Recess Newsletter
November 2025
I know we’re not used to this, currently, but I think I have some good news. New Recess releases are on the horizon! One from a newish band from SF, Wife. Two from what one might called veterans: The Arrivals and Toys That Kill! Yes! new music! Not reissues from 30 years ago that make up the bulk of current set lists from “veteran bands”. After some listens you might argue these are their best yet. It’s very hard to contain my excitement , mainly cos bands that have been around 20+ years NEVER make their best albums beyond the second decade. Feel free to correct me. I’d love to hear if it’s happened. You ALWAYS hear these bands claim that this is their best yet, and why wouldn’t they say that? I mean, they better, or why else would they be making it?! But then you notice something: A year, or 2 or 3 later none of the songs on their latest and “best yet!” album are played at their shows. Hmmm. I wonder why? Cos it sucked! Maybe they made the album for money, or pressure from outside sources? Who knows. What I do know is we don’t have these pressures and there’s no reason to make something new unless your are inspired by non-superficial forces. I can easily say that these will be some of the best Recess releases yet and I’m very proud of everyone involved making them. Oki doki, Todd C.
TOYS THAT KILL
Triple Sabotage LP
(Out Jan or Feb 2026)
There’s been a few attempts to do a new TTK album. In 2020 we had a full 16 song album tracked and partially mixed. We tossed it in the trash, Maybe it was cos we we’re doing it smack dab in the middle of a worldwide pandemic? That might’ve helped it’s journey into the garbage but in all honesty, it itself was garbage. It just wasn’t anything special. The energy and spirit seemed to be gonzo. Luckily we didn’t have assholes in suits demanding anything. Fans wanted something new. Afterall, it was 4 years since the last album. But why give em something we’re not happy with?
So fast forward to May of 25, I’m on a plane coming home from an awesome East Coast tour and thought we could use a new song in our set. What planned to be just singles here and there turned into a full length that turned out more than anything we expected.
Check out the first glimpse of it with the song “The Cutting Board”. (Also touring the West Coast Nov 14th - Nov 23 with F.Y.P & Off With Their Heads!)
ToysThat Kill - The Cutting Board
THE ARRIVALS
Payload LP
(Out Jan or Feb 2026)
To say that people have been eagerly waiting a new album from The Arrivals would be an understatement. Their last album, Volatile Molotov, came out 15 years ago! Although it was slow in the beginning (as always expected!) it eventually took off. Partially due to the attention the song Simple Pleasures in America was gathering. Most of you knew how great the full album is though! So yea, this is exciting as all hell! You can listen to the first single “Brother” on the latest Terminal Island Lockdown podcast, which can be considered the audio companion of this here Newslitter.
WIFE
The Importance of Daydreaming LP
(Out Jan or Feb 2026. Out now on some digital platforms)
It’s pretty simple to say: Wife isn’t like other bands today. They work hard and they do it their way. A long time ago someone in a big glossy band that I know (I won’t say who cos my good friend Mick Jagger told me never to name drop) saw me and didn’t say “HI” or anything even semi-cordial, he said “Oh, if it isn’t Mr Grassroots” in a super snarky shithead way. He was trying to insult me but I couldn’t help take it as a compliment. It put things into perspective. It did not start from intelligence but more from dumb accidents and impatience. There was a desperation that fueled me to take different avenues. Naive and stupid, sure. but no one pointing here or there telling you this is only road to take. Wife started a journey down one of these different avenues and they have a super great album they’re taking with em. Don’t even take my word, you can listen to it now. They’re planting seeds and will most likely be back around to see how it’s growing.
“oh well looky here, if ain’t the lil grassroots club” and be proud that you can be a part of it.
WIFE - The Importance of Daydreaming
In not good news, We have lost Geoff Farrell of fOur LetTER wOrdS. As with anyone who met Geoff, I will say how much of a sweet person he was but for now let’s hear from his longtime friend and bandmate, Kid Kevin: Geoffrey Clayton Farrell a good friend, a brother was surrounded by family and friends Tuesday October 28th as he left this physical world to go onto the next. I’m so gutted, it’s a lot to unpack and process, it’s tough to put any of it to words but I will try.
We had so many formative times together playing in fOur LetTER wOrdS and various off shoot projects, recording our first records together, touring and seeing the country for the first time with all our best friends meeting people from all over that we still call friends today. Your ability to connect and captivate people always impressed the heck out of me, you drew em in. Your musical abilities always blew my mind. Where I fumbled through the caveman basics of three to four chord songs you filled in the blanks with thousands of beautiful notes and licks that I’ll never understand how to do.
I could go on forever but a couple of things I hold close. Geoff, you would share your first memories of meeting me, you in kindergarten class and myself in 4th grade at Sunkist Elementary School in Anaheim. I would come in to your class to help out, put headphones on you and the other kids at your table and put on cassette stories for us to listen to, I can’t believe you remember that. Another is that I can’t emphasize this enough, Geoff you and your band at age 14 Omi Comi(later Thrash Kats) influenced us AJ and I at age 18 to start fOur LetTER wOrdS when we saw the video of you guys ripping the South Junior High gymnasium with the school going crazy. You guys lit the fire for us and we poached you to play bass and the rest is history.
fOur LetTER wOrdS took you on tour at age 15 and your parents gave me a consent note to be your guardian while on the road and now I ask you to please be my guardian, I felt your hug on Wednesday when I needed it most, thank you. We have two matching tattoos so I think of you every moment I see them. Thank you for all the good times ⚡️ GCF FOREVER! ⚡️
Listen to the podcast version of this on the latest Terminal Island Lockdown! Available on most streaming platforms.