You Have Been Cordially Invited to “The Place Behind The Stars”

After a twelve-year hiatus from releasing new music, the revered ska-punk trailblazers Streetlight Manifesto have sent a jolt of electricity through the fanbase with the announcement of a new album, “The Place Behind The Stars” slated for a June 24, 2025 release via Pentimento Music Co. The news, which has been met with widespread elation, was accompanied by the reveal of a sprawling North American and European tour set to kick off this summer.

The announcement came in the band’s signature, fan-focused, and humorously self-aware style through a press release that has been circulating online. “For the first time in centuries, we are hitting the road to play not only the jams you’ve heard once or thrice before, but also finally songs you’ve never heard before,” the statement read. “Or I guess will have only heard relatively recently at the time of said concert.”

Known for their intricate horn arrangements, verbose and introspective lyrics, and a blistering fusion of punk rock energy and third-wave ska, Streetlight Manifesto has cultivated a fiercely dedicated following since their formation in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 2002. Led by the enigmatic Tomas Kalnoky, the band has consistently pushed the boundaries of the ska-punk genre, earning critical acclaim for their albums “Everything Goes Numb” (2003), their re-recording of the Catch 22 classic “Keasbey Nights” (2006), “Somewhere in the Between” (2007), and “The Hands That Thieve” (2013).

The upcoming album, “The Place Behind The Stars” marks their first full-length studio effort since “The Hands That Thieve,” an album that was embroiled in a well-documented and lengthy dispute with their former record label. The new record is being self-produced, a move that is sure to please longtime fans who have come to expect the band’s meticulous and hands-on approach to their music.

While details about the new album’s sound are still under wraps, the press release playfully hints at the familiar cathartic energy of their live shows: “But don’t worry, there is lots of shouting and oohing and ahhhing and heying on the new record, so you’ll have ample opportunity to make noises at us as we make noises at you from a slightly higher elevation.”

The “The Place Behind The Stars Tour 2025” is an extensive affair, with dates spanning across the United States and including a stop in Seattle at the Showbox SoDo on July 27th. Tickets for the tour are set to go on sale this Friday, with the band humorously noting their own unfamiliarity with the presale process: “For most shows there is some sort of venue presale code thingy, probably, we don’t really know, we just make the noise here. At this point, you guys know how it works better than we do.”

The band’s advice to their devoted followers is to act fast. “Please grab your tickets early, as some (maybe many!) of these shows will likely sell out as they tend to.” This is a sentiment echoed by fans who are well-aware of Streetlight Manifesto’s reputation for selling out venues across the globe.

With a new album on the horizon and a massive tour in the works, the return of Streetlight Manifesto is a welcome event for the punk and ska communities. Their unique voice and unwavering artistic integrity have been missed, and “The Place Behind The Stars” is poised to be one of the most anticipated releases of the year.

UPDATE 6.16.2025: 

From Streetlight Manifesto social media:

So About That Release Date…
New album is delayed by a few months, but three full songs are being released on Tuesday, June 24th and will be played live at all upcoming shows.

As you surely know by now, few things in life are less certain than a Streetlight record release date, and the date for our new record is no exception. Hi there, Tomas here, singer man for Streetlight, coming in hot and embarrassed, tail tucked humbly between my legs, with the maybe ridiculously predictable bad news that our new record is being delayed by a few months until September or October. When we have a more concrete date, one that we’re sure of, one that will NOT be shifted again, you’ll be the first to know. Ok, second to know, after the rest of the guys in the band find out.

Speaking of which, I alone am the reason the record is being delayed; it’s solely my fault. Without going into unnecessary and private details, and thereby opening the door to more speculation and more questions: The record is not where I want it to be yet, and when I realized it couldn’t be finished in time and finished at a level of quality meeting or exceeding the quality of our previous efforts, I shifted work to focus on getting three songs release ready by the release date. The full record simply needs more time in the oven, time I haven’t been able to give it in the last half year or so due to personal reasons. The three songs coming out next week make up about 20 minutes of music, so there’s plenty of meat to chomp into, both on your end when you listen to our squeaks and squawks and on our end when we play these tunes in front of you every night, on our various squeak and squawk devices.

There’s not much else I can say besides I wholeheartedly and honestly apologize to those of you that had been excited to hear the full record next week; I’m sorry the wait for the remainder of the songs will be a bit longer and I hope that what you hear next week will convince you that the full album will have been worth the wait. Hugs and kisses, to all of you, but especially to those of you carving small wooden effigies of me to burn and poke with objects, both blunt and pointed.

“The Place Behind The Stars Tour 2025” North American Dates (more to be announced):

• June 27 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony Summer Stage
• July 18 – Denver, CO @ Punk in the Park
• July 19 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
• July 20 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
• July 22 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels
• July 23 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park
• July 24 – Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
• July 25 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
• July 27 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
• August 29 – Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre
• August 30 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore
• August 31 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed
• September 27 – Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
• October 17 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
• October 18 – New York, NY @ The Rooftop at Pier 17
• October 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
• November 1 – Toronto, ON @ The Danforth Music Hall
• November 2 – Montreal, QC @ L’Olympia

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the official Streetlight Manifesto website and local venue listings. Stay tuned to RacketeerRadio.com for further updates on this developing story. Keep it tuned into Racketeer Radio KFQX to hear the newest sounds from Streetlight Manifesto!