Reno’s Charity Kiss have released an incredible new album in “Away From The Dust”, the follow up to 2025’s breakthrough“Slackademic”. It’s the band’s second full length album overall, in addition to four EP’s dating as far back as 2018. The band themselves are one of Reno’s most recognizable names outside of the Nevada. Over the years, Charity Kiss have had several extensive tours through California, Utah and the Pacific Northwest, playing shows and recording music at breakneck pace. Even with this nonstop schedule, the band have found ways to build and connect with their hometown scene and find time for themselves. “Away From The Dust” sees the band amplify their self-described scrappy desert rock with a little bit more twang this time around. I sat down with the band at Midnight Coffee to learn more about how this record came together, how the addition of Jacob Darby on guitar affected their writing process and where they see themselves and Reno’s expanding music scene in the future.
Robert K
Congrats on the new album release, I’ve been listening to “Away From The Dust” nonstop since it came out Monday. I’ve been reading from other interviews you guys have done over the years that your writing process and how you go about writing songs and recording differs between each release. Between the EP’s and “Slackademic” was there any difference in this writing’s process for this record? You now have Jacob [Darby] on guitar, so I was curious if that added a different dynamic or totally changed things up?
Pat
I think in some ways it didn’t, but it feels like we found a rhythm that was comfortable. There were times [Darby] came to us with a riff or there were nights Darby and I wrote most of the bones of a song and then brought it forward. I think we let each song take care of itself. Small Stain was my song and then we put it on the album. We didn’t have to all sit and jam on that one. It was kind of weird how fast we were. We went and wrote a song like Away From The Dust in four days before we hit the studio, it felt kind of crazy, like, is this really a good song because it happened so fast?
Robert K
Sounds like you guys have a process at this stage of Charity Kiss?
Nate
I think it still varies. I would say most of the time we’re doing a lot of the instrumentals which come from jamming. Pat usually has a ton of lines he has written down that start getting thrown into the mix which then evolves into a full song. I feel since day one that has been the norm.
Cooper
“Slackademic” was a lot like that. It felt like every song was jammed on. We’d come in to rehearse and then have a new song pop out. With Forgive Me, I wrote that riff probably two years ago and I brought it one night. There’s been a little bit more of that like, oh I have this riff, let’s see what we can do with this. If it goes nowhere, it goes nowhere and gets sidelined. Some end up sticking and it’s kind of funny, we’ll be jamming on something and then a light bulb goes off above Pat’s head, you know, [he’ll] have lyrics for this because he writes constantly and then he forms a melody and makes it happen.
Robert K
So, each band member can contribute or bring in a song which then gets fleshed out, it’s not one person with all the ideas
Cooper
Yeah, like rhythm guitar, lyrics, or bass. Darby will bring in some type of rhythm and then everybody works it together. That was a big part of this record, the big difference was having Darby. [He’s] definitely a different player. He’s a piano player and an a cappella [singer], that’s something we’ve never worked with before. I feel like this record is a little bit more dynamic because he came in. Like with Hold Me, I know [Nate] was struggling on that drum part.
Nate
Yeah, at the end of Hold Me, I was trying a couple different things, and nothing was making me happy then Darby said “what if you try a clave beat?” That took a little while to get down but it fit perfectly.
Robert K
After I listened to the new record, I went back and listened to “Slackademic” and I could tell that the tone and the feel of “Away From The Dust” was different from the first album.
Pat
In “Slackademic” there’s a lot of nostalgia. That album is very much a goodbye to some things, knowing that Cole was leaving, which added to the tone overall. “Slackademic” felt like reps whereas “Away From The Dust” feels more tactile, like a surgeon operating.
Nate
It’s drastically different hearing the first mix back of a song versus playing it in the garage. I can hear every single note that they’re playing, it’s all very even, but in the garage it kind of muddles together. Sometimes you get the first mix back and you’re like; I don’t like that!
Cooper
There’s a handful of the songs [Taste Like Sugar] where I love playing it in the garage and then I get the mix back and am like, I f****** hate this song. I don’t know if that’s just me being hard on myself because I think I do that a little too much sometimes but just like, over-listening and pulling it apart, even though it’s a good song.
Nate
In the mixing process, you listen to the same songs, in this case, eleven songs, 5000 times so then you’re like, how do you feel about the album? I don’t even know anymore?
Cooper
I went through that today. I was listening to the whole record, trying to trick my brain as the consumer and not the guy that was in the garage doing this.
Robert K
With Headache, how did you guys choose to make that the first song on the album?
Cooper
It was Darby.
