Model/Actriz
OriginBoston, Massachusetts, U.S.[1]
GenrePost-punk · noise rock · dance-punk
Years active2016–2017 · 2019–present
LabelTrue Panther Sounds[2] · Dirty Hit
Current members
  • Ruben Radlauer
  • Jack Wetmore
  • Aaron Shapiro
  • Cole Haden

Model/Actriz is an American rock band, formed in 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts, that is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. The group consists of drummer Ruben Radlauer, guitarist Jack Wetmore, vocalist Cole Haden, and bassist Aaron Shapiro.

The band's music has been described as post-punk and noise rock.[3][4] Frontman Haden often incorporates queer sexual themes in his lyrics "as a gay person working in a genre that’s not very outwardly gay."[3] Their debut album Dogsbody was released in 2023, followed by their second album Pirouette in 2025.

History

Drummer Ruben Radlauer and guitarist Jack Wetmore were childhood acquaintances whose fathers were in a band together in the 1980s. Radlauer and Wetmore reconnected while attending Berklee College of Music, and decided to start a band together. In 2015, Radlauer and Wetmore met vocalist Cole Haden when they saw him perform, "writhing on the floor in a corset, fake blood dripping down his face," and invited him to join their band. Haden, a Delaware native, joined the group out of loneliness.[3] In 2019, after a two-year hiatus, Model/Actriz incorporated bassist Aaron Shapiro.[5]

In 2019, Model/Actriz was dubbed one of Alt Citizen's favorite live acts of the year.[6] In 2020, the band was scheduled to perform at SXSW, but the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] In 2021, Model/Actriz recorded their first album, Dogsbody, released in 2023.[5] It earned an 8.2 rating from Pitchfork,[8] and was named Bandcamp Daily's album of the day.[9] Following Dogsbody, the band was invited to play the 2024 Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona.[10]

The band's second album Pirouette was released on May 2, 2025.[11] The lead single "Cinderella" was released on February 25, 2025 and earned a "Best New Track" honor from Pitchfork.[12] It was followed by the singles "Doves" and "Diva".[13][14] In March 2026, they released a surprise EP, Swan Songs. In April 2026, they performed at Coachella for the first time.[15]

Critical response

In 2016 Boston Hassle wrote that guitarist Wetmore and drummer Radlauer "remarkably capture a wide scope of dissonance and noise with live belligerence, with control and spontaneity."[16] Vocalist Haden has been praised by multiple publications for his onstage charisma.[17][18] In 2022, Fatty Strap stated, "[Haden’s] presence is so big that it literally arrives before him and leaves days after he has left."[19] Rolling Stone wrote, "Every time they perform, it’s an explosion of outrageous noise, raw physicality, and communal joy."[5] The Primavera Sound festival praised them as "pioneers in bringing homoerotic references into a genre as un-homoerotic as post-punk."[10]

Band members

  • Cole Haden – vocals (2016–2017, 2019–present)
  • Jack Wetmore – guitar (2016–2017, 2019–present)
  • Aaron Shapiro – bass guitar (2019–present)
  • Ruben Radlauer – drums (2016–2017, 2019–present)

Discography

Albums
TitleYearLabelSource
Dogsbody2023True Panther Sounds[3]
Pirouette2025True Panther Sounds / Dirty Hit[20]
Extended Plays
TitleYearSource
100€2016[16]
Ava2016[21]
No2017[22]
Swan Songs2026[23]
Singles
TitleYearSource
"Suntan"2020[24]
"Damocles"2020[25]
"Mosquito"2022[26]
"Crossing Guard"2023[27]
"Winnipesaukee”2023[28]
"Cinderella”2025[29]
"Doves"2025[30]
"Diva"2025[31]

References

  1. ^ "For Post-Punks Model/Actriz, Confrontation is an Opportunity for Intimacy". Pitchfork. 6 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Model/Actriz Announce Debut Album for True Panther Sounds". Pitchfork. 17 January 2023.
  3. ^ Cohen, Ian (2023). "Model/Actriz's Purple Reign". SPIN
  4. ^ Buchanan, Rhys (2023-09-25). "Get down and dirty with Model/Actriz's feral debut album". NME. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  5. ^ "The Outrageous Thrills of Model/Actriz". Rolling Stone. 2023-06-26. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  6. ^ "Alt Citizen's favorite live acts of 2019". Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  7. ^ Kratt, Steele (2020-03-25). "A night out with MODEL/ACTRIZ, the noise band keeping DIY weird". Document Journal. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  8. ^ "Model/Actriz: Dogsbody". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  9. ^ Keyes, J. Edward (March 1, 2023). "Model/Actriz, Dogsbody". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  10. ^ "Model/Actriz (US)". Primavera Sound. 2023.
  11. ^ "Album Of The Week: Model/Actriz 'Pirouette'". Stereogum. 2025-04-29. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  12. ^ Gaca, Anna. "Model/Actriz: “Cinderella”". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  13. ^ "Model/Actriz Share New Song "Doves": Listen". Stereogum. 2025-03-25. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  14. ^ Green, Walden (2025-04-21). "Listen to Model/Actriz's New Song “Diva”". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  15. ^ "Model/Actriz release surprise EP 'Swan Songs' ahead of Coachella debut". The FADER. Retrieved 2026-04-12.
  16. ^ "Model/Actriz — 100€ // BOSTON HASSLE". bostonhassle.com. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  17. ^ "Concert Review: Model/Actriz". Spectrum Culture. 2023-04-05. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  18. ^ Pearis, Bill (2023-04-21). "Model/Actriz wrapped up their tour with their biggest hometown NYC show yet (pics, review)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  19. ^ "Angels Don't Tip: A Conversation with Cole Haden and a Model/Actriz Bicoastal Binge". Fatty Strap. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  20. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (2025). "How Model/Actriz Learned to Let Go and Have a Little Fun". Rolling Stone
  21. ^ "Model/Actriz – Dogsbody". Echoes And Dust. 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  22. ^ https://open.spotify.com/album/0TgslpgggzpbZJXLX67hSV?si=G6rGQdkHSK2-FIqzIeZMUA
  23. ^ "Model/Actriz - 'Swan Songs'". Far Out Magazine. 2026-03-27. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  24. ^ "Model/Actriz – "Suntan"". Stereogum. 2020-03-10. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  25. ^ "Model/Actriz �� "Damocles"". Stereogum. 2020-06-03. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  26. ^ "New Music Friday: Stream new albums from Yeat, Gorillaz, Miss Grit, and more". The FADER. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  27. ^ "Model/Actriz Invoke Lady Gaga on Engrossing New Single "Crossing Guard"". FLOOD. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  28. ^ "Model/Actriz Share New Single "Winnipesaukee": Listen". Stereogum. 2023-09-18. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  29. ^ "Cinderella". Pitchfork. 2025-02-25. Retrieved 2025-03-06.
  30. ^ "Model/Actriz Reveal New Single, 'Doves.'". 2025-03-25. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
  31. ^ "Model/Actriz “make use of the melancholia” on dark, industrial new single ‘Diva’". 2025-04-23. Retrieved 2026-04-08.