Episode 18: Karina Rykman

Bub & Pop | Episode 18: Karina Rykman (recorded September 15, 2026)

The first time Karina Rykman and I talked was not long after her first show in Philly, which I reviewed for Relix. I mentioned I was pitching a piece about napping and rest on the road, and she said to remind her to tell me about the death crack in the van. It took a few years, but I finally asked, and that’s where this one starts.

Karina’s been touring since she was 17: a hired gun in a lot of bands, then on the road with Marco Benevento's trio, and now fronting her own. Along the way she worked a lot of music-related jobs, even while she was still at NYU, where she met the guys who would become her bandmates. While it may not be a conventional path, "everything has informed everything," as she puts it.

Most of our conversation is about her new album, Late Checkout, which I also reviewed for Relix. Her first record was called Joyride, a ride with no destination; a late checkout is staying right where you are. Either way, it’s all about the journey. We get into how “Easy, Rider” came out of a stay at a friend’s ranch in Boonville, California, after High Sierra; the month she and her producer and co-writer Gabe Monro spent writing ten hours a day; tracking live at the Barn in Vermont, then finishing the vocals and synths at DFA, James Murphy’s studio; and the non-obvious relationship between “Where You At,” her first sad song, and System of a Down’s “Mr. Jack."

Also in here: jet lag from a festival in Japan, the 22 hours a day you’re not on stage, playing on TV, and seafood towers in Philly. Late Checkout came out September 25.

An audio-first version of this podcast is available here.

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Late Checkout | Listen | Tour dates

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Host: Matt Hoffman | Producer: Tedd Kanakaris | Location: WeWork (NYC)