Sign up below for a chance to win our Blazer Album of the Month, donated by The Record Cellar Audio-Video in Downtown Vincennes, Indiana. Winners receive a $20 in-store credit that may be used to purchase the featured album or other merchandise of their choice. Full rules and details are available here: Official Rules
The Album of the Month is …
🎵 Shish by Portugal. The Man
Release Date: November 7, 2025
Label: Thirty Tigers / KNIK Records
Portugal. The Man return with their tenth studio album, Shish—a vivid, personal, and atmospheric record that digs deep into the band’s Alaskan roots while pushing their alt-rock sound into bold new territory.
After years of evolving from psych-rock experimenters to arena-sized hitmakers, Shish finds the band circling back to something raw, reflective, and defiantly human.
The Sound of Connection, Survival, and Small-Town Spirit
Frontman John Gourley describes Shish as an album built around “survival, connection, and ambition.”
Its lyrics weave scenes of rural life—“dirt bikes, smokers, gunfire, and video games”—into something both nostalgic and unsettling. The track “Mush” repeats the mantra “we can be family,” echoing the album’s core tension between isolation and belonging.
On “Tanana,” Gourley says the band is voicing “a generational sadness, searching for fleeting meaning in a world on edge.” It’s one of the record’s most emotional moments, capturing the quiet weight of growing up far from the center of things.
Singles & Promotion
Ahead of the album, Portugal. The Man released two singles:
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“Denali” – a sweeping, melodic lead-off track
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“Tanana/Mush” – a combined single showcasing the album’s emotional and thematic range
The band launched the Denali Tour on the same day the album dropped, bringing the new songs—and their signature high-energy performances—to fans across the country.
Critical Response
Shish has quickly earned praise from critics, including a 4.5-star review from AllMusic.
Critic Matt Collar calls it “as personal as anything Gourley has done” and a “kaleidoscopic sonic homage to Alaska.” He writes that Gourley has created an album that reflects “the Teutonic permafrost wilderness, dreamscapes, and lonely small-town punk-kid spirit” that shaped Portugal. The Man.
Why We’re Featuring It
At Blazer 91.1, we love albums that blend strong songwriting, emotional depth, and adventurous soundscapes—and Shish delivers all three. It’s an album built for deep listening, and it stands as one of the band’s most personal and immersive works to date.
🎶 Listen for tracks from Shish throughout the month on
Blazer 91.1 WVUB — Today’s Public Radio.