Pat
He came forward with the order. I shot a text into the chat to see if anyone had any ideas because at that point my brain was melted already. Darby sent it and it was perfect. I think Headache is great because it’s vocal first and allows the whole album to bloom. I think it sets the tone for what’s different about “Away From The Dust” versus “Slackademic”. Those weird dynamic decisions we made. It’s a good intro into what’s different and what was to come.
Robert K
With this being the follow-up to “Slackademic”, did you feel there was any pressure or expectations you guys had to meet? I know the second album is always the worst to write and create, especially if the first one’s been so well received.
Pat
1000%. I think one of the biggest struggles for me was writing with that pressure and not letting it affect me. There were conversations for a while about what we would write. I wanted to isolate the creation process away from public opinion because you don’t want it to fully affect what you’re doing because then you’re not really doing what you want to do. After “Slacademic”, I was having people at the farmer’s market coming up like, “Hey, just so you know, we know you’re in Charity Kiss and that is like the best record ever to come out of Reno” and the pressure was mounting.
I’m like, what the hell, I can’t be the guy at the market playing and eating a loaf of sourdough anymore. Then with the Kickstarter and the fundraising [for the vinyl release], that was huge pressure. You don’t want to feel like people wasted their vote or money. That support was precious and I didn’t want to waste it. I want to be true to the ones that put something down or go to our shows and really care. I would say the pressure was on for sure because with “Slackademic” we played the songs live many, many times and we could see crowd reaction and get feedback where with this new album feels a little bit untested and I wanted to do that.
Robert K
In the recording of this album, were there any “Cane the Dog” moments?
Pat
That recording was with Max in Arizona. We recorded in new place in Sacramento so no dogs would have been in it. [The studio] was like a fortress.
Cooper
We recorded in Del Paso, a rough little spot, so I feel like there wasn’t a lot of wiggle room outside of the studio. We would go outside and some f****** s*** would be going down all times of the day.
Nate
All the doors had two padlocks, yeah?
Pat
Totally and he has it all sealed off, so when you’re in there, you’re in there. Studio magic happened for sure. We were staying with Darby’s parents and on one of the nights after recording some songs, we were going back home that night and we sat there and though it might be crazy to put piano or keys on Small Stain. I told Darby to just play around and have it end whenever and he did it in one take. That was a nice, unexpected little addition.
Robert K
Are there any favorite tracks on the album or ones that have the most meaning to you?
Cooper
For me, it’s Forgive Me. I’ve had my own life s*** going on behind the scenes and I really don’t like to talk about it a lot unless it’s with these guys. I got clean on this record, I’m a year sober now, so Forgive Me was super special to me. I grew up with these guys; I knew them from like Color TV days and I’ve watched the come up. So, when I joined it was a super sick opportunity and I loved Pretty Little Place. When I was sitting in my room I was like, oh f***, dude, I need to write like Pretty Little Place, but not Pretty Little Place and I came up with the riff [on Forgive Me]. When talking about getting this record going, I threw that riff out and it happened. Two days later, I was driving in my car and the lyrics came out and it ended up being the first time I was on the mic. It hit a vein for sure.
Nate
I think Hold Me, from a drumming standpoint. It’s definitely the hardest I’ve had to push to ride drums for a song in a while and it was one of the first songs in a while where I’d go home still thinking about it. It was the most I pushed myself, there were no compromises on my end, you know. It wasn’t like, I can’t really do that so I’m not going to do it. It was more like; I can’t really do that…yet.
Pat
They all kind of have a place for sure. I’m pleased with the spread of all eleven songs and have everything I wanted in there. Some are serious, some are fun, some danceable, some rock and roll, some soft, some twang. It was all really good, like a good four-course meal and I was like the chef who created what I envisioned. But I would say Away From The Dust and Small Stain. To me, they were like sculpting versus digging for gold in addition to the themes behind those songs. I’m happy I was able to put something out like that, to have a sad song be good and powerful. To have a sad song that I like and could tell you every single line, what it means and why. I’m happy to be able to honor the songs I listen to and why I love those songs.
Robert K
I love the sculpting analogy. Do you have a notebook where you write your lyrics and poetry down then go back in and chip away at it?
Pat
Yeah, my process is weird and within the past three weeks I impulsively purchased fancy pencils and to justify that purchase, I’m going to transfer all my notes onto paper because right now, they’re in a notes app. It started when I was a roofer, you have to be quick so I would open my phone and talk to text some stupid line or I’d be driving to work and have voice recording of a double bridge. It kind of morphed into that where I’ll think of a few stanzas at a time so when we write a song, it uploads right into it. The more time I sit on things, the more I want to look over my stuff. I’ve come to respect and love that I sweated over this [song] and redid it four times and finally found it. I have some stuff written down but I really need to save it all because I’m scared that if I lose my phone or something I’ll lose all my ideas.
