as well as a newly expanded band – will mark the arrival of Late Checkout with a busy US tour schedule, kicking off with a hometown headline return and record release event at New York City’s Webster Hall on September 25 and then traveling into December. Highlights include a two-night stand at Chicago, IL’s Garcia’s Chicago (October 8-9) and a debut headline performance at West Hollywood, CA’s historic Troubadour (November 6). Additional dates will be announced. For updates and ticket information, please visit www.karinarykman.com/tour.

Late Checkout sees Karina Rykman expanding her kaleidoscopic musical universe with the vibrant on-stage energy of her road-tested live band and a new focus on lyrical storytelling. The album – which follows 2023’s critically acclaimed debut LP, Joyride – plants a truly distinctive flag in modern psychedelic indie rock, at turns shimmering and ethereal, hypnotic and explosive, and always joyfully present in the here and now. Standout moments abound, from the dreamy, reverb-drenched “Shoegaze Summer” and emotional love letter to the grind, “Riverside Drive,” to the tender “Where You At?” and the sleek darkwave of “Balcony,” the latter of which demonstrates the wide scope of Rykman’s seemingly infinite sonic range while also professing what might be her one-of-a-kind career’s overall mission statement, “The destination is not our concern / This is the journey: let it burn.”

Born and raised in NYC, Karina Rykman began playing in bands in her early teens while attending countless live gigs as a fan. Her prodigious prowess on the bass guitar soon landed her a number of high-profile television gigs, spanning America’s Got Talent to backing up pop star Julia Michaels on NBC’s TODAY. Rykman’s talent and infectious spirit saw her invited to join pianist Marco Benevento’s combo (as recommended by Ween bassist Dave Dreiwitz). 2023’s Joyride kicked off what has proven to be an acclaimed solo career with its jubilant brand of sonic exploration, highlighted by the title track, “Joyride,” featuring signature lead guitar from avowed fan, longtime friend, and co-producer Trey Anastasio.

Along with her still-evolving body of studio work, Rykman has spent much of the past half decade on the road, honing her craft by playing countless headline dates with her namesake band, stealing the show at festivals across the country, sitting in with the 8G Band on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, and supporting and collaborating with such diverse creators as Phish’s 

Trey Anastasio, My Morning Jacket, Khruangbin, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Nels Cline, the Gaslight Anthem, Warren Haynes, and her hometown’s beloved gourmet institution, Zabar’s, with whom she partnered for the jam-filled, tie-dye “Babkarina.”