Unveil Gritty, Cinematic New Single/Video
“Highway Meditation”

OCTOBER 23, 2025 (New York, NY) – Following a massive 25-date U.S. tour in support of their third album Love, Darla, NYC noise rock/shoegaze outfit Laveda return with a cinematic gut-punch of a single/video for “Highway Meditation.” Built from the chaotic heartbeat of their live chemistry and the kind of gritty intimacy that defines the band’s sound, the track is both explosive and hypnotic – a slow-burn anthem that channels love, danger, and delirium in equal measure. Originally written as an energetic jam between vocalist/bassist Ali Genevich and guitarist Jake Brooks, “Highway Meditation” morphed into a rather different animal.“When we eventually got burnt out of rehearsing this fast chorus idea, we broke down into a much slower and simplified two-chord section,” explains Brooks. “This is what ended up being the major launching point for the song… With time rehearsing and playing it live, Dan [Carr] brought his own chaotic style of playing that was lacking in the demo.” The result is quintessential Laveda: a sprawling, noise-drenched fever dream that feels both cinematic and raw – born from the city’s chaos but pulsing with human connection. The video, directed by the band and featuring actors Sofia and Trevor in a frenzied romantic/crime/action Natural Born Killers-inspired storyline, mirrors the song’s emotional push-pull between passion and destruction. “It took a while for Jake and I to find ‘Highway Meditation”s final form,” Ali adds. “We were itching to get it finished because we both liked it so much. Around that time, I was kinda obsessed with [Oliver Stone’s 1994 romantic crime film] Natural Born Killers – constantly envisioning scenes from the movie while we’d play through the song. It ended upbecoming my analysis of the film.”

“Highway Meditation” extends the raw energy of Love,Darla, Laveda’s most visceral and accomplished record to date. The album finds the band – AliGenevich (vocals/bass/guitar), JakeBrooks (guitar/vocals), DanCarr (bass/guitar), and Joe Taurone (drums) – fully immersed in the jagged beauty of their New York backdrop.

From the chaotic noise bursts of “Care” and “Cellphone” to the dreamlike haze of “Tim Burton’s Tower” and “Strawberry,” the record captures a city in flux—restless, melancholic, and electric. Love,Darla has drawn critical acclaim for its fearless sound and cinematic vision: TheAlternative called it “unmistakably, traditionally punk… retracing the footsteps of their NYC underground predecessors.” While FarOut praised it as “monumentous, chaotic, and triumphant… Laveda might just be one of the best rock bands of our generation.” TheDeliMag described their live set as “strong, delicious, and intense… each turn a surprise, extremely raw and human.” PsychedelicBaby captured the album’s essence: “Laveda found a way to take the city’s anarchy and turn it into this hypnotic, churning rhythm that just makes you think of ‘underground.’” Meanwhile, PopMatters hailed Love,Darla for “bridging the sounds of 1980s punk with 1990s grunge” and CincyMusic noted, “Laveda masterfully blends blistering noise with moments of raw vulnerability, creating a soundscape that is both intense and deeply human.”

If Love, Darla was a love letter to New York’s noise and nuance, “Highway Meditation” feels like the moment after the city fades in the rearview – a hallucinatory drive into the unknown. It’s Laveda’s sound at its most cinematic: sprawling guitars, subterranean basslines, and Ali’s vocals hovering somewhere between menace and melancholy. “Highway Meditation” is out now via Bar/None Records. Watch the official video and stream Love, Darla on all major platforms.

Love, Darla Tracklist: 1. Care 2. Cellphone 3. I Wish 4. Dig Me Out 5. Strawberry 6. Heaven 7. Highway Meditation 8. Bonehead 9. Tim Burton’s Tower 10. Lullaby