Bodega return with new single ‘Pick Up The Check’

NYC’s rock-and-roll quintet BODEGA return with a new single, “Pick Up The Check” via Chrysalis Records, a first taste of things to come in 2026. With it the group share a video, directed by BODEGA guitarist/vocalist Ben Hozie.

Discussing their new single, Hozie notes, “This song is set at an imagined date at a faux fancy restaurant w/ art deco wallpaper and fish-tank ambience. I know too many friends who tolerate unfulfilling relationships (either romantic, platonic, artistic, or business) out of politeness or fear of letting others down. You don’t have to. The real danger of spending time w/ people who don’t inspire is how their way of being rubs off on your mind and persona. Strike the set, rewrite the draft, and pick up the (metaphorical) check.”

With a different perspective and a new philosophy the band looked to expand upon their sounds and explore a new musical palette. “Pick Up The Check” was recorded in Leeds, England with producer Matt Peel (Yard Act, Honesty, Divorce) at the Nave, his studio set up in a deconsecrated church, marking the first time BODEGA has recorded outside of New York City. The track was then mixed in Brighton, with Theo Verney (English Teacher, Lime Garden).

BODEGA’s previous albums – 2018’s Endless Scroll, 2022’s Broken Equipment, and 2024’s Our Brand Could Be Your Life – drew well-earned comparisons to CBGB mainstays like Television, Talking Heads, the B-52s and Sonic Youth. “We’re always gonna be thought of as a post-punk band, which is accurate, I guess,” says Hozie, “but that lane has gotten so overcrowded. There’s a million wannabe David Byrnes and Mark E. Smiths out there, there’s frat boys doing the post-punk thing now.” So this time around, “We were very into channelling this late ‘80s/early ‘90s Stone Roses-meets-Jane’s Addiction thing, with more riffing and guitar solos. While aiming at something larger, warmer, watery, and metaphysical, inspired by the optimistic alt-rock of our half-remembered youth.”

BODEGA will join Spoon and Ratboys for a free show at New York City’s Central Park Summerstage on July 8th, and will follow that with a return to the EU and UK in September, including dates in Spain, France, Netherlands and a special show at London’s 100 Club on the 15th.

BODEGA on tour:

08/07 – New York, NY @ Central Park Summerstage [FREE] %
19/08 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere (Rooftop)
04/09 – Tenerife, ESP @ Phe Festival
05/09 – Miranda de Ebro, ESP @ Ebrovisión Festival
07/09 – Madrid, ESP @ El Sol
08/09 – Valencia, ESP @ 16 Toneladas
09/09 – Barcelona, ESP @ Upload
10/09 – Zaragoza, ESP @ La Lata de Bombillas
11/09 – Donostlia, ESP @ Boga Boga Festival
13/09 – Asten-Heusden, NL @ Misty Fields Festival
15/09 – London, UK @ 100 Club
16/09 – Paris, FR @ Pop Up!

11/10 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater ^
13/10 – Midvale, UT @ The Pearl on Main ^
14/10 – Boise, ID @ Shrine Social Club ^
15/10 – Portland, OR @ Hathorne ^
16/10 – Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall ^
18/10 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile ^
21/10 – Reno, NV @ Holland Project ^
22/10 – Fresno, CA @ Strummers ^
23/10 – Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone ^
24/10 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom ^
% w/ Spoon + Ratboys
^ w/ Cheekface