Rich Mattson and the Northstars - Wake up Songs (2026)

Tracklist

01. Rendezvous With a Star
02. Not the Answer
03. Races With Turtle
04. Karmic Debt
05. Nighthawks
06. Golden Plumes
07. Blues Academy
08. Disappear
09. Broke and Alone
10. Hook Arm
11. You Lose Again
12. I Get a Kick

Wake Up Songs is the 7th offering from Rich Mattson and the Northstars, an American Cosmic Rock band based in the nether regions (Iron Range) of the northeast quadrant of Minnesota (Sparta, to be precise). The music explores the outer limits of their cosmic sound, with exploding drums, hypersonic guitars, noodling bass syrup, and soaring over the top of it, as always, the sweet harmonies of Rich Mattson and Germaine Gemberling.

Their last full-length record, “Out There,” was released in November of 2022, followed by the single “Rendezvous With a Star” in May 2024, and a 3-album set of solo, acoustic versions from Mattson (“Spartan Tracks Vol. 1-3”) in November. In August of 2024 the group was invited to open for the mighty Built To Spill on a 10 date tour from Minneapolis to Pittsburgh. The crackin’ new Northstars rhythm section of Chris Petrack (drums) and the young Calvin Lund (bass) were ready for action, and the tour was a rocking success. Over the 2+ years since “Out There,” the band in this lineup had various sessions at Sparta Sound, resulting in the collection here.
The title, “Wake Up Songs” reflects the mostly up-beat, yet provocative nature of the songs, the proactive message even in the face of monumental challenges. Mattson’s dark humor is apparent alongside his slashing Rickenbacker cutting out huge swaths of earth, and just as you get your feet wet along comes Germaine with her “Karmic Debt” and you are swept away into the rocking and rolling world of the Northstars, rolling with the flow of the cosmos. More surprises ensue; the gorgeous “Nighthawks” (featuring cellist John McMahon of Built To Spill), biting sarcasm of “Golden Plumes,” off-the-cuff street poetry and pork chop jazz of “Blues Academy,” despair of “Broke and Alone” and the final romp/rave up “I Get a Kick,” where Mattson wails, “I get a kick outta yooooooooouuuu!!” Lest we forget the disgusting tale of “Gary, with the hook for an arm.”..
A disclaimer on the print edition boasts “This album was made 100% free of A.I.” and while that may not be obvious to the untrained ear, this record could be a result of a prompt for “perfect rock and roll in 2026.”

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