Recently the beloved indiepop band Rocketship released the 30th anniversary reissue of their classic LP, A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness, via Slumberland. The band previously announced a string of West Coast tour dates, and now have finally confirmed an East Coast run, this Sept / Oct. Full details below!
One of the clearest examples of an album that crafts a strange and beautiful world not quite like any other is Rocketship’s 1996 full-length debut A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness. Even upon arrival, this was an experience unto itself, and 30 years later, these eight songs of bittersweet bliss still feel new.
Rocketship spiked their deliciously melodic indiepop with buzzing organs, spacey interstitials, and motorik repetition, aligning them with mid-90s peers like Stereolab and Unrest. A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness is an album of unrepentantly vulnerable melodies, unusual seventh chords, lingering ambient interludes, and soft sentiments released at a time when unfriendly, self-conscious punk rock was the order of the day, a bold move indeed.
Returning to A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness with fresh ears, it becomes more obvious how quietly influential the album was. After several different waves of shoegaze revivalism, grunge distillation, and new bands perfecting the ‘90s slacker pop aesthetic yet again, elements of Rocketship’s intricate creative world have begun to surface in the sounds of subsequent generations.
Slumberland is delighted to release a 30th Anniversary edition of this instant classic, bringing it back on vinyl and CD after being out-of-print for years and tantalizing music fans with its limited availability for decades.
TOUR DATES:
April 9 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel w/ The Umbrellas & Chime School
April 10 - Sacramento, CA - The Starlet Room w/ Tony Molina & The Frenchmen
April 11 - Los Angeles, CA - The Teragram Ballroom w/ Tony Molina & Kids On A Crime Spree
April 16 - Seattle, WA - The Sunset Tavern w/ Telephone Numbers and Remedy & Wren
April 17 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios w/ Telephone Numbers and Remedy & Wren
Sept 27 - Chicago, IL - Windy Pop Weekender
Sept 28 - Washington DC - Pearl Street Warehouse w/ Lightheaded
Sept 29 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's w/ Lightheaded
Sept 30 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere Rooftop w/ Lightheaded
Oct 01 - Somerville, MA - The Rockwell w/ Lightheaded
Get tickets HERE
Rocketship
A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness
(Slumberland)
Street date: March 20, 2026
Purchase the vinyl HERE
Track List:
01 I Love You Like The Way That I Used To Do
02 Kisses Are Always Promises
03 Heather, Tell Me Why
04 Let's Go Away
05 I'm Lost Without You Here
06 Carrie Cooksey
07 We're Both Alone
08 Friendships and Love
ROCKETSHIP LINKS:
Instagram
Bandcamp
Slumberland
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