KATE RENEGADE

Kate Renegade is a Chicago heavy pop/indie rock band blending sharp pop instincts with rock grit. Frontwoman Steph Maieritsch delivers vocals that shift effortlessly from vulnerable to ferocious, while the band’s finely crafted arrangements have earned praise from the Chicago Tribune for their “deep lyrics and tightly-constructed instrumentation packed into a few minutes.”

Formed in 2016, Kate Renegade built a devoted local following with their debut album, Mother’s Knife. Their 2018 follow-up, New Unquiet Life, was recorded with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio as the band navigated a difficult period: founding guitarist Tommy Owley was diagnosed with a rare lung disease, and passed away later that year.

After Tommy’s death—and the pandemic that followed—the band went quiet. For years, Maieritsch couldn’t bring herself to write. In 2024, the songs began to reemerge, and so did Kate Renegade. Returning to their neighborhood studio Electrical Audio, the band recorded their forthcoming album, Could Do!, due out in August 2026. As Maieritsch likes to joke: “Don’t call it a comeback—call it the greatest comeback of all time!”