Drag Talk: LA Dream-Pop With a Ghost in Its Past

One week. That is all that separates Los Angeles five-piece Drag Talk from their debut album. Drink The Ocean lands October 30 via MNRK Heavy, and if the two singles so far are any indication, it is going to be a loud one.

The band grew out of friendships years in the making. Vocalist Jutty Taylor and drummer Hayden Scott both spent time in Grammy-winning Swedish rock band Ghost, while guitarists Neil Popkin and Matt Ripp Bennett played together in War Tapes. The whole thing started with pandemic-era home demos from guitarist Ross O'Carroll. Since then: the 2022 single "Egyptian Flesh," the Dogs EP in 2023, the Rosy Crown EP in 2024, and a cult following that sold out shows on both coasts before the band signed with MNRK Music Group.

The shorthand for their sound is '90s indie rock nostalgia, shoegaze haze, and Britpop melodicism crashing into towering hooks and lush atmospherics. That is accurate. "Pony Up," the August lead single, buries Taylor's genre-fluid vocals under blurred guitars and a slow-moving bassline, and the song itself, Taylor says, is about a God who "is as cruel, loving, insecure and indifferent as you or I." "Would It Kill You," the September second single, pushes the hook-forward dream-pop further out, with breakneck drums and soaring vocals. The reference points named most often are Swervedriver, The Verve, and The Jesus and Mary Chain, all filtered through Taylor's sideways way of writing. Gambling imagery runs through the record, and so do themes of injustice, femininity, spirituality, and loss.

The album was produced by Tom Syrowski, the band's sole producer to date, recorded between his Los Angeles home studio and Hollywood's legendary Henson Studios. There are a couple of heavyweight guests too: Brendan O'Brien plays Hammond organ on the brooding title track, while Olivia Morreale sings backing vocals on "Welcome to the Aeon."

Start here

• "Pony Up" (2026) - the hazy, guitar-heavy lead single and the album's opening statement.
• "Would It Kill You" (2026) - the visceral second single, all hooks and breakneck drums.
• Rosy Crown EP (2024) - the record that built their cult following, both coasts sold out.

Where to follow

• Instagram: @dragxtalk
• Pre-save Drink The Ocean: https://dragtalk.ffm.to/drinktheocean

Drag Talk are on the road right now, and they close out the tour with a Texas run alongside Filth Is Eternal and Integra Pink: Houston (Nov 5), San Antonio (Nov 6), Denton (Nov 7), Austin (Nov 8). One week to the debut. Pony up.