Robert K
How are you guys feeling about the upcoming tour?
Nate
We’re excited. A lot of these shows are at cool venues that we either have played before and liked or are looking forward to playing with bands that we truly love. We tried the month and a half long, all-in-one shot [tour] and it was like three ER trips and a bunch of stuff like that. So, with the weekend runs, I feel like it’ll be a lot more palatable. We’re never going to have a show where all of us just felt like s***, like we hadn’t showered in a week and a half and nobody feels good. It’s not fair to anybody involved so this way, every single show we’re playing on this tour is going to be 100%.
Robert K
Tour life seems miserable at times. I read about the septic tank issue with one of your tour vans so I can’t imagine what it’s like being on the road like that.
Nate
The thing is, you feel like s*** and you’re hungry, you haven’t showered but it’s also the most fun you’ve ever had. I still remember many of those moments and I think sometimes like, what would I even be doing if not on tour?
Pat
Yeah, you miss it.
Cooper
I went on a family trip to Seattle a year or two before I joined Charity Kiss and went to the Space Needle. When I got to the top, I thought, next time I’m f****** here, I’m going to be on tour and then we were, but I had an ear infection and felt like s***. Those runs were brutal, you could write a whole book about them but they were legendary.
Nate
I feel like in a weird kind of way touring reflects the changes in the tone of our music, the way we’re going about it. Before, it was very reckless or we were going after a kind of vibe and that’s how we treated touring but now we’ve all gone through huge changes in our lives, we all have a lot of things on our plates and touring reflects that too. We’re being more responsible and calculated about what we’re doing.
Cooper
When you’re in a Van with three other dudes, you get to know each other well. The things you love, the things you f****** hate, whether it’s like the poop sock days or stinky meat days, the sardines in the can, or the military sandwiches.
Pat
The trout jerky, yeah.
Cooper
I’m super stoked to get on the road play songs, but like Nate said, there’s been a lot of life changes, whatever it may be, so it’ll be nice to be present in the moment in the van and go play. That’s where it all comes together, when we’re in the Van. It’s like being in a foxhole, you know.
Robert K
I love how your live shows are night and day compared to the recorded material. You guys go nuts on stage, bringing the recorded music alive. Is that something you guys have practiced and homed in on over the years or does it come out naturally?
Nate
I feel like it’s always been very organic.
Pat
We talk a lot about it and have talked a lot about it on those long drives. We’re trying to preserve the love of the game. I hate it when I go see a band and it seems like they’re just waiting for the hotel after. You can tell, and it’s like, just don’t play. We have made our time on stage sacred, even in those empty rooms we’ve played in. We never want to lose the love of the game and never get on the stage without knowing who we are. I think now it’s become second nature. We used to be so nervous before, but we’ve grown and we go out there and show these people what we can do.
Cooper
I don’t know how to word it, but it almost feels like getting in a fight, like this is about to happen. I’m feeling anxious but then you go into this mode, the adrenaline takes over. I definitely think we feed off people, you know, let’s f****** home in on this, let’s f*** in go! Then another beautiful thing is after everybody’s going f****** ham we can go with these songs that make you want to f****** ball up and cry. I love being able to do that; going fast, fast, fast and people are going crazy only to then slow it down.
Robert K
You guys have been in Reno’s music scene for a while now, from your perspective, how has the scene changed over the years?
Nate
I think it’s awesome. When we first started playing shows, we were fifteen. There were established Reno bands who were about ten years older and it felt very much like an “us and them” kind of thing. Now, I feel like there’s so many people who are open to starting a band, rapping, DJing or whatever you want to do. It opens that door for so many more people that might not have felt like they could. It’s really cool seeing a flyer for a show in Reno where it’s four high school bands.
Robert K
Like Holland Project’s Fresh Meat shows!
Pat
Yeah, we benefited greatly from that show when we were starting out in high school. That’s also where we met Cooper. Back then, EP Listening Lounge wasn’t there, Midnight Coffee, Lo-Bar, Cyprus and The Alpine weren’t around. Now, there are a lot of perfect little pockets that have all these cool events going on. Midnight does these niche DIY all ages events. Holland is the established matron of the DIY arena and the wise old voice. There is a huge network going around right now that’s been eye opening, but also the kids that are doing their thing and showing up to play a set and you’re like, that was sick. It seems like a super supportive and optimistic moment in Reno right now.
