Old Coke

Old Coke is a Chicago-based band focused on pushing the boundaries of heavy shoegaze by incorporating a wealth of sonic genres and elements with wall of sound guitars mixed with dreamy, melancholic vocals and driving drums.

Throughout 2022 Old Coke gained traction from a set of impressively tight and high-octane live shows that saw them move from playing DIY generator gigs to iconic Chicago venues like Empty Bottle, Bottom Lounge, Sub T and Schubas with bands such as Ringo Deathstarr, Gleemer, They Are Gutting a Body of Water, and Slow Crush to name a few.

Their debut EP Sorted has already clocked praise from revered underground publications Cvlt Nation and New Noise Magazine who will be premiering the first single “Vapor Drunk” on April 13th.


“Seasonal” is their most emotionally charged and musically ambitious project to date. A journey that weaves between lovers and loss, where tracks such as ‘Coffee Eyes’ are about doing psychedelics with a girlfriend in lockdown, ‘Suntinged’ reflects on a California summer heartbreak, and ‘Vapor Drunk’ being a light love letter in song form”



The percussion on the EP was once again recorded by Joe Gac of the Chicago indie band Meat Wave, mixed by Zac Montez who’s worked with acts such as Cloakroom and Whirr, and mastered by Gleemer's Corey Coffman, who has recorded an impressive list of the West Coast shoegaze’s finest such as Modern Color, Soft Blue Shimmer and Milly.


On percussion, drummer Ethan Toenjes beats away the nuanced fills with stylistic percussion at a feverish pace. Guitarist/vocalist Christopher Ruiz's loud and emotive songwriting riffs on future nostalgia, romance and human connection. At the same time, his melancholic vocals balance the big guitar tone and colourful chords with aggression and thrashiness found in heavier genres.

The name was inspired by bottles of Coke modified by contemporary Brazilian artist Cildo Meireles on display at the London Tate Modern that hid political statements on the bottles, one of which taught civilians how to make Molotov cocktails.

Their debut EP, "Sorted", echoed Old Coke's anarchic-inspired moniker by seeing the band's multihyphenated talents run at full throttle. They worked alongside Joe Gac and Dylan Baldi (Cloud Nothings) to help craft the songwriting and final project. Whilst showcasing a varied sonic range from shoegaze, dream pop, punk and noise rock that has quickly evolved and leveled up to the technically dynamic and energetic live performances you will witness from Old Coke in 2023.