Utility Share New Album How to Protect What’s Left, Following 2019 Self-Titled Record

Portland duo Utility will release their second album, How to Protect What’s Left, on October 17th. The ten-track record follows their 2019 self-titled debut, continuing the project’s approach to extracting maximum sound from bass and drums.

Title: How to Protect What's Left
Artist: Utility
Release Date: 2025-10-17
Genres: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock
Label: self-released
Description: Portland duo Utility release second album How to Protect What's Left on October 17th, five years after their 2019 self-titled debut.

RFK Heise and Adam Draper started Utility in 2018 with a specific technical question: how much sound can two people generate using a bass guitar, a drum kit, and current technology. The reference points include Thin Lizzy, new wave, soul, and rock music more generally. Heise, who also recorded, mixed, and produced the first album, handles bass. Draper plays drums.

Three singles precede the album. “Your Pain is an Ocean” arrived on September 9th, followed by “No Wrong No Right” on September 19th. “Shiny Things” will be available on streaming platforms on October 2nd.

RFK Heise has played in Last Giant and System and Station. Adam Draper has been part of Down Gown and Swim Swam Swum. Both are based in Portland, Oregon, where Utility operates as a bass-drums configuration that addresses the structural limitations of a two-piece setup through amplification and processing rather than additional musicians.

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