Foundlings

Dead Meadow — 2026

“Foundlings works best as a cabinet of curiosities, collecting covers, live cuts, and archival material under one roof.”

When introducing the band’s previous studio album, 2025’s Voyager to Voyager, I went into the band’s storied history since the early 2000s. The power trio easily hooked fans, and their first three offerings often trade places as their best recordings. That is not to say they slowed down in the latter half of their career. Critics largely panned Voyager to Voyager, but I found its “hypnotic expanse” layering to be an interesting experiment, especially because the album serves as a tribute to former bassist Steve Kille, who passed away in 2024 from cancer. I liked to think that the overarching theme of the album depicts the unknown void that could come at the end of life and the start of a new journey once one has passed on, a fitting remembrance of Kille.

When I heard Dead Meadow had another album arriving barely a year after the previous release, I did not know what to expect. With Foundlings, what you get is a seven track collection that digs deep into the band’s archives, spanning more than two decades of sessions, tributes, and unreleased material.

What makes Foundlings so hard to praise is that a majority of this material can be found throughout the group’s catalog. Aside from a track or two, true fans will have heard most all of this. For new fans, this could be a good starting point as it’s a great encapsulation of the group’s sound. If you’re a completionist and need all the Dead Meadow material out there, then go for it. It’s nice to finally have all this material in one place. For an introduction to the band, start with the first three albums. As a fun detour, though, Foundlings does its job. Not essential, but a fun curiosity nonetheless.