Chicago’s beloved DIY shredders OK Cool—aka the dynamic duo of Bridget Stiebris and Haley Blomquist Waller—have officially announced their debut album, ‘Chit Chat’, landing in our ears August 1st, 2025. To celebrate, they just dropped a fiery first single and video, Waawooweewaa, which is equal parts breakup anthem and post-Borat existential spiral.
The track arrives with a video courtesy of Roadhouse Productions, and it rips. It’s fuzzed-out, riff-forward, and surprisingly tender beneath the distortion. “I wrote the demo for this song in 2019 after a breakup,” Stiebris shares. “It was a whole vibe of reflecting on the emotional patterns of my past relationships. Also, I had just watched Borat—hence the dumb name. Giving songs silly names helps me not take myself too seriously.”
Honestly? Same.
But don’t let the self-deprecation fool you. ‘Chit Chat’ is a major step up for OK Cool. After three EPs in five years (most recently 2023’s ‘fawn,’ which snagged love from Stereogum, Audiotree, Bandcamp, FLOOD, Them, Under the Radar, and more), their debut full-length shows a new kind of confidence. These 10 tracks stretch out more than the bite-sized blasts on fawn, with room to breathe, groove, and dig deeper.
“This was a conscious shift,” Stiebris says. “I wanted to feel okay taking up more space with my songs—letting ideas sit for a moment rather than always rushing to the next thought.”
The entire album was written, performed, and produced by the pair, with engineering help from local pals Avery Black, Brad Harvey, and Wesley Reno. True to form, OK Cool kept things intimate and scrappy. “We like to keep it between us,” says Blomquist. “We come from different musical backgrounds, but we’re on the same page when it comes to songwriting. That shared language is what makes it click.”
For their live shows, Chicago buds Josh Kayne (drums) and Tommy Kessler (guitar) join the squad. Expect their signature sound—hook-filled indie, shoegaze touches, guitar theatrics, and the occasional surprise piano moment—to come to life on stage.
Speaking of which, they’re throwing a hometown album release show at Chicago’s Subterranean on August 14th. You’re gonna want to be there.
As for the name ‘Chit Chat’? “It’s kind of tongue-in-cheek,” Stiebris explains. “Haley and I pass songs back and forth via text, and so much of this album is about communication—how things were said, or left unsaid, and how that sticks with you emotionally.”
In the end, ‘Chit Chat’ sounds like two best friends fully in sync, building a sonic world that’s 100% theirs.
Tracklist for ‘Chit Chat’:
- Intro
- Waawooweewaa
- Safety Car
- Splitting
- Jeans (I Get It Now)
- Loop
- Sledding
- Ruined
- Fading Out Forever
- Last
Live Date:
08/14 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean
Check out Waawooweewaa now, and get ready to spin ‘Chit Chat’ on repeat all summer long.
Follow OK Cool:
Bandcamp | Instagram | Twitter
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