US grunge/alternative/post-hardcore band Fish Hook Smile unleash new single »Ratstar«; self-titled album out September 5th via Glory or Death Records!

St. Louis, Missouri based grunge/alternative/post-hardcore band Fish Hook Smile has unleashed the second single »Ratstar« taken from their upcoming self-titled album, scheduled for release on September 5th, 2025 via Glory or Death Records.

Courtesy of Glory or Death Records:

»Ratstar« is the second single from Fish Hook Smile’s self-titled album, dropping September 5 via Glory or Death Records.

Rotten teeth. Hollow eyes. Concrete dreams and nowhere to go.

»Ratstar« is a song for the forgotten. A dirge for those sleeping under billboards while the rich watch from glass towers.

It’s not just about homelessness, it’s about the thin, frayed line between “us” and “them,” between safe and invisible, between human and animal.

This ain’t sympathy. It’s fury. A soundtrack for the ones walking the edge with rats for company and starlight for shelter.

Fish Hook Smile doesn’t romanticize the gutter – they report from it.

Listen closely. This is the sound of dignity gnawed to the bone.

For every Ratstar still breathing.

Fish Hook Smile was a St. Louis band that was originally formed in 1991 by Jason Busiek, Dan Policarpo(guitar) and Ken McCray(drums). In the Summer of 1991, Misha Avrushenko, Matt Lake and Bryan Pollard joined the band. Although he wasn’t originally in the band, Matt Pekny was at damn near every practice and show in the 90’s and was a natural fit for 2nd guitar. These songs were written by Jason Busiek, Matt Lake, Misha Avrushenko, Bryan Pollard and Dan Policarpo. Although Dan is not on the recording, he was a major player in the formation, writing and the overall honing of this sound and we are forever grateful for his contributions.

Fish Hook Smile brings the grit of that era into the present, not as nostalgia, but as a sharpened critique. Their upcoming self-titled album, set for September 5, marks a return fueled by rage, urgency, and a desire to expose the uncomfortable truths most prefer to ignore.

Fish Hook Smile is:
Jason Busiek – Vocals, production, mixing
Matt Pekny – Guitar
Bryan Pollard – Drums
Misha Avrushenko – Bass
Matt Lake – Guitar

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well