London Rockers Keo Drop New Single 'Pistol', Debut Album Due in September
London band Keo released their new single 'Pistol' on July 16, 2026 — the second preview track from their debut studio album Put A Smile On For Me. The record is due September 25, 2026 via Island, and is currently available for pre-order and pre-save.
'Pistol': the story behind the song
'Pistol' opens on a clean acoustic guitar figure before swelling into a dense, layered wall of sound. Frontman Finn Keogh says the image of a "dead star" haunted him while writing it — "something that died years ago, but we're only seeing the light now. I think that's true of people too." The lyric runs: "Sometimes you see the light, but it's been gone for years."
The title itself comes from a discarded lyric that Keogh couldn't let go of. Drummer Oli Spackman's opening fill was an unplanned, in-the-room take that ended up sounding like a gunshot — part of the inspiration for the song's name. Thematically, the track centers on "the strange persistence of memory — how people, relationships and experiences keep shaping us long after they're gone."
The album: tracklist and background
The whole album was written and recorded in 10 days, self-produced by Keogh and guitarist Jimmy Lanwern. Keogh describes the songs as coming from "a personal collision of shame, responsibility, memory, and staring down the parts of yourself you'd rather not face." The record draws on Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden and Radiohead, and runs 11 tracks.
Full tracklist:
- 'Be Happy'
- 'That's Me'
- 'Fly'
- 'Best I Can Do'
- 'Bird On The Wire'
- 'Pistol'
- 'Loser'
- 'Black Dress'
- 'Blue Song'
- 'Thorn'
- 'Spent On You'
Live dates: summer festivals and autumn UK tour
Keo recently supported Wolf Alice at two large-scale shows — London's Finsbury Park and Newcastle's Exhibition Park. This summer they've also played UK festivals including Reading & Leeds, Latitude, Tramlines, Kendal Calling and Boardmasters.
Their autumn UK headline tour (all dates sold out — check official channels for any releases) runs:
- Saturday, October 24 — O2 Guildhall, Southampton
- Sunday, October 25 — Tramshed, Cardiff
- Tuesday, October 27 — O2 Academy, Glasgow
- Thursday, October 29 — O2 Academy, Liverpool
- Friday, October 30 — O2 Forum Kentish Town, London