Oakland's Samuelito Cruz has been intermittently cranking out lo-fi guitar-pop as Toner for over a decade now, and these days he's doing it for the esteemed Smoking Room label. Toner will soon follow up 2023's God's Hammer EP with the new album Dynasty House, the fourth Toner LP and the first in five years. There's no album art or pre-order link yet, but we do have some music to whet our appetities.
The new Toner song "Cleo" is out now with a video by Mikey Guzman, Daniel Vazquez. The above image is the single art. It's a grungy power-pop tune under a shimmering haze, with lyrics about interpersonal frustration: "Gunned down before I get a single word in/ Closed off and you don't wanna hear about it/ I take a spin around the block, write it off/ While you still remain the same, a burdened shame." Check it out below.
Dynasty House is out 10/30 on Smoking Room.
