New Brunswick, NJ’s San Tropez dropped their latest single, “Deep and Troubled Place,” at the beginning of October, pulling from their city’s local scene of shoegaze, dream pop, goth rock, and post punk. The seven minute track offers a wide range of sounds, tonalities, and feelings, as it builds up to the bridge of the song.
The track has a unique story, as it was almost left unfinished by the band. As the band was recording their 2025 album Museum of Modern History with Eric Bennett at the Lakehouse Recording Studio in Asbury Park, NJ. The band was struggling with the bridge of the track, until Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females and Noun, who was engineering some of their sessions, was handed the guitar. The band describes Marissa’s work as beautiful, as she delivers the “sonic fusion of guitar and keyboards.”
San Tropez started as demos Ralph Nicastro (Wreaths, Aviso Hara, Sparks Fly From a Kiss) began making in 2016 and shared with friends on SoundCloud. In January 2018, Frank Bridges (Magic Mountain, Duochrome, kiaro skuro) posted a photo of his new Guild Starfire bass on Facebook asking who wanted to start a shoegaze band. Within hours, he had one with Nicastro and longtime friend Albie Connelly (Angular Brothers, Stuntcocks, Urchins). They kept Nicastro’s working title for the project. Drummer Andy Fountas (Magic Mountain, The Border States, Duochrome) joined in late 2018, and keyboardist Phil Pirri (Blaa Fugl) completed the lineup in late 2022.
San Tropez’s third album, Exit Through the Gift Shop, is out now, via Mint 400 Records, as well. The LP is described by the band as a “collection of curiosities” from their first two records, as it offers a collection of remixes, live recordings, a cover, a demo, and a previously unreleased alternative version of a track. The album opens with the track “The Oval (Milestar Mix),” which is a reworking of the track by Skot Kremen (You Shriek, Model Behavior, Project Sphere, Provocateur). The band pitches the LP as something that is a companion to what they have already made, in describing it as a “sideways route into their catalog that’s meant for new listeners as much as old ones.”
Their 2025 album Museum of Modern History expanded on the band’s mix of American dream pop and cinematic atmosphere, as they incorporated various instrumentalists, such as saxophonist Zack Sandler, vocalist Victoria Benesch (The Slow Circuit), and Paternoster. The wide range of musical elements that are incorporated in this album demonstrate San Tropez’s wide range of influences, as it serves as a demonstration of their unique sound, and artistry.
San Tropez’s single, “Deep and Troubled Place,” along with their latest album release, Exit Through the Gift Shop (2026), is available to stream now on all platforms, via Mint 400 Records.
