NOLA rock band Pope return for first time in over 8 years with new album
POPE RETURN WITH BIG F*CKING MUSIC
NEW ORLEANS BAND UNVEIL
THEIR FIRST NEW ALBUM IN OVER EIGHT YEARS, BFM
AVAILABLE APRIL 30, 2026, VIA RITE FIELD RECORDS - PRE-ORDER
LEAD SINGLE “NEWBOI” PREMIERES TODAY - LISTEN
New Orleans, LA rock band Pope is excited to announce BFM, available everywhere April 30, 2026, via Houston’s tastemaking Rite Field Records. As the title signifies, fans can expect "Big F*cking Music” on the three-piece’s first new album in over 8 years. Heralding the announcement of their Rite Field debut, “Newboi” arrives today. Wielding undeniable hooks and catchy riffs, the cyclical single captures the frustration of circling the same mistakes over and over, making excuses for behavior you know is hurting you, but still can’t seem to change.
“‘Newboi’ is a song about being stuck in negative cycles,” Matt Sefarian explains. “Justifying detrimental behavior and the inability to break bad habits and repeated behaviors. Inspired by riffy power pop bands.”
LISTEN TO “NEWBOI”
PRE-ORDER BFM
BFM marks Pope’s first album since their 2017 album, True Talent Champion. The upcoming record finds the three-piece at their most experienced and locked in yet, an inward reckoning and a homecoming, tracing the band’s journey from their Houston beginnings to the community that shaped them in New Orleans. Opening with cycles of stagnation and self-doubt, the record gradually turns toward connection, resilience, and release, letting each song feel like a response to the last. Along the way, grief, community, and self-worth surface through warm melodies, lo-fi detours, and moments of raw vulnerability that reflect years of shared history between the three friends. Guided only by what feels honest, Pope sound more patient and emotionally grounded than ever. BFM feels like the band returning to the place where it all began, carrying everything they’ve learned back to the moment friendship became a future.
Over the past decade, Pope has shared the stage with bands like They Are Gutting A Body of Water, Alex G, MJ Lenderman, Wednesday, Momma and many more. More shows will be announced soon. To stay in the loop on upcoming performances, follow Pope on Instagram at @popetheband.
POPE
BFM
RITE FIELD RECORDS
Release Date: April 30, 2026
1. Song Two
2. Newboi
3. Sick Minute
4. Point of View
5. Make You Feel
6. No One (Kiss for a Treat)
7. Nothing for Nothing
8. SOLU
9. Town
10. Good Enough
11. Back to the Center
12. John Thomas
13. Underdawg
ABOUT POPE:
Pope began in Houston, where three friends met, grew up a little, and learned that making music together felt like the most honest thing they could do. Those early days built a bond that never really loosened, even as life shifted and pulled them toward new cities and responsibilities.
They later made New Orleans home, and that is where Pope became something people paid attention to. The shows got better. The writing got sharper. The community around them kept growing. It started to feel like the band they hoped it could be back when they were first figuring out who they were.
The music still comes from that same place: guitars that carry emotion forward, melodies that stay with you longer than expected, and lyrics that know when to say less. Matt Seferian and Alex Skalany share the writing in a way that feels natural, each leaving space for the other. Atticus Lopez keeps the pulse steady, making sure the heart of the song is never lost.
Eventually, Pope stepped away from the stage, but not from the band. They kept writing and recording on their own time with no pressure to prove anything. The songs continued to show up, and that was enough to know this wasn’t finished.
BFM, arriving April 30, 2026, via Rite Field Records, carries the confidence of a band that understands exactly why they are still here. The music is patient, emotional, and built on years of trust - a continuation of what started in Houston and strengthened in New Orleans. Returning to a Houston-based label feels right. It returns the story to the moment the friendship became a band and the band first felt like a future.
Pope returns with the songs that brought them home.
ABOUT RITE FIELD RECORDS:
Rite Field Records is a boutique music consultancy and record label devoted to independent artists and archival releases, spanning alternative, emotional, post-hardcore and everything in between - all part of the same pulse.
Photo Credit: Izze Thompson
CONNECT WITH POPE:
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