On September 4, Antietam will return with their anticipated 14th studio album, The Counting Game, out via Dromedary Records on vinyl, CD, and digitally. 

For more than four decades, Antietam have occupied a singular place in American underground rock. Formed in New York City in the mid-1980s by guitarist and vocalist Tara Key and bassist Tim Harris, and joined in 1990 by drummer Josh Madell, the trio have built a body of work that spans punk, indie rock, experimental music, and guitar-driven improvisation while remaining fiercely independent and unmistakably their own.

The Counting Game finds the band expanding its sound while retaining the qualities that have defined Antietam for decades: Key's soaring guitar work, Harris' melodic bass lines, and Madell's intuitive, propulsive drumming.

The album arrives after a remarkable career that began with Antietam's debut at CBGB in 1984 and has since encompassed a deep catalog of acclaimed albums, countless live performances, side projects, collaborations, and artistic reinventions. Along the way, the band earned praise from critics including Robert Christgau, Robert Palmer, Ann Powers, Greil Marcus, and Greg Kot, while developing a devoted following that continues to discover their four-decade-long discography.

Rather than serving as a retrospective, The Counting Game pushes forward. Alongside the band's trademark guitar-driven songs, the album introduces new textures and collaborators, including a cello and violin duet from Tim Harris and Katie Gentile on the title track, atmospheric contributions from Gentile, Mark Howell, and Tara Jane O'Neil on "Winter Watch," banjo from Kentucky musician Steve Cooley on "Dorado Gold," and guest vocals from Josh Madell's daughter, Trixie Madell, on "Spy Vs. Spy."

Throughout their history, Antietam have defied easy categorization, moving fluidly between melodic rock, noise, improvisation, and experimental forms while maintaining an unwavering commitment to their own artistic path. The Counting Game stands as the latest chapter in that story: a bold, adventurous record from a band whose creative curiosity remains as vital as ever.

After more than forty years, Antietam are still looking ahead.