Sharpie Smile, the unconventional songwriting duo of Dylan Hadley and Cole Berliner, descend from the altostratus with their debut album, The Staircase, arriving just in time to soundtrack your summer. Emerging from the ashes of their former project Kamikaze Palm Tree, Dylan and Cole bring a new vision into focus — one where pop dissolves into impressionism and feeling reigns over form.
Now, ahead of a nationwide tour launching in June, Sharpie Smile drop a new single and video for the title track and album closer, “The Staircase.” Directed by Dante Capone, the video glides between a lush forest and an opulent palace — matching the dreamlike fluidity of the song itself.
Built on gauzy textures and ghostly hooks, “The Staircase” is a slow-motion plunge into emotional vertigo. “Tangled up / with incessant feeling,” the duo sing, exploring the lonely terrain of self-reconnection and relational unraveling. Dylan and Cole explain: “‘The Staircase’ is about trying to reconnect with a fractured self — losing sight of oneself while maintaining relationships that aren’t working anymore, and the process of rediscovery after the fact.”
That personal theme echoes across the entire album, which spirals upward through sonic exploration and digital psychedelia. The Staircase moves with the confidence of artists in metamorphosis, their genreless glow drawing from influences like SOPHIE, 100 gecs, and Oklou. Sharpie Smile’s sound is as sculptural as it is emotional — a shimmering blend of sound art and off-kilter pop.
The album was engineered and produced by Cesar Maria, with additional support from Spencer Hartling (engineering), Cairo Marques-Neto (vocal production), and Mikey Weiland (mixing). Together, the team channels a world that’s soft-edged but emotionally raw.
Sharpie Smile 2025 Tour Dates
June 30 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon (Album Release Show)
July 17 – Phoenix, Arizona @ Valley Bar
July 19 – Albuquerque, NM @ Black Wall Gallery
July 20 – Marfa, TX @ Planet Marfa
July 22 – Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio
July 24 – Kansas City, KS @ recordBar
July 25 – St. Louis, MO @ The Sinkhole
July 26 – Nashville, TN @ DRKMTTR
July 27 – Raleigh, NC @ Neptunes
July 28 – Washington, D.C. @ Songbyrd Music House
July 31 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
Aug. 1 – Boston, MA @ The Rockwell
Aug. 1 – Brooklyn, NY @ Littlefield
Aug. 3 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
Aug. 5 – Chicago, IL @ Hideout
Aug. 6 – Des Moines, IA @ Lefty’s Live Music
Aug. 7 – Omaha, NE @ Joslyn Castle Carriage House
Aug. 8 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
Aug. 9 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The DLC at Quarters
Aug. 10 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
Aug. 11 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
Aug. 12 – Vancouver, BC, Canada @ Green Auto
Aug. 13 – Portland, OR @ Holocene
Aug. 16 – San Francisco, CA @ 4 Star Theater
Aug. 18 – Sacramento, CA @ Cafe Colonial
Aug. 21 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
Aug. 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
