Author & Punisher have just unleashed “Titmouse,” the third and final single from their upcoming album, Nocturnal Birding. The new full-length is due out Friday, October 3, via Relapse Records. Check it out below and read more.
Pre-order Nocturnal Birding here: https://www.relapse.com/pages/author-punisher-nocturnal-birding
The band’s creator Tristan Shone says about “Titmouse”:
“This track is lyrically about the physical and mental fatigue of what migrants go through travelling for days/weeks/months through brutal terrain with very little supplies,” Shone says. “Musically, this is one of the more difficult A&P tracks to play that goes on its own topographical trek with the guitars/drums/synths/vocals all weaving into each other. Bird Note: The Tufted Titmouse is an amazing bird that can remember thousands of locations that it has hidden seeds; a sort of detailed mental map.”
As with previous singles “Titanis” and “Thrush”, the visionary composer, vocalist, and mechanical engineer Tristan Shone pushes the project’s scope to bold new heights, aided in great part by the addition of Doug Sabolick’s punishing guitar riffage lock in step. Stepping outside his artistic comfort zone became a source of inspiration for Nocturnal Birding. The album is laced with literal birdsong, its melodies and rhythms transposed to guitar, forming the foundation of the material and creating a rare union between the natural world and harsh, mechanized soundscapes. “When I sat down to start writing this album, I knew I wanted to make songs based on birdsong,” Shone explained. “The actual first guitar riff is one of the meadowlark’s songs. When you listen to ‘Rook,’ that melody is the rook’s sound. That track is us mimicking one of the rooks’ many songs. I wrote all my tracks around the rhythms and melodies of birds I researched or heard in the wild.”
As stated in the album’s credits, Nocturnal Birding is “dedicated to those who have lost their lives travelling across the border from Mexico to the USA through a cruel policy of prevention by deterrence.” More than a dedication, it is a solemn act of remembrance and a call to conscience—bearing witness to human loss and resilience. It carries the unflinching truth that “this land is not ours to hold onto nor was it ours to take,” a reminder woven into every note and silence of the record.
Reflecting on the inspiration behind the album, Shone shares: “I’ve been doing my waterdrop work, which has been eye-opening for me. Border Angels is a group that drops water along the US/Mexico border. Two years ago, they opened up for volunteers again and I got to go out on a hike with them. I was out in Jacumba where I started doing hikes once a month, dropping water and getting to know some people, and I’ve been doing it ever since. It was very humbling and there was always this soundtrack of the birds out there through different seasons. For me it was an awakening: my eyes and ears were open to nature and this cruel and unnecessary humanitarian crisis at the border.”
In addition to the strong and poignant messaging contained throughout the music, lyrics and artwork, the new album sees Shone synergizing with an array of artists from across the globe like never before in his long career. From the artwork, meticulously designed by French artist Lucile Lejoly (Chat Pile, Roadburn Festival) to the mixing and mastering by Will Putney (Knocked Loose, Heriot, Body Count, Machine Head) to the musical guest appearances from France’s Fange, Indonesia’s Kuntari, and New York City’s Megan Oztrosits (of Couch Slut), these outer creative inputs shine brightly throughout the bold work.
Tristan Shone has welcomed collaborators in the past. Still, guitarist Doug Sabolick (Ecstatic Vision, Plaque Marks, A Life Once Lost) is the first genuine bandmate in Author & Punisher, contributing creatively on guitar in ways that shape the persona of Nocturnal Birding, complementing Shone in melody and wrought tonal heft.
Nocturnal Birding tracklisting:
01 Meadowlark
02 Titanis (ft. Kuntari)
03 Mute Swan (ft. Megan Oztrosits of Couch Slut)
04 Black Storm Petrel (ft. Fange)
05 Titmouse
06 Titmice
07 Rook
08 Thrush
Author & Punisher will tour Europe from next month, followed by North America in early 2026. In addition, two special Nocturnal Birding record release shows will take place on the West Coast this November. A full list of dates can be found below.
EU Oct/Nov 2025 Nocturnal Birding Dates:
Oct 18 – Lisboa, PT @ Music Station ^
Oct 20 – Madrid, SP @ Sala Mon ^
Oct 21 – Barcelona, SP @ Sala Wolf
Oct 22 – Marseille, FR @ Le Molotov
Oct 23 – Montpellier, FR @ In Tenebris Lux
Oct 24 – Nilvange, FR @ Gueulard Plus **
Oct 25 – Maastricht, NL @ Samhain Fest
Oct 26 – Hamburg, DE @ MS Stubnitz *
Oct 27 – Aarhus, DK @ Voxhall *
Oct 28 – Oslo, NO @ Goldie *
Oct 29 – Goteborg, SW @ Monument *
Oct 30 – Copenhagen, DK @ Stengade *
Oct 31 – Berlin, DE @ Kantine am Berghain *
Nov 1 – Gdansk, PL @ Drizzly Grizzly *
Nov 2 – Warsaw, PL @ Voodoo *
Nov 3 – Poznan, PL @ 2Progi *
Nov 4 – Leipzig, DE @ UT Connewitz *
Nov 5 – Frankfurt, DE @ Darmstadt *
Nov 6 – Paris, FR @ Backstage *
Nov 7 – Bruxelles, BE @ Magasin 4 *
Nov 8 – Lille, FR @ La Bulle *
Nov 9 – Manchester, UK @ Damnation Festival
^ w/ Blood Incantation
* w/ Bong-Ra
** w/ Divide & Dissolve
West Coast Nocturnal Birding Record Release Shows:
Nov 12 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah ^^
Nov 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo ^^
^^ w/ King Yosef
North American Feb/Mar 2026 Nocturnal Birding Dates:
Feb 20 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club ^
Feb 21 – Chicago, IL @ Reggies Rock Club ^
Feb 22 – Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle ^
Feb 23 – Detroit, MI @ The Sanctuary ^
Feb 25 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison ^
Feb 26 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB ^
Feb 27 – Cambridge, MA @ Sonia ^
Feb 28 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Meadows ^
Mar 1 – Philadelphia, PA @ Ukie Club ^
Mar 2 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery ^
Mar 4 – Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall ^
Mar 5 – Raleigh, NC @ Chapel of Bones ^
Mar 6 – Atlanta, GA @ Boggs Social Supply ^
Mar 8 – Austin, TX @ The Far Out Lounge ^
Mar 9 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada ^
^ w/ King Yosef, Black Magnet
Author & Punisher formed in January 2004 as the brainchild of San Diego-based mechanical engineer, artist, and sculptor Tristan Shone. Best described as a fusion of industrial metal, doom, and drone—but with a very distinctive twist: the music is performed entirely using custom-built mechanical instruments designed by Shone himself. Author & Punisher has earned acclaim for its innovation and singular vision. His unique melding of seemingly disparate disciplines has been highlighted in a wide range of outlets. Over the years, he has released eight full-length albums and an EP: The Painted Army (2005), Warcry (2007), Drone Machines (2010), Ursus Americanus (2012), Women & Children (2013), Melk En Honing (2015), Pressure Mine EP (2017), Beastland (2018), and Krüller (2022).
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