San Francisco, CA, April 17, 2026 — The Crooked Stuff today release "Sci-Fi Radio," a new single on The Unknown International. The track is available now on all streaming platforms.
"Sci-Fi Radio" is synthesizer-driven with gritty beats and post-punk energy — a song for every creator who knows the process of finding inspiration and turning it into something real. It lands as the band continues to build momentum: over 1,742 tracked radio spins across 47 stations in 21 US markets since the September 2025 release of their EP Darkphased, NACC chart positions in five metros including Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York, and regular rotation on the Bay Area's Live 105 SoundCheck series.
The single drops the same night as the band's Popscene debut at the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco, supporting Forrest Day and Treasures. Popscene, the long-running SF indie showcase curated by Live 105's Aaron Axelsen, has hosted The Killers, Billie Eilish, Flume, Alt-J, Muse, Vampire Weekend, and The 1975 among hundreds of others. For The Crooked Stuff, it marks a hometown milestone in a year that's already included three performances at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, and live in-studio sessions at KPCW, KVMR, KRCB, and KZFR.
The Crooked Stuff — Tom Gorton (vocals), John Robin Varn (keys/synths), and Nick DeRyss (drums) — make what they call "existential discopunk for the people": body-moving, life-exploring music rooted in post-punk, electronic, industrial, funk, and soul. Their sound has drawn organic comparisons to Nine Inch Nails, Killing Joke, TV On The Radio, Devo, Talking Heads, and LCD Soundsystem. "Sci-Fi Radio" is the first of a series of singles to be released throughout spring and summer 2026.
The Crooked Stuff are a San Francisco-based trio making existential discopunk for the people: music that lives at the intersection of post-punk, electronic, industrial, funk, and soul. Consisting of vocalist Tom Gorton, keyboardist/synth player John Robin Varn, and drummer Nick DeRyss, the band released their latest EP Darkphased in September 2025 on The Unknown International label.
They have since earned over 1,742 radio spins across 47 stations and 21 US markets, charted on NACC in five metros, performed at the Sundance Film Festival, and secured a growing list of in-studio interviews and performances at stations including KPCW, KVMR, KZFR, and KRCB. "Sci-Fi Radio" is the first in a series of new singles to be released throughout spring and summer 2026.