Protons and Electrons: Atom 8 – Jilted Dragon / Turbo Lightning – Give a Man A Brain

2025

The Way of the Neutron – Mini-anthems for overwhelming and far too interesting times, defiant fight songs for those counted out or not counted at all. Still here. Still operating.

For immediate release: March, 13 CONAN NEUTRON & THE SECRET FRIENDS PRESENTS NEW SINGLE AHEAD OT THE UPCOMING ALBUM RELEASE – ‘SHARKS KEEP MOVING’ Getting closer to the first Japanese tour and the release of ‘The Way of The Neutron’, Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends are happy to present the second single off the new album. Download HQ album cover. Genres: punk-rock, noise-rock. Format: CD, LP, DR. FFO: Fugazi, The Cars,Queens Of The Stone Age, The Melvins. Label: Seismic Wave Entertainment [A Private Soundcloud] Track-list: 1.Who Dares 2.Sharks Keep Moving 3.A Villain of Circumstance 4.Exit Interview 5.Official Business 6.Relentless 7.A Dream of Flight 8.Chekhov’s Grift 9.Integrity Wins Again 10.Bulletproof Tiger 11.The Burden of Dreams 12.The Way “It’s good! Swampy, dirty riffs.” – Gerald V. Casale, DEVO “It’s heavy maaaaaan.” – Bob Weston, Shellac Mini-anthems for overwhelming and far too interesting times, defiant fight songs for those counted out or not counted at all. Still here. Still operating. Spangle, and sass, small scale arena rock for smart alecks and malcontents. Big riffs, critical thinking, and big smart rock for freaks, nerds and weirdos. The latest work of the mighty Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends, The Way of the Neutron (2025) is a mission statement of the most compelling order. Blending heavy riffs, huge hooks and harmony with relentless abandon. RE: ‘Sharks Keep Moving’, Conan Neutron says: “Ah, the shark terror of the deep. A little known fact about them is most sharks must keep moving to ensure water flows over their gills for respiration. Otherwise they will perish. What better metaphor for creative resilience, as an an artist changes and evolves? It is a central theme of the record and the song and the band. Sound wise the Jaws like main riff ties the whole thing together. The verses evokes Gang of Four more than most Neutron Friends songs, but has a pleasantly surprising Desert Rock(tm) style bridge with a few choice phrases that tie into the ‘not just survive, but thrive’ mindset of the record.” Telling the story of an ethos, a life of uncompromising music and the perseverance of the creative good fight in spite of overwhelming content and stimuli. It is not only the bands most accessible record, it stands alone as a case study for endurance.

We’ll stay off the pulpit here, but your pre-orders of LP, CD or just digital all help keep the band going to the next thing. Thank you so very much for those that can. If this isn’t in the cards for you, please consider sending the link to a friend or making a social media post. Cannot overstate how much that helps this particular flying circus.
Spangle, and sass, small scale arena rock for smart alecks and malcontents. Big riffs, critical thinking, and big smart rock for freaks, nerds and weirdos. The latest work of the mighty Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends, Way of the Neutron (2025) is a mission statement of the most compelling order. Blending heavy riffs, huge hooks and harmony with relentless abandon. Telling the story of an ethos, a life of uncompromising music and the perseverance of the creative good fight in spite of overwhelming content and stimuli. It is not only the bands most accessible record, it stands alone as a case study for endurance. The very characteristic attitude is a part of Conan Neutron’s DNA. Talking about the first single off the upcoming long-play, Neutron states:

“Who Dares? Is a mission statement song. Most attributable to something a super villain would scream as a hero enters the room, this is a song about not just surviving but thriving often against insurmountable odds. One challenge at a time, one step at a time, one punch at time, one round at a time. Featuring a simple guitar hook and a relentless menacing main riff, it is a motivational soundtrack to dogged persistence. Who Dares? I’m the one who dares.”

