02/09/2025
OUT NOW: ’s “Checkmate” ♟️
On the very last day of recording what became the album checkmate, Ron Gallo wrote and recorded the title track, out today on KRS. He describes it, half-jokingly, as “my first true love song that also happens to be the best love song ever written.” It captures the entire purpose of the album, shifting his previous motto, “the world is f*cked, but the universe is inside you,” to “the world is ending, what can I hold on to?”
Love is at the heart of this record, but it is surrounded by apocalypse. Less fluffy and more: if you had five minutes to live, how would you spend it? What really matters when modern life rattles us in a system that equates value with production? The answer is the people you love. Human connection. That’s it.
For Ron, that answer is .dmg, his life and musical partner, who not only played and sang throughout the album but also inspired it. These songs began in Italy, where the two met and spend part of each year in her hometown. That perspective brought calm while sharpening his critique of late-stage American capitalism, shaping an album full of the inner dialogues we are all having but rarely find the words for until now.
checkmate arrives October 17 and is available for pre-order now on limited-edition “bone” colored vinyl. Listen to “Checkmate,” watch the official visualizer, and grab tickets to see Ron Gallo live:
Sept 3 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Rooftop ()
Sept 6 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Bond St. Block Party ()
Sept 19 – Nashville, TN @ Musicians Corner ()
Oct 19 – NYC @ Noise For Now Benefit ()
All links in our bio.
📸 : Réka Jakabffy
