L7 will be adding a new tune to their farewell tour. The Los Angeles band released “Loma Linda” Monday (10/5), a day before kicking off the Last Hurrah tour at the Casbah in San Diego.
The new single has been waiting a while. Its original demo dates to 2003, when Janis Tanaka was playing bass with the band. Donita Sparks found the unfinished track in the archives, and L7 added new lyrics, vocals and other parts just before hitting the road. “It still sounded rather fresh and very L7,” Sparks said in the release announcement.
Sparks and fellow guitarist and singer Suzi Gardner founded L7 in Los Angeles in 1985. The band mixed punk’s attitude with heavy riffs, noisy guitars and hooks big enough to get through all that racket. Smell the Magic arrived in 1990; Bricks Are Heavy followed in 1992 with “Pretend We’re Dead,” “Everglade” and “Shitlist.” L7 also helped build Rock for Choice, turning shows into support for abortion rights.
Their most recent studio album is Scatter the Rats, released in 2019 through Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records. Recorded with producers Norm Block and Nick Launay, it was L7’s first studio album in 20 years. “Loma Linda” is being released as a single, with a free download on the band’s website for its first week.
Sparks and Gardner are joined on the Last Hurrah tour by drummer Dee Plakas and returning bassist Tanaka. The North American leg begins with two nights at the Casbah 10/6–10/7 and finishes back home at the Wiltern on 11/14. VIAL opens the October shows; NOBRO takes over in November.
These shows arrive less than three months after Jennifer Finch died on 7/18 at 59 following a battle with brain cancer. The bassist, songwriter, singer and photographer helped make L7 what it was, onstage and off. She joined in 1986, played on the band’s first four albums and returned for its reunion.
Before her death, Finch gave her blessing for L7 to continue the tour with Tanaka, according to the band’s release announcement. That puts this goodbye in a different light. The songs are still here, the road is still there, and someone who helped give the band its sound will be missing.
Finch’s own account is still coming. Shooting Up and Making Out: A Memoir of My Life in LA and L7, written with Jeff Alulis, is due 1/19/27 through Da Capo. Her publisher says it was completed before her illness took hold.
The Last Hurrah: 2026 Tour Dates
Tickets and the latest show information are on L7’s website.
10/6–10/7 Casbah, San Diego, CA
10/9 Walter Studios, Phoenix, AZ
10/10 La Rosa, Tucson, AZ
10/12 Emo's Austin, Austin, TX
10/13 The Echo Lounge & Music Hall, Dallas, TX
10/14 House of Blues Houston, Houston, TX
10/16 Cannery Hall, Nashville, TN
10/17 The Masquerade, Atlanta, GA
10/19 Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte, NC
10/21 Howard Theatre, Washington, DC
10/22 Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
10/23 XL Live, Harrisburg, PA
10/24 Knockdown Center, Maspeth, NY
10/26 The Wilbur, Boston, MA
10/27 Globe Iron, Cleveland, OH
10/29 Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, ON
10/30 The Big Room, Grand Rapids, MI
10/31 Saint Andrew's Hall, Detroit, MI
11/1 The Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL
11/3 Fine Line, Minneapolis, MN
11/4 Warehouse On Broadway, Kansas City, MO
11/6 Summit Music Hall, Denver, CO
11/7 The Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT
11/8 Treefort Music Hall, Boise, ID
11/10 The Showbox, Seattle, WA
11/11 Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, BC
11/13 The Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
11/14 The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA