Rostam Readies New Album American Stories, Announces 2026 Tour

Producer, songwriter, and former Vampire Weekend member Rostam has announced his third studio album, American Stories, out on May 15th. He’s also shared a new song, “Like a Spark,” and announced a 2026 North American tour. American Stories serves as Rostam’s first album in nearly five years; his last effort was 2021’s Changephobia. Rostam’s new project sees him embracing his Persian roots, recruiting fellow Iranian-American Amir Yaghmai of The Voidz as a collaborator and intertwining traditional Persian instruments (like the saz) with American ones. Other contributors to American Stories include Clairo, Tobias Jesso Jr., and several more instrumentalists. Get Rostam Tickets “At some point in making this record I realized the album I wanted to make was one that reflected my identity as both Iranian and American,” Rostam said of the new album in a statement. “Pushing the most Iranian elements right up against the most American ones brought me a certain kind of joy. The first time I put microtonal saz melodies over Western guitar chords, I was thrown off by the way the two rubbed together. But the more I listened the more I became drawn to that rub. I became addicted to it.” Advertisement Related Video Rostam will support American Stories with a 2026 North American tour kicking off on May 27th in San Diego. The tour rolls on through cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, Denver, Chicago, Toronto, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Nashville, and more. The trek concludes with a show in Austin on June 26th; Rostam will also play a small stretch of dates in the UK and Europe in September. See his full list of tour dates below. Tickets for Rostam’s 2026 tour will first be available via an artist pre-sale beginning on Wednesday, March 11th at 10:00 a.m. local time; fans can sign-up for pre-sale access to their desired show date(s) over on Rostam’s website. Tickets will go on sale for the general public on Friday, March 13th at 10:00 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster and Rostam’s website. “Like a Spark” serves as the first preview of American Stories and demonstrates the hybrid style that characterizes Rostam’s new project. With warm acoustic guitar and tender vocals, the song finds Rostam in wistful mode as the instruments move to the beat of their own drum: “Everybody wants you tied down easily/ Except for me/ I only ever wanted you to feel freed of it,” he sings. The track also features a saz solo from Yaghmai in the bridge. Listen to “Like a Spark” below. Advertisement In addition to readying American Stories, Rostam has kept busy in the time since Changephobia. Last month, he unearthed an original demo of Vampire Weekend’s “Campus”. He also has produced several new projects of late, including HAIM’s last album I Quit, new music from Avalon Emerson & the Charm and Leith Ross, and select songs off Vampire Weekend’s 2024 LP Only God Was Above Us. American Stories Artwork: American Stories Tracklist: 01. Like a Spark 02. Back of a Truck 03. Different Light 04. Hardy (feat. Clairo) 05. Forgive Is To Know 06. To Feel No Way 07. The Road to Death 08. Come Apart 09. The Weight Rostam 2026 Tour Dates: 05/27 — San Diego, CA @ Music Box * 05/30 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Ford #* 06/03 — San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel * 06/05 — Vancouver, BC @ Fortune Sound Club ! 06/06 — Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater ! 06/07 — Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile ! 06/09 — Boise, ID @ Neurolux * 06/10 — Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room * 06/11 — Denver, CO @ The Gothic Theater * 06/13 — Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line KCMP/Electric Fetus * 06/14 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall * 06/15 — Toronto, ON @ The Opera House * 06/17 — Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair * 06/18 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall #* 06/19 — Philadelphia, PA @ Brooklyn Bowl * 06/20 — Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ! 06/22 — Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom * 06/23 — Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West * 06/24 — Nashville, TN @ Basement East * 06/26 — Austin, TX @ Mohawk * Advertisement 09/08 — London, UK @ Village Underground ^ 09/09 — Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie ^ 09/12 — Amsterdam, NL @ Berghain Kantine 09/13 — Berlin, DE @ Privatclub ^ 09/15 — Stockholm, SE @ Nalen Klubb ^ # = w/ Zsela * = w/ Henry Solomon ! = w/ Henry Solomon and Elori Saxl ^ = w/ Bad Actor Load More