Alex Zarou Levine used to lead the very fun Brooklyn punk band known as the So So Glos, and now he makes solo music under the name Alex Orange Drink. Earlier this year, Alex released Victory Lap (#23), a new album inspired by his battle against cancer. That was just the beginning. While he was going through chemotherapy, Alex wrote and recorded a staggering five albums, and Victory Lap (#23) is the first of them. The other four are all coming out before the end of the year. Next up is Future 86, which is set to arrive next month.
According to a press release, all five of Alex Orange Drink's 2025 albums are based on different stages of grief, according to the Kübler-Ross model, and each of them adheres to a different genre of music. Victory Lap (#23) represents denial, while Future 86, out October 3, is a power-pop record about the bargaining stage. After that, he'll release Good Old Days (October 24, anti-folk, depression), Plastic Bag (November 21, anger, hardcore/punk), and Even Cowboys Get The Cancer (December 12, acceptance, cancer). All five albums are coming out on Million Stars, the label founded by Alex's friend Conor Oberst. Alex co-wrote a bunch of songs on Bright Eyes' 2024 album Five Dice, All Threes and on their upcoming ska EP Kids Table.
Can you fucking believe all that? I can't fucking believe all that. I have no idea how I'd react if I got cancer, but I can tell you that I would not make five albums in short order. That's heroic! I'm moved! Along with the announcement, Alex Orange Drink has shared the catchy, efficient new Future 86 song "O.D. (3AM)." This one isn't directly about cancer. It's about worrying about someone else's health instead: "I don't want to be up at three, wonderin' if today’s the night you OD!" Check out that song, the Future 86 tracklist, and Alex Orange Drink's upcoming shows below.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Spellbound (In The Eleventh Hour)"
02 "O.D. (3AM)"
03 "Famous Dads"
04 "First One To Oblivion"
05 "Future 86"
06 "Back Of My Hand"
07 "Queen Victoria! (Version One)"
08 "Even The Bad Times Are Good"
TOUR DATES:
10/19 - New York, NY @ Night Club 101 *
11/06 - New York, NY @ Assembly Gallery
12/18 - Brooklyn, NY @ Sunny’s Bar
12/19 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Filmore
* with SUD & Shadow Monster
Freedom 86 is out 10/3 on Million Stars.
