Article Contributed by AristoPR
Published on 2026-03-15
Today, Chicago indie-rock outfit Ax and The Hatchetmen announce the Deluxe Edition of their vibrant, varied, and thoroughly charming debut album So Much to Tell You, coming March 27 via Arista Records — see the tracklist below. To celebrate the news, the band is breaking out “Cheesecake,” a previously unheard track that channels the shambolic beauty of a night out in the big city with a few too many drinks and no particular plan.
Listen to “Cheesecake” HERE
Pre-save So Much to Tell You (Deluxe) HERE
Find Ax and the Hatchetmen tour info HERE
Revisit So Much to Tell You HERE
Ax and The Hatchetmen also recently revealed a handful of live dates, including headliners next month, an appearance at Milwaukee’s Summerfest in June, and shows supporting ascendent Aussie duo Royel Otis (including a pair of hometown gigs) and fellow sax-wielding rockers The Revivalists at Colorado’s iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Full routing below.
Following last month’s ecstatic cover of Neon Trees’ “Everybody Talks” — a live fan favorite — “Cheesecake” keeps the energy upbeat, if not delightfully messier and alluringly dark. Backed by full-band handclaps, guitars that seesaw from jangly to jagged, and expressive brass embellishments, Axel Ellis spins a dizzy tale of potential debauchery: “I’m a night owl, only here for the right now, tomorrow never comes / When the light’s out, only shadows in downtown, still bracing for the sun.” The band’s Beach Boys-like harmonies only add to the woozy fun of it all.
As Axel puts it, “‘Cheesecake’ is a night cap. It’s a late stroll through the lower east side of Manhattan, void of any good thought. It’s a bit drunk, a bit high, aimlessly looking for whatever there is to find. The only real certainty is that eventually the sun will have to come back around. At one point you’d walked the same streets with your hand in another’s, but this time Ludlow Street evokes a feeling of reckless abandon. Hoping someone might pick you up, take you where you want to be. Your suitcase is at your friend’s place, waiting for the early flight home.”
So Much to Tell You (Deluxe) will include two new songs in addition to “Cheesecake” — “French Press,” which the band debuted during their So Much to Tell You Tour last fall, and the never-before-heard “Belt Loops.” Released in October, the original LP is a joyous swirl of gritty garage-rock, psychedelic jangle, and jammy dynamism brought to life in part by storied producer Jake Sinclair (Panic! At The Disco, Weezer). Sinclair not only connected the group with their hero Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes for the explosive lead single “Blurry Lights,” but also helped source a long-lost Rivers Cuomo demo for the sunny, carefree “7×9.”
The set included highlights from July’s Constant Change EP alongside new songs like “Lucy” and the racing bliss bomb of an early single “Stay // Honestly.” In a recent feature, Atwood Magazine called So Much to Tell You a “dynamic, exhilarating debut LP — a spirited coming-of-age record and love letter to all [the band’s] defining moments, blending seven years of camaraderie with playful storytelling, big-hearted hooks, and an infectious youthful energy.”
Other 2025 highlights included in-depth chats with The Luna Collective and Melodic Mag, a summer run supporting Fitz and the Tantrums, and a U.S. headliner that saw fervent crowds matching the band’s famously freewheeling energy — and their infectious lyrics, line for line. Catch Ax and The Hatchetmen at a date below and stay tuned for more dates and music soon.
Ax and the Hatchetmen, So Much To Tell You (Deluxe)
1. “Red Carpet”
2. “Flagstaff”
3. “Love Songs”
4. “7×9”
5. “Lucy”
6. “Oasis”
7. “Blurry Lights”
8. “Hotel Room”
9. “Model Citizen”
10. “Sunscreen”
11. “Stay // Honestly”
12. “New Years”
13. “French Press”
14. “Belt Loops”
15. “Cheesecake”
Ax and the Hatchetmen Live Dates
Apr 02 – Sacramento, CA @ Sacramento State University
Apr 08 – West Lafayette, IN @ Loeb Playhouse
Jul 03 – Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest
Jul 13 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed *
Jul 14 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed *
Jul 18 – New York, NY @ BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! *
Sep 25 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre ^
* supporting Royel Otis
^ supporting The Revivalists
