PHOTO CREDIT: Greg Flack – The Barbarians
The hardcore project from Aaron Bruno and Eric Stenman will release its second album August 21 before a run of headline shows, festivals and dates with Guns N’ Roses.
The Barbarians of California have released “Really Really Rad,” the latest track from their upcoming sophomore album, Megatons, due August 21, 2026.
The band, led by Aaron Bruno of AWOLNATION and producer and Tinfed member Eric Stenman, paired the song with a new video that leans into the group’s irreverent side. The clip features rollerblading, beachside guitar playing and deliberately over-the-top physical comedy while the song itself moves through heavy, dissonant riffing before shifting toward a more dance-oriented finish.
Bruno kept his description of the track characteristically simple.
“‘REALLY REALLY RAD’ was really fun to make. ‘ REALLY REALLY RAD’ has really fun dynamics. ‘REALLY REALLY RAD’ is really good,” he said.
The song previews a 12-track album that follows the band’s 2024 debut, And Now I’m Just Gnashing My Teeth. While the project draws heavily from hardcore and metallic punk, Megatons continues the band’s tendency to balance aggression with humor rather than treating the material with complete seriousness.
For Stenman, the process of making a second record proved less complicated than the pressure often associated with following a debut.
“Everyone has heard of the sophomore slump,” he said. “Making a second album can be a fraught process full of overthinking and self-doubt. Perhaps, the benefit of us starting this band, at this later point in our lives, relieves some of that pressure.”
He added that the sessions felt like a natural extension of the band’s first material.
“This felt so easy, and is a seamless continuation of whatever we started with the first batch of song — just bigger and better.”
The Barbarians of California emerged from the long-running creative partnership between Bruno and Stenman. Their background connects the project to the heavier side of California’s alternative and underground scenes, particularly the Sacramento community that also produced or helped shape artists including Deftones, Far, Will Haven, Team Sleep, Hella, Dance Gavin Dance, Death Grips and Trash Talk.
Rather than approaching the band as a stylistic extension of AWOLNATION, Bruno and Stenman built The Barbarians of California around a more direct hardcore and metallic framework.
The group released And Now I’m Just Gnashing My Teeth in 2024 and marked the record with a performance at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. The band followed that activity with additional Los Angeles headline dates, festival appearances and a 2025 arena tour with Deftones.
The release of Megatons now arrives alongside another expansion of the band’s live schedule.
The Barbarians of California are set to open for Guns N’ Roses on August 19 at Morton Amphitheater in Kansas City, Missouri, followed by a second support date September 12 at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Missouri.
Their September itinerary also includes headline club dates across several U.S. cities, beginning September 8 at Exit/In in Nashville and continuing through stops in St. Louis, Omaha, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago and Cleveland.
Festival appearances are also scheduled for Rocklahoma on September 6 and Louder Than Life in Louisville on September 19.
With Megatons, The Barbarians of California are moving quickly from a relatively new side project into a more established recording and touring cycle. The upcoming album arrives less than two years after their debut while the group continues broadening its live footprint through club shows, major festival bookings and high-profile support slots.
Album Information
The Barbarians of California — Megatons
Release Date: August 21, 2026
Track Listing
Back to the Valley
Really Really Rad
Megatons Segue
Earthquake
This Is Shredical
Hide All Your Records
Modern Fashion
Shark Out of Water
I Am the Submarine
Tour Dates
August 19 — Kansas City, MO — Morton Amphitheater — With Guns N’ Roses
September 6 — Pryor, OK — Rocklahoma Festival
September 8 — Nashville, TN — Exit/In
September 9 — St. Louis, MO — Blueberry Hill Duck Room
September 11 — Omaha, NE — Waiting Room
September 12 — Ridgedale, MO — Thunder Ridge Nature Arena — With Guns N’ Roses
September 14 — Minneapolis, MN — 7th St. Entry
September 15 — Milwaukee, WI — Cactus Club
September 17 — Chicago, IL — Cobra Lounge
September 18 — Cleveland, OH — The Foundry
September 19 — Louisville, KY — Louder Than Life Festival
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