Every now and then you come across an artist with rock and roll running through their veins, where the flame of passion burns so strong it leaves a mark on everyone in the room. Des Rocs is one of them. The project of New York’s Danny Rocco, Des Rocs has spent years building a devoted following with a sound that brings glam, garage and stadium sized rock n roll into something defiantly his own, drawing comparisons to the likes of Muse and Greta Van Fleet along the way.
Third album To Hell and Back arrives on 12 June 2026 via Sumerian Records, and Des Rocs has called it the culmination of everything he has ever done, a record made for the fighters, the dreamers and the survivors. Lead single ‘Fall Together’ sits alongside ‘This Land’, which reached the Top 10 at Active Rock radio and soundtracked the video game Borderlands 4, plus the surprise release ‘The Riders Of Red Hook (Legends Never Die)’.
With a North American headline run under way and UK and European dates to come in the autumn, including Manchester and London in October, we caught up with Des Rocs to talk survival, songwriting and the sacred ritual of live performance.
To Hell and Back is your third album, and you’ve called it the culmination of everything you’ve ever done. When you look back at everything that led here, what does it feel like, and what does it mean to you?
It is all a reflection on the wild journey that has been trying to make it and really survive as a rock artist in a strange musical landscape. It is a journey of both personal growth and artistic expansion, all in service of some greater effort to create something entirely new and gutsy against all odds.
You’ve described the album as being for the fighters, the dreamers and the survivors. Where did that thread come from, and at what point did you realise it was the spine holding the whole record together?
Themes of survival and perseverance permeate a large swath of my music. That is what I know, so that is what I write. On this album it became even more of a thematic glue, given where this one landed in my personal life and in my career.
New single ‘Fall Together’ is about that dead end feeling when both roads lead to the same place. Can you take us inside writing those lyrics, and what you were trying to give to people navigating those tough roads?
Lyrically there is a sense of unity through uncertainty. A cold comfort, but a comfort nonetheless, especially when that is all you have. I don’t like to get too literal with explaining my lyrics, because I find so much of the joy of art is assigning one’s own interpretation to it. I never want to rob the audience of that sacred experience.
‘The Riders Of Red Hook (Legends Never Die)’ arrived as a surprise release and has this gritty, mythic slow burn to it. What is the story behind that one, and what do the Riders of Red Hook represent to you?
The Riders of Red Hook are a legendary clan of New Yorkers. I spent a tremendous amount of time in that neighbourhood during a period of my life that was particularly dark. It all became the perfect drop to scream out a few things that I’d had pent up inside for quite a long time. Again, I won’t get too literal with the explanations, but man did that one feel good to write.
‘This Land’ became the theme for Borderlands 4 and ‘The Juice’ landed a Nissan placement and put you on the map at rock radio. How does it feel having these songs take on a life beyond the record, and does that change how you write?
It is always cool to watch. You never envision the songs in these sorts of things and it is always well beyond your control. It is like seeing kids grow up and go off into the world. It never affects the way I write or the creative process.
Picking one lyric from To Hell and Back that means the most to you, which line is it, and what is the story behind it?
“Laced crown, placed on meat, red dogs devour me, devour me.” For those who know, they know.
The tracklisting moves from ‘When The Love Is Gone’ through to ‘The Way’. Is there an intended emotional journey across those eleven tracks, a beginning and end to the story you’re telling?
Absolutely. I spend a tremendous amount of time track listing these albums. I will literally spend more time with the track listing than making it. It is all a giant puzzle, and I often go through 20 different versions before I land on the one that makes sense. The emotional journey is quite different on this one than on previous records.
You’re deep into a North American headline run and about to bring it to Europe and the UK this autumn. What can people expect from the live show, and how do these new songs translate on stage?
An extraordinarily passionate rock n roll roller coaster from a couple of New Yorkers who live and breathe this lifestyle and would die for every single word that is sung up there. You can expect a level of passion and dedication to the sacred ritual of live performance that is damn hard to find these days.
You play Manchester and London in October before heading across Europe. Is there anything you’re especially looking forward to about the UK and European leg?
Probably those little meat pies ya’ll got over there. And also a level of energy from the crowds that always leaves us feeling so blown away and humbled. Euro and UK shows are very special to us.
After everything this record represents, what is the one thing you hope people take away from To Hell and Back?
That it was made by real people who have lived real things. That it was a struggle to make, and that struggle is baked into the voice you hear.
