/image%2F4633924%2F20260730%2Fob_ddc7cc_final.png)
Passion 💖 Musiques 🎶 Loisirs
2 Septembre 2026
From CANADA
/image%2F4633924%2F20250319%2Fob_affe94_french.JPG)
New Jersey indie rock trio Quiz Show return with “XONO,” a powerful and emotionally charged single exploring the painful gap between romantic hopes and the reality of doomed relationships. Produced by award-winning producer Ray Ketchem, the track combines punk energy, alternative rock textures, layered guitars and memorable vocal hooks. “
XONO” is the first preview of the band’s upcoming three-track EP, due September 28 via Magic Door Record Label. Blending influences from punk and alternative pioneers, Quiz Show deliver a dynamic sound where noise, melody and raw emotion collide.
SELECTION SORTIES
/image%2F4633924%2F20260608%2Fob_df6670_fleche-image-animee-0063.gif)
N
ew Jersey-based indie rock trio Quiz Show presents their new single 'XONO', which explores the painful gap between idealized romantic aspirations and the harsh truth that a promising bond is ultimately doomed to fail. This is the first taste of their forthcoming 3-song 'XONO' EP, released via New Jersey's Magic Door Record Label.
An original tune on the high hopes of friendship and love, and the difficulties that lie therein, the 'XONO' EP was produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by award-winning producer Ray Ketchem (Guided By Voices, Luna, Elk City, Gramercy Arms, The Dambuilders) at Magic Door Recording Studio in Montclair, NJ.
'XONO' starts with a surprise encounter and overture, the chorus moving through the process of acknowledgement and let-down. The bridge resolves that this relationship is not going to work before the song concludes with a final “I’m not it” to drive home the point. The story arc progresses from noisy start and rising progression via the chorus, allowing the author’s thoughts to break through, ending with a high-energy music and vocal piece and a resonant final lingering echo.
"I really love 'XONO' for being a tight, quick, and complex song. There is some great simplicity and pleasant dissonance in the music. That it tells a story about difficult relationships is something I am proud to have found a way to spell out," says Chris Matthews.
/image%2F4633924%2F20260902%2Fob_c29092_unnamed-5.jpg)
You could say Quiz Show is a continuation of unfinished business. After a quarter-century break, Chris Matthews picked-up his guitar and again began to write songs, triggered by a chance meeting with his former Shudder To Think bandmate Kevin March. Now both living in Montclair, Kevin and Chris ended up forming Quiz Show with Frank Gibbons on bass.
Quiz Show makes music that is still squarely within the punk and alternative rock spectrum with elements of Hüsker Dü, Pixies, Ramones, Joy Division, Fugazi, Sonic Youth, and Girls Against Boys. Blending the musicality of alternative pop with the energy and noise of punk rock, vocal hooks overlay heavy drums and bass and layered guitars, creating a rich field of sounds.
'XONO' follows Quiz Show's 'Flotsam' EP, released in 2024 and engineered by Ketchem and Brian Robbins (Blondie, Bring Me The Horizon, Papa Roach), which explores the shattered, lost stories of people’s lives, and their 2023 eponymous debut album, an electrifying collection full of protest, friendship and frustration, both released to wide acclaim.
As of September 1, 'XONO' is available everywhere digitally, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. The full 'XONO' EP will be released on September 28. Quiz Show will be performing on October 2 at Crossroads in Garwood, NJ, along with The Van Pelt.
/image%2F4633924%2F20260902%2Fob_ee26c2_journal-image-animee-0026-1.gif)
"Quiz Show is what pop music would have sounded like if punk had had a more significant and longer-lasting effect on modern music" ~ The Big Takeover
"A new sonic force to be reckoned with, comprised of members of Shudder To Think, Guided By Voices and The Dambuilders ~ Second Scene Magazine
"Inescapable catchiness, rawness and youthful spunk – Quiz Show is extending an undeniably attractive invitation to superb punk-kilned indie rock"
~ The Spill Magazine
"Gloriously shambolic post punk/alt rock goodness" ~ The Ginger Quiff
"A sonic Trojan horse able to smuggle the forces of swagger, attitude, and outsiderness into the mainstream, hidden in a construct of melody and infectiousness" ~ Dancing About Architecture
/image%2F4633924%2F20260902%2Fob_a8cb3f_unnamed-3.jpg)
Quiz Show
XONO
Full 'XONO' EP out Sept. 28 via Magic Door Record Label.
Produced by Ray Ketchem
(Guided By Voices, Luna, The Dambuilders, Gramercy Arms, Elk City)
1 September 2026
EP CREDITS
Chris Matthews - guitars and vocals
Jesse Krakow - bass, organ, and backing vocals
Joe Billy III - drums, backing vocals, acoustic guitar
Produced by Ray Ketchem
Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Ray Ketchem
at Magic Door Recording, Montclair NJ
Recording at Magic Door Recording, Montclair NJ
Songs by Chris Matthews and Quiz Show
© 2024 Shake at the Thought (BMI)
Cover photo by Mike Roller
Design by Ray Ketchem
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
Keep up with Quiz Show
Bandcamp | Facebook
Instagra
You
Keep up with Magic Door Record Label
Facebook | Twitter
Instagram
/image%2F4633924%2F20260902%2Fob_c3effb_unnamed-4.jpg)
/image%2F4633924%2F20260902%2Fob_39c12e_unnamed.gif)
/image%2F4633924%2F20260902%2Fob_788136_buena-vista.jpg)
/image%2F4633924%2F20260901%2Fob_c9c4d6_unnamed.png)
/image%2F4633924%2F20260901%2Fob_6659cb_unnamed-1.jpg)