Melvins return with extended tour and new album

The Melvins will return to U.S. venues in the final quarter of 2025 with the Stop Your Whining Tour, joined for the duration by Redd Kross. The tour spans six weeks across a mix of club stages and midsize venues, following a summer run of European dates including festival appearances at ArcTanGent, Blue Moon, and Rock im Wald. This continues a period of sustained activity for the Melvins, who are currently co-headlining the Savage Imperial Death March II tour with Napalm Death.

The band—featuring Buzz Osborne, Dale Crover, Steven McDonald, and Coady Willis—recently issued Thunderball, a studio release that follows a pattern of prolific output: Tarantula Heart (2024), Bad Mood Rising (2022), and the acoustic double album Five Legged Dog (2021) preceded it. The current lineup includes figures tied to multiple longstanding underground acts, with McDonald also performing as a core member of Redd Kross.

Redd Kross, founded in Hawthorne, California by brothers Jeff and Steven McDonald in the late 1970s, joins the tour following renewed attention spurred by the publication of Now You’re One of Us: The Incredible Story of Redd Kross and the documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story. Their recorded history spans over four decades, encompassing early hardcore releases, glam-leaning power pop, and a consistent embrace of retro motifs reprocessed through Los Angeles punk culture.

The full list of tour dates is available on the dedicated tour page. Tickets go on general sale Friday, May 16 at 10 a.m. local time, with pre-sales opening May 14.

The Melvins formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. The group originally consisted of Buzz Osborne (vocals, guitar), Matt Lukin (bass), and Mike Dillard (drums). Dillard was soon replaced by Dale Crover, solidifying a long-term creative core. The Melvins have been cited as a transitional figure between the 1980s American hardcore punk scene and the development of slower, heavier forms of rock music, including grunge and sludge metal. Over the years, the lineup has featured musicians from Lustmord, Big Business, and Butthole Surfers, among others. Their discography includes over 30 studio albums released via labels such as Boner Records, Atlantic, and Ipecac Recordings.

Redd Kross emerged from the same South Bay scene that produced Black Flag and Circle Jerks, initially under the name Red Cross before a legal threat from the charity prompted a slight rebranding. Their 1982 LP Born Innocent was followed by a shift toward more melodic and theatrical material, particularly evident on Neurotica (1987) and Third Eye (1990). The band has experienced multiple hiatuses but continues to perform and release new material, with recent reissues and archival projects contributing to renewed activity in the 2020s.

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