Devlin and The Harm Share ‘Stress Dreams’

Solo debut from Dead Ships frontman out May 22

May 20, 2026 Ron Hart 0 Comments 2026, Alex Newport, Devlin McCluskey, Los Angeles, Michael Nussbaum, Stress Dreams, The Dead Ships

Devlin McCluskey. (Image: Natali Hopkins)

Fans of the Los Angeles garage rock scene are well aware of the name Devlin McCluskey from his work in The Dead Ships.

Named LA’s best band by LA Weekly at one point, the group built a strong following that packed the clubs and helped them land multiple performances at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. If you haven’t listened to their seminal album, Citycide — which turns 10 this July, make sure you add it to your listening queue.

Now, frontman McCluskey steps out on his own as the leader of a great new group called Devlin And The Harm. Teaming up with super producer Alex Newport (Death Cab For Cutie, Bloc Party, At The Drive-In), drummer Michael Nussbaum and an elite team of local pals, the singer stretches out creatively to create a bold eponymous debut that brings together a distinctive sound that brings together ’70s AOR, fuzzed-out soul and baroque pop that assuage a collection of songs born out of tragedy and personal strife.

“So many tragedies seemed to shape this record,” McCluskey explains. “In the middle of our second recording session, Michael Nussbaum finished his drum parts and went on a paragliding trip where he had a near fatal 100 foot fall that broke his back. My Dad suffered from kidney failure and was put on dialysis, the world descended into a parade of idiocy, and just as we were finishing the record my dad was put on a ventilator, was rushed to the ICU, miraculously recovered, and just as it looked like he’d be coming home he passed away.”

“Some of the worst moments of our lives happened while recording this record, but I also fell in love, got engaged, and moved to the desert. I think songs can help process the terribleness. When things are this bleak, you have to do whatever you can to keep trying to be a better person.”

Devlin and The Harm *Devlin and The Harm*, self-released 2026

Rock & Roll Globe is honored to premiere the video for the album’s new single, “Stress Dreams,” today on the site.

“When I lost my best friend years ago, a family friend said people that go through something like that often end up falling in love with someone who also experienced tragic grief,” he explains of the song. “I certainly didn’t intend to, but that is what happened. ‘Stress Dreams’ feels like an attempt to express the kind of shared unconscious river that shows up from time to time with my fiancee and me. And a sort of love song that’s more about the things that shaped us and how we understand each other.”

Illustrating the single’s theme is a beautifully shot video that was filmed where Devlin was raised.

“I grew up on a quiet lake near the Illinois/Wisconsin border and I shot the video in the last days of having our childhood home,” he reveals. “My dad, who is featured heavily in the video, passed away exactly a year ago today (May 14) and we just sold the house they had for 47 years. Walking around that near-empty house I realized every inch of it reminded me of a thousand memories, and these images are the fabric of every dream I’ve ever had, as well as the foundation of most of the emotions I’ve ever felt. I wanted to document these visuals just to have it, but as I started going through the footage it felt like an extension of what I hoped the song would feel like. Aquatic, sad, propulsive, easy and simple, and hopefully it’s a flow of disjointed thoughts you’ve heard a thousand times.”

Devlin and The Harm comes out May 22.