Astroqueen‘s Rufus Rising EP will be the band’s first new release in over two decades. That in itself makes its May 2 arrival an event — but the manner of its making is also notable. The new song premiering in the video below, “Turbin Turbine” (sic) is their first single in just as long. This isn’t the most impartial, critic-y thing of me to say, but I’m honored to host it.

Rufus Rising is comprised of four new songs, and “Turbin Turbine” is the leadoff. The track is rooted in a 2003 session the band undertook to demo out songs for their next outing, the follow-up to 2001’s Into Submission, which Majestic Mountain also reissued in 2022 to at last give it some modicum of the presentation it had long deserved. That second full-length didn’t happen at the time and it hasn’t happened yet — the band said they were writing as of last September — but as Astroqueen have taken to the stage again over the last few years, playing festivals like Truckfighters Fuzz Fest (review here) and Freak Valley (review here), and more besides, the discussion of more recording has been there all the while.

So recording has been done. They’re meeting the original demos halfway, which means that the guitars have been redubbed by founding guitarist/vocalist Daniel Änghede, and the whole affair has been remixed and remastered by Andy La Rocque, who helmed the original tracking of the first three of the four songs on Rufus Rising. The 2003 demo, in other words, with new guitars worked in from Änghede. The fourth cut on the EP — the title-track — would seem to be a follow-up or a revisit on some level to Astroqueen‘s 1999 single “Rufus the Space Agent,” which came out on Monster Zero Records (which also released the first Colour Haze album in ’95). “Rufus Rising,” the song, was recorded in 2024 by Änghede.

The way it’s phrased below, I’m not sure if it was just him doing all the tracking solo or with the full band, and I haven’t heard it yet or I’d surely have some comment one way or the other in that regard, but for now, dig into the “Turbin Turbine” video below, get stoked on new Astroqueen in just a couple weeks (one of the vinyl editions is already sold out on preorder), and bask in the fuzz because it’s there just for you.

Enjoy:

Astroqueen, “Turbin Turbine” video premiere

Astroqueen is back with fresh material! This time, they’ve dusted off unreleased tracks from their debut album, Into Submission. New guitars have been recorded, but fans will still recognize the old, fuzzy Astroqueen sound we all love!

“Back in 2003, fresh off the release of Into Submission, Astroqueen hit the studio with Andy La Rocque to record a 3-track demo. Two of those tracks made it onto indie compilations, but the follow-up album never happened. – Life took us in different directions, and the recorded tracks were left to collect dust,” says drummer Johan Borgede.

Now, 20 years later, Astroqueen is back, picking up right where they left off. – When we started working on new material, we realized those demo tracks were too good to stay forgotten says guitarist and singer Daniel Änghede. The riffs still had the fire, but the tone needed an upgrade. – So, we re-recorded the guitars and returned back to Andy. This time at his new studio Sonic Train Studios, to give them the mix they deserved.

The result is Rufus Rising – Astroqueen at its rawest and fuzziest. This EP is both a time capsule and a rocket into the future: an echo from the past and a promise of what’s to come. Rufus Rising is just the beginning.

Pre-order your copy now 👉 https://www.majesticmountainrecords.com/products/astroqueen-rufus-rising-ep-pre-order

Artwork by @k_a_p_a_t_konto
Released on Majestic Mountain Records
Recorded at Andy La Rocque’s Sonic Train Studios

Tracklisting
1. Turbin Turbine
2. Other Side of Nothing
3. Tidal Wave
4. Rufus Rising

Track 1-3 recorded & mixed at Los Angered Records, April 4-6, 2003. Engineered by Andy La Rocque. Produced by Andy La Rocque & Astroqueen.
Guitars recorded by Daniel Änghede at Astroblast Studios, January 2024.

Track 4 written and recorded by Daniel Änghede at Observatoriet Studios, January 2024. Mixed and mastered at Sonic Train Studios, March 22-23, 2024, by Andy La Rocque.

Astroqueen on this EP
Daniel Änghede – Lead guitar & vocals
Daniel Tolergård – Guitar
Johan Borgede – Drums & Percussion
Mattias Vester – Bass

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Tags: Astroqueen, Astroqueen Rufus Rising, Gothenburg, Majestic Mountain Records, Rufus Rising, Sweden

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 16th, 2025 at 10:03 am and is filed under Bootleg Theater. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.