Cooper
When I started going to shows at Holland it was very much on the up-and-up and up and up. We’d get bands like Moaning or Modern Color before they were Modern Color playing there. Then COVID happened and it was a massive crash for the scene in general. Even before that, you had Fort Ryland, which was a huge venue who had bands like Knocked Loose, Basement, Joyce Manor, Title Fight when Title Fight was still ripping shows. Greenhouse is keeping it alive in the house show scene. 2016, up until 2020, it was just booming with all these crazy bands coming in. I think it influenced a lot of the people that started when we did, then COVID happened which started raising questions like, is this ever going to come back? Is music done now, like, you’re just going to live inside?
Then after a few years it started kicking back up again and I feel like right now, if not in a year or so we’re going to be back where we left off. I feel that’s kind of where we’re at right now. It feels like 2016 but with way more venues who are more willing to put on local acts. It’s cool to see venues like Midnight and Lo-bar bringing on people that might not be the best right now, but they can be the f****** amazing in 5 years, you know, giving them a place to play and get a gig and not stuck in a garage. It feels like the DIY scene, or at least venues like Cypress and other big venues here can finally compete with the casinos.
Reno has this huge hardcore scene. You don’t know it at first glance, but the hardcore scene is prevalent in Reno. They have their own nooks, like 625 Ryland. It used to be a tattoo parlor and now it’s one of the spots or like the Potentialist. Potentialist was a f****** banger little venue. Everyone’s got their little nooks and crannies and it’s cool that all these new venues can kind of bring everybody together.
Robert K
Considering the state of music in 2026, with AI, music media consolidation, algorithms, and the high cost of touring, where do you see independent music going? Does it still have a chance and fight back?
Nate
I think it still has a chance and might get more popular. The more b******* that goes on behind the scenes is exposed I think it’s going to be seen as more of a statement to do your own thing. I hate the whole AI and music thing, but I am excited for the generation that it’s going to bring in that sense.
Robert K
The rebellion
Pat
Yeah, I think naturally they’re going to say all the crazy stuff and we’re already seeing the abuses of it, it’s insane. I think it’s going to eat itself, if you have any hope in humanity, you must believe that some portion of humanity is going to lock in and band together. I’ve been seeing that newsletters and letter clubs are coming back. I think anybody who still has any sense of humanity inside their bones is going to be drawn to this, drawn to live music and drawn to reading an interview where they hear proof that we wrote our own song versus finding some artist on Spotify and there’s no interview, no live shows and it’s like, oh s***, they’re AI. I think it’ll create a rebellion like you said.
Cooper
This is going to bring a crazy rebellion to AI stuff. There’s been a couple times where I’ll pick up an instrument and I’m like, “I f****** suck man”, you know, and then I go on my phone, and I see an AI bot s**** out a song that you think is perfect but like, there are moments in “Slackademic” or “Away From The Dust” or “Victor Riley’s A Coward” where I can find when Pat accidentally plucks a wrong note or I can hear that ghost note or something. I’m like that could have been more perfect but now with all the AI s***, with the [false conception] that it’s polished, but at the end of the day, it’s just a polished f****** turd.
Robert K
The imperfections makes us human
Pat
I’ve heard interviews with boomers on NPR who have been able to write 150 songs in two months with AI, stating they’ve been songwriting their whole life but now feel they’re incredible songwriters. People are just drinking the Kool-Aid man but at the same time, it’s given us this hypersensitivity to what is important and the things we love about the songs we write and the things we care about. It’s given us heightened awareness that community matters, shows matter, humanity matters. Like, does that minor imperfection translate to some sort of emotion or could I have done it in a different way that translates the emotion more clearly. It also held us to a higher standard, to try hard to preserve our identity and our authenticity and I think whoever comes out on the other side will be the leaders of the revolution.
Cooper
It sometimes feels like nobody is going to be able to stop this or it feels like this is the trajectory life is going. I’m sure some aspects of it could be a little useful in life but I think from creative aspect of things, there’s no shot. It’s like the flashy new car or whatever, but it’s going to break down at some point and old reliable is going to keep you f****** rolling. Like the little f****** ghost notes that are weird or when Nate hits the snare with a certain weight and it pops then after 15th time and it doesn’t pop, that’s nice, that’s really nice.
With us in Del Paso, f****** watching people s*** on the street vibe, AI can’t recreate that. AI can’t recreate poop sock, and it can’t recreate septic tank, you know. I think more and more that light’s going to get shunned because I know there are other bands that probably feel the exact same way. This might be a perfect time for all the people that say f*** that and everyone gets their moment. Whether it’s us or the f****** band after us. At some point, some person you know is going to get the light shined on them.
Fall Tour 2026:
October 30, 2026 – Midnight Coffee Roasters (Reno, NV)
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