11 NEW SONGS INCLUDING THE TIMELY SINGLE “ICEMEN”
ALBUM FEATURES CRACK THE SKY’S JOE MACRE AND BOBBY HIRD
AVAILABLE ON CD AND DIGITALLY
RELEASED SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH PALUMBO’S DEBUT NOVEL, SWIMMING THE CLEVELAND OCEAN
Visionary leader of Crack The Sky, John Palumbo returns under his own name with his boldest collection of songs yet.
R U SCIENCE? is a rallying cry grappling with the issues of today, from AI to ICE. Palumbo’s trademark sarcasm is barely in evidence but his bite is stronger than ever in his unflinchingly direct lyrics. Different times demand different songs, and Palumbo meets the moment throughout the 11 new compositions on R U SCIENCE?
Palumbo’s voice – weathered, expressive, and unmistakably authentic – conveys his messages with conviction, intelligence, and heart. The album’s full band arrangements feature Crack The Sky’s Joe Macre (bass) and Bobby Hird (lead guitar and background vocals). Yet R U SCIENCE? establishes a distinct sonic identity with electronic elements developing an ominous mood befitting the times we are living through. R U SCIENCE? is an album for now, while instantly establishing itself as a highlight of Palumbo’s voluminous discography.
As a songwriter, Palumbo has a gift for turning complex ideas into memorable music. “Icemen” addresses one of 2026’s most contentious issues. “I’m not a white man. I am a brown man. That used to be okay. But not today. Here they come. They’re coming for me,” Palumbo intones. The arrangement creates an atmosphere of tension and urgency that perfectly complements the song’s themes. Released as the first single from R U SCIENCE?, the “Icemen” lyric video has already been viewed 10K times on YouTube. Immigration topics return on “Big House,” written from three perspectives: a human smuggler, a migrant, and an ICE officer.
The album’s closing track is entitled “I Catch Fire.” Indeed, Palumbo may take heat from his more conservative fans. But John Palumbo refuses to play it safe. His songs have always been stories about obsession, belief, power, and the quiet damage people do to themselves and each other.
Simultaneously released is John Palumbo’s novel, Swimming The Cleveland Ocean. As a novelist, Palumbo brings that same unflinching eye to the page. His fiction is dark, psychological and often unsettling, driven by characters who live just beyond the edge of comfort and control. The wit remains, but the melody is stripped away, leaving something rawer and harder to escape. The move from music to prose is not a departure, but an expansion. These are the stories that could never fit inside a song. Swimming The Cleveland Ocean is available on Amazon in paperback form.
Songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist John Palumbo has led progressive rock band Crack The Sky for over 50 years. The band’s self-titled first album was declared 1975’s debut album of the year by Rolling Stone and ranked as one of Rolling Stone‘s 50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums in 2015. Major success was predicted for Crack The Sky. But due to persistent record label issues, the band never achieved a national breakthrough. Yet their popularity exploded in Baltimore, where Crack The Sky is acclaimed as The Beatles of Baltimore. Throughout Crack The Sky’s existence, John Palumbo’s quirky, edgy, smart songwriting proved constant as the band explored a diverse variety of sounds and styles.
Palumbo launched a parallel solo career in 1978 and nearly scored a hit with 1985’s “Blowing Up Detroit” (later covered by Charlie Sexton). He simultaneously began a songwriting partnership with Donnie Purnell of glam metal band Kix, co-writing the band’s Top 10 power ballad, “Don’t Close Your Eyes.” In the ’90s he produced chart topping dance remixes for Yoko Ono and embarked on a wide variety of side projects including Cruel Shoes, Dogboy, Feed da Cat, and the Precious Brothers, while regularly recording and performing with Crack The Sky.
R U SCIENCE? (Iconoclassic Records ICON 1095)
1. Fear Is The Power
2. R U Science?
3. Vampires
4. Icemen
5. For Dear Life
6. The Evangelist
7. Days Of Our Lives
8. Big House
9. Another Gong
10. White Man
11. I Catch Fire
Produced by John Palumbo and R. Lee Townsend
John Palumbo: Guitar, Lead Vocals, Keyboards
Bobby Hird: Guitar, Background Vocals
Joe Macre: Bass
Max Victor Vacacerdo: Drums
To purchase:
Label store: https://iconoclassicrecords.com/album/r-u-science/
Independent retail: https://recordstoreday.com/upc/990481102440
Amazon CD: https://www.amazon.com/R-U-SCIENCE-John-Palumbo/dp/B0GQ545YNT
Amazon book: https://www.amazon.com/Swimming-Cleveland-Ocean-John-Palumbo/dp/B0H1SC6FQ7
For more information:
Website: https://crackthesky.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/cracktheskychannel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialcrackthesky
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cracktheskyofficial
Press inquiries: Keith James, Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (USA), glassonyonpr@gmail.com