About the second single, Sharks Keep Moving:
“Ah, the shark terror of the deep. A little known fact about them is most sharks must keep moving to ensure water flows over their gills for respiration. Otherwise they will perish. What better metaphor for creative resilience, as an an artist changes and evolves? It is a central theme of the record and the song and the band. Sound wise the Jaws like main riff ties the whole thing together. The verses evokes Gang of Four more than most Neutron Friends songs, but has a pleasantly surprising Desert Rock(tm) style bridge with a few choice phrases that tie into the ‘not just survive, but thrive’ mindset of the record.”

And the third single, A Villain of Circumstance:
A Villain of Circumstance is the 3rd Way of the Neutron single. A tonal sequel to Chesapeake Ripper’s perceived villainy it has the line “Dreaming is useless when you’re around.” It is one of the poppiest songs and features background vocals by the incredible Kate Wakefield of Lung. 

The previous record is a split LP with the incredible LUNG called: Adult Prom  on Learning Curve Records in 2023, This follows up 2022’s Dangerous Nomenclature. A three song concept ep and 2020’s Dark Passengers: their last dedicated full length release and 3rd full length album. After a relentless and creative 10 year run so far, with love from college radio, press and crowds alike. Neutron Friends show no sign of slowing down at all. Some people may be more familiar with the podcast,  Conan Neutron’s Protonic Reversal , or the 4 Day Caterwaul music festival in Minneapolis but make no mistake about it. Neutron is a born rocker and very good at what he does and the Secret Friends in all iterations are a world class rock band. 

Available now to pre-order, and to stream in full in bandcamp by March 20th. You can now find your way… to the Way of the Neutron.
1. Who Dares?
2. Sharks Keep Moving
3. A Villain of Circumstance
4. Exit Interview
5. Official Business
6. Relentless!
7. A Dream of Flight
8. Chekhov’s Grift
9. Integrity Wins Again
10. Bulletproof Tiger
11. The Burden of Dreams
12. The Way

Who Dares? on Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube

Atom 3 of the Protons and Electrons series is now available to listen and order. As always: Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends is Conan Neutron, Tony Ash and Dale Crover (of (the) Melvins​) providing the A-Side: RECANT! and on the B-side is Mr. Rick Valentin of Thoughts Detecting Machines​ (and Poster Children​… of course) with Alllies.

Like all of the Protons and Electrons series, this is a digital single, paired with a physical 7″ release that is available to mailorder. There will be 12 of these in total.

RECANT! is riff heavy rumination on heresy and the process of heresy becoming fact.

Rick contributes an excellent guitar track to a future Protons and Electrons release, but most importantly he is part of this series because of what Thoughts Detecting Machines is.

A one man band in the sense of being a self-contained live and recording unit, not in the “bass drum strapped to back and cymbals between legs” sort of way, the way Thoughts Detecting Machines operates has been an inspiration to Team Neutron Friends.

Find a way to say “yes” to awesome opportunities, strip things down to their barest essentials and challenge yourself to dig deeper, try something different and let go of familiar anxieties.

In any case, you can listen to it here and you can order the 7″ as well. Thanks!

https://neutronfriends.bandcamp.com/album/protons-and-electrons-atom-7-armies-of-the-mind-the-god-eaters-cluster-fuck-shit-show

Protons and Electrons: Atom 7 – Armies of the Mind / The God Eaters – Cluster Fuck Shit Show
Atom 7 is now available to stream online and for advance purchase.

The God Eaters! The pride of Marquette, Michigan, hidden away in the upper peninsula. A powerful nervy band that aggressively follows their own compass and puts forth a righteous and uncompromising noise. Drummer Nick has filled in for neutronfriends many, many times, and guitar player Dylan has filled in on guitar as well.

Fiendishly creative and productive, they are band that I hope has a long and storied career.

Armies of the Mind is a song that’s basically two choruses. It gets in, does it’s thing, gets out. That’s the idea. Here’s what Jimmy of The Vega Bodegas and formerly of Future of the Left had to say about it. :

” I think this just became the greatest song of 2018 for me. Like Roky Erickson on a motorbike on fire & I’m hitching a ride with nothing but leather trousers on. Such a monster of a riff! “