Author & Punisher announce new album ‘Nocturnal Birding’

August 11, 2025 James Weaver

AUTHOR & PUNISHER have announced a brand new album!

The upcoming album, titled Nocturnal Birding, is the latest full-length release from the industrial doom project led by Tristan Shone, and is scheduled to be released in October this year, via Relapse Records. The album follows 2022’s Krüller, and intends to mark the broadest creative scope in the project’s 20-year history.

The album features guest appearances from KUNTARI, FANGE, and Megan Oztrosits of COUCH SLUT, and introduces guitarist Doug Sabolick as a full creative bandmate for the first time. The album’s artwork was designed by Lucile Lejoly [CHAT PILE, Roadburn Festival], and mixing/mastering was handled by Will Putney [KNOCKED LOOSE, HERIOT, BODY COUNT, MACHINE HEAD].

Speaking about the new album, Tristan Shone says, “when I sat down to start writing this album, I knew I wanted to make songs based on birdsong. 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.”

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.”

Alongside the album announcement, the band have released a brand new single, titled Titanis, featuring Kuntari. The track has been visualised in an official music video filmed in Bali, Indonesia and was directed by Manda Selena and Ican Harem.

Speaking about the video, KUNTARI comment, “it’s hard to imagine the organic local sequence from us blend with monstrous industrial sound from Tristan. After many hours of discussion we instantly clicked and agreed where the song ended up. The results are beyond our imagination, Tristan easily fluids into fresh territory and we don’t have a border to break to. By far this is one of the most awe inspiring experience for us, not to mention our video production which is insanely epic and hilarious at the same time. The most memorable moment is we share a good laugh along the process.”

Watch the official music video for Titanis here: