Featured Artist of February 9, 2026
with the Album: "Lost At Sea"


Artist's Biography

THE LEGAL MATTERS isn't just a band, it's a meeting of the minds of three notable figures on the Midwest power pop scene. Keith Klingensmith was a member of Hippodrome and The Phenomenal Cats and runs the indie pop label Futureman Records, Andy Reed was the leader of the group An American Underdog, and Chris Richards was Klingensmith's Hippodrome/PhenomCats bandmate and led his own group, Chris Richards & the Subtractions. The trio made an impressive debut with their self-titled first album in 2014, and sounded even stronger and more ambitious on 2016's Conrad (issued by the well-respected independent label Omnivore Recordings) and 2021's Chapter Three. Over a decade along and with a remarkable bounty of critical accolades to their credit, the band’s renowned chemistry is more potent than ever as they ready their fourth album (and their first for Big Stir Records) for its keenly-awaited early 2026 release.

The core trio of The Legal Matters first came together in early 2013, when Richards’ band cut an EP of covers titled That Covers That 2: Electric Boogaloo. Reed took part in those sessions, and when Klingensmith and Richards began blocking out plans for a new Phenomenal Cats record, they invited Reed to join them in the studio. The three songwriters began exchanging demos, and by the time they all gathered at Reed's studio, Reed Recording Company, they’d realized that this music was a different animal than that of The Phenomenal Cats, and with this in mind, exchanged the previous Kinks-inspired name for a new one, The Legal Matters, based on their shared love of The Who. Those nods to British Invasion giants hint at the band’s sound, and you’d be hard pressed to find an assessment of
the band that doesn’t reference the key bands of the power pop sound throughout the decades, from Badfinger and Big Star to Teenage Fanclub and Fountains Of Wayne. But critics and fans alike have known from the start that the combined songwriting and
performing voices of Klingensmith, Reed and Richards amount to an unmistakable identity of its own, and one that would make THE LEGAL MATTERS one of the most celebrated names in the modern indie pop pantheon.

The band’s self-titled debut, recorded in just six days during the coldest and snowiest winter in Michigan's history and released on Futureman, won enthusiastic reviews in the indie music press, with Popdose calling it a “top flight killer debut” and “spectacular,” leading in short order to the equally well-received Conrad on Omnivore (deemed “glorious” and “immaculately crafted” in Elmore Magazine). The trio kept themselves busy with individual projects over the next four years, but the wait for new Legal Matters music was rewarded with 2021’s Chapter Three, which saw Klingensmith, Reed, and Richards joined by drummer Donny Brown (best known for his work with The Verve Pipe). By that time both the acclaim – including an Album of the Year citation from MusicTap’s Rob Ross – and the time between records were to be expected, which brings us to the present day and the impending 2026 release of the fourth Legal Matters album. Already heralded by the new single “Everybody Knows,” the new record draws its title, LOST AT SEA, from a line in a key track, as what Richards calls “a fitting comment about our current political state.” And so it goes with The Legal Matters: a sound that taps the whole of pop rock history, keen observations that speak to life in the present day, and a body of work that genuinely deserves to be considered timeless. Big Stir Records is proud to welcome them aboard as they continue to push that legacy forward.


About the Album

Big Stir Records is very proud to bring you the new album from Michigan’s own indie pop supergroup The Legal Matters. “Lost At Sea,” the band’s fourth full-length release, is out February 27 on Vinyl, CD and Streaming worldwide and cleared for review and airplay now. Featuring the hit indie singles “Everybody Knows” and “The Message,” it’s a cornucopia of sharp songwriting and unshakable hooks adorned with generous helpings of the band’s signature harmonies. You can download it along with all press material (and find links to stream it directly or download lossless files if needed) here:
https://bigstirrecords.com/the-legal-matters-lost-at-sea-courtesy-page

We can also provide physical CD copies upon request, and connect you with the band if you wish to speak with them directly about the new album for an interview or feature. Thanks as always for your support, and  we hope you enjoy getting “Lost At Sea” with The Legal Matters!

Rex & Christina
Big Stir Records

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