The Dream Machine return to the spotlight with the announcement of their third studio album, ‘Fort Perch Rock’, set for release on February 27, 2026, via Run On Records. Accompanying the news is their latest single, “Flowers On The Razor Wire,” a high-octane rush of new wave rock written in Berlin and heavily inspired by the legacy of The Ramones. The track marks a stylistic shift toward radio-ready melodies following the band’s previous underground long-players. Lead vocalist Zak McDonnell reveals the song’s origins can be traced back to an erotic graphic novel discovered in a second-hand antique shop, blending his fascination with 70s punk and modern guitar influences like The Strokes.
The 12-track album, recorded and self-produced between the Wirral and Liverpool, serves as a tribute to the coastal life and lost arcades of the band’s hometown, New Brighton. The project will be available on multiple formats, including a special edition butterfly effect vinyl that features a bonus glow-in-the-dark 7-inch EP of covers paying homage to Motown legends The Shirelles. This record sounds like a defiant and ambitious evolution of the band’s sound, moving from the psychedelic sprints of the title track to the sophisticated gloom of their most recent work. Following a grassroots UK run in late 2025, the band is set to celebrate the launch with their biggest headline shows to date this spring.
Fort Perch Rock Track List:
- Fort Perch Rock
- Flowers On The Razorwire
- Things That Make Us Cry
- Angel Heart
- If I Could Be King
- Duck Bone Fever
- I Had A Friend
- Joe
- Julie On The Rocks
- Night Owls
- The First Bird
- Best Days Of Our Lives