The Crooked Stuff is a San Francisco Bay Area trio — Tom Gorton (vocals), John Robin Varn (keys/synths), and Nick DeRyss (drums). Born at the intersection of heavy electronics and raw punk energy, their sound has evolved into something harder, darker, and more uncompromising: psychedelic discopunk built from analog grit and digital precision.

Their September 2025 EP Darkphased marks a full sonic shift — synthetic and abrasive, urgently rhythmic, and lyrically unflinching. It landed across 47 stations in 21 markets within weeks of release with no label support: driven entirely by the music, a six-week college radio campaign, and a single boosted IG post that triggered inbound bookings from Chop Suey (Seattle) and a growing list of promoters across the US.

They have shared stages with Tank & the Bangas, Fishbone, Monophonics, Dumpstaphunk, The Nth Power, and Lyrics Born. They played three shows at Sundance Film Festival in January 2026.