Charm School return with scathing new single ‘Schadenfreude Ploy’

Louisville-bred, LA-based post-punk outfit Charm School are back with ‘Schadenfreude Ploy’, the corrosive and cutting lead single and title track from their upcoming second EP, out February 20th.

Following the searing critique of late-capitalist existence heard on their LP Debt Forever (2025), Charm School sharpen their satirical blades even further on this latest release. ‘Schadenfreude Ploy’ is a darkly humorous howl at the manipulative absurdities of modern life: tech overlords, A.I. doom, algorithmic entrapment; all rendered through a jagged blend of post-hardcore energy and indie-noise pedigree.

Frontman Andrew Sellers, steeped in Louisville’s underground lineage (think Slint, Rodan, Palace Brothers), fuses that history with nods to Chicago’s Touch & Go/Drag City scenes and biting post-punk influences like Fugazi, The Fall, and PiL. The result is music that feels both deeply rooted and violently of-the-moment.