Chicago garage power pop duo North by North return with Get Well Soon!, their fourth full-length album, out February 12, 2027 via Double Hex Records. Today they share the lead single, “Be Your Own Ghost,” which drummer, vocalist Kendra Blank says is “about taking charge of your own life and choosing to leave a toxic relationship, whether with a friend, a lover, or a family member. You may have someone in your life who pushes you to be as toxic as they are. This song is about the moments leading up to your decision to leave them behind.”
Get Well Soon! is the North By North’s first album since 2020’s Get Weird. At its heart, it’s a record about recovery, both physical and mental, from illness and from grief. The album is dedicated to the mother of singer and guitarist Nate Girard, who passed away in early 2022.
“Nate was hospitalized for a week with Covid in 2021, which left scarring in his lungs that took months to recover from. As the band’s singer, he had a long road to regaining his vocal strength, and getting back to touring after his illness was a huge success for us,” says Blank. “Releasing this album now, in early 2027, feels especially pertinent. There’s a lot of chaos and uncertainty in the world, much like there was during the Covid shutdown and its aftermath. This album is meant to inspire people to take time to heal from whatever the world is throwing at them, then get back out there and find joy, love, creativity, and whatever else makes them happy.”
“You can be out of the game for a long time and still come back to where you were. We wanted to say that in a positive light, to inspire others who may be feeling less than 100% to get back out there when they’re ready,” says Girard. Blank adds, “The title of the album is our hope and desire that you will Get Well Soon! and the assurance that the world will be ready for you when you do.”
Beyond personal recovery, the album makes a case for human connection in uncertain times. “It deals with some of our concerns over the state of the country, as well as our humanitarian and artistic concerns over the rise of AI and the loss of the personal connections people have been trained to shy away from. There are a lot of things politically and economically that are tough on people right now, and we hope to offer some positivity: a reminder that joy will happen again, while giving space to deal with the things that you’re going through,” says Girard.
That belief in human-made art shaped the record itself. North by North recorded Get Well Soon! in Chicago, with Girard mixing and engineering and Blank co-engineering. Nick Broste mastered the album at Chicago Mastering Service, and Dima Faustov adds saxophone to “When the Sun Goes Down.” Girard also designed the album art, with Blank assisting on layout and font design.
Formed in 2012 by longtime friends Nate Girard (vocals, guitar) and Kendra Blank (vocals, drums), North by North are a rock & roll fever dream. Anchored by syrupy hooks, roaring guitar, and bombastic drums, North By North delivers a huge sound and a larger-than-life stage show that has drawn thousands of fans over hundreds of performances across the US, UK, Canada, and Europe.
North By North has played SXSW, Canadian Music Week, CMJ, Logan Square Arts Fest, Edgewater Music Festival, Mile of Music, Legacy Arts Fest, and Hell’s Half Mile, among others, and has opened for Maps & Atlases, Bully, Nikki Lane, and Eagles of Death Metal. North By North were named AudioFemme’s Hardest Working DIY Band from 2018 to 2020, have been featured on Do312, and have been listed several times in the Dallas Observer’s “10 Best Concerts of the Week.”
Never far from the road, North by North mark the album announcement with a 29-date, six-week tour, starting October 31 at Reggies Rock Club in Chicago with SWMRS. More dates will be announced in early 2027. Full dates below and on Bandsintown.
North By North Tour Dates
10.31 – Chicago, IL @ Reggies Rock Club w/ SWMRS
11.04 – Columbus, OH @ Woodlands Tavern
11.05 – Detroit, MI @ Outer Limits Lounge
11.06 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Tip Top Deluxe
11.07 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Davey’s Delicious Bagels
11.11 – St. Louis, MO @ Moshmellow
11.12 – Kansas City, MO @ miniBar
11.13 – Tulsa, OK @ Whittier Bar
11.14 – Dallas, TX @ RBC
11.15 – Fort Worth, TX @ The Post
11.18 – Bryan, TX @ The 101
11.19 – Austin, TX @ Swan Dive
11.20 – San Antonio, TX @ Hi Tones
11.21 – Beaumont, TX @ For The Record
11.22 – Houston, TX @ Dan Electro’s
11.24 – New Orleans, LA @ Saturn Bar
11.25 – Mobile, AL @ The Merry Widow
11.27 – Charlotte, NC @ Petra’s
11.28 – Charleston, SC @ The Royal American
11.29 – Raleigh, NC @ Slim’s
12.02 – Chattanooga, TN @ JJ’s Bohemia
12.03 – Nashville, TN @ East Room
12.04 – Louisville, KY @ Mag Bar
12.05 – Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR
12.06 – Indianapolis, IN @ Healer
12.10 – Milwaukee, WI @ Linneman’s
12.11 – Eau Claire, WI @ Stones Throw
12.12 – Minneapolis, MN @ Underground Music
12.13 – Madison, WI @ The Rigby
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