The Van Pelt announce new album ‘Remain Obscure’ + share lead single ‘Kris Is Riding Horses In Ojai’

The Van Pelt have announced their new album ‘Remain Obscure’, out September 18 via Ernest Jenning Record Co. (pre-order here). Alongside the news, the band has shared the album’s lead single and video, Kris Is Riding Horses In Ojai.

Stream Kris Is Riding Horses In Ojai on all digital platforms

Kris is Riding Horses in Ojai is a call to arms for all the sleeper cells of dreamers who’ve been dispersed and compromised by life, but whose inner flames can’t be doused.

The Van Pelt are one of the great cult bands of American independent music.

Formed in New York City in 1993 around singer, guitarist, and songwriter Chris Leo, the band emerged from the same fertile underground scene that produced many of the decade’s most influential post-hardcore, indie rock, and emo bands. While many of their contemporaries found wider recognition, The Van Pelt forged a different path — one defined by artistic independence, restless experimentation, and a refusal to fit neatly into any scene or trend.

Across two landmark albums, ‘Stealing From Our Favorite Thieves’ (1996) and ‘Sultans Of Sentiment’ (1997), the band developed a singular language combining intricate guitar interplay, spoken-word intensity, literary lyrics, and emotional depth — occupying a unique space between post-hardcore urgency, indie rock invention, and the introspective sensibility that would later become associated with emo.

After disbanding in 1997, the band’s reputation only grew. What began as a well-kept secret among underground music fans gradually became a touchstone for listeners searching beyond the obvious narratives of ’90s alternative rock. Reunions in 2009 and 2014, the release of the long-lost ‘Imaginary Third’, and a string of acclaimed live shows introduced their music to new ears while reaffirming their enduring relevance.

In 2023, The Van Pelt returned with ‘Artisans & Merchants’, their first collection of new material in over twenty-five years. Rather than revisiting old formulas, the album expanded the band’s sonic vocabulary while preserving what’s always made them unique: curiosity, intelligence, vulnerability, and an unwavering commitment to following their own instincts.

Now, more than three decades after forming, The Van Pelt return this fall with ‘Remain Obscure’, their fifth studio album. True to form, the record pushes past the familiar boundaries of the band’s sound while holding onto the spirit that’s defined them from the start. A band whose influence has always outpaced its visibility, The Van Pelt remain one of independent music’s most enduring and rewarding secrets.

‘Remain Obscure’ track list

1. Kris Is Riding Horses In Ojai
2. Linens Should Be Freshly Pressed
3. Arid As The Aral
4. City Of Dead Ends
5. Rally Song For Maryann
6. Frank’s Jukebox
7. Flaws Of Attraction
8. A Voralberg Of The Mind
9. Martha Graham And The Moon
10. Lawrence, KS
11. Death By A Solid Argument