Fea's New Album 'The Nerve' Is About Power and Hypocrisy: Inside the San Antonio, Texas Punk Band's Return

San Antonio, Texas punk band Fea is back with The Nerve, a nine-track album that took four years to make. Released May 29, 2026, on Cosmica Artists, the record targets power and hypocrisy, according to the San Antonio Current.

Born from Girl in a Coma

Bassist Jenn Alva and drummer Phanie Diaz founded Fea in 2015 after San Antonio alt-rock band Girl in a Coma broke up, Ghost Cult Magazine reported. The Current notes that Girl in a Coma has since reunited, and that Alva and Diaz spent the past year and a half writing, recording, and touring with the band as well.

The all-woman lineup keeps busy off the stage. Singer Letty Martinez works as a paralegal for an immigration firm, and Diaz owns and operates three San Antonio venues. Guitarist Adrian Conner, who joined in 2022 and also plays in AC/DC tribute act Hell's Belles, makes her Fea album debut here.

What The Nerve is about

Leadoff track "Careful" comes with a video directed by Alva that nods to Bette Midler's "Oh, the Deep" from Beaches, with Martinez in the C.C. Bloom role and her bandmates playing Amelia Earhart, Frida Kahlo and Joan of Arc, per the Current.

"Poison" criticizes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and health fearmongering, and was inspired partly by Martinez's experience with her son's autism diagnosis. "Paco," the album's second single, deals with a family member's death and the guilt survivors carry. Martinez sings several songs in Spanish.

New label, same punk spine

Fea was first signed to Joan Jett's Blackheart Records, where it released two albums and an EP of covers. The Current reports that Blackheart moved away from developing new artists to focus on Jett, and that its development and promotion approach didn't fit the band's goals for the new record. Ghost Cult notes that Alice Bag produced the second album, No Novelties, and co-produced the self-titled debut with Laura Jane Grace and Lori Barbero.

Cosmica Artists, a Southern California label run by Diaz's old friend Gil Gastelum, leans toward Latin sounds. Melodic Magazine listed June dates in Marfa, Tucson, Mesa, El Paso, Austin, Houston, Dallas, and Little Rock, plus a July 11 show at San Antonio's Rah! Rah! Room.

Melodic also listed September dates with Hell's Belles in Commerce, Texas, and at San Antonio's Sam's Burger Joint. Diaz told the outlet, "San Antonio is such a melting pot of music," and pointed visitors to the Bang Bang Bar.

Fea has 18K Instagram followers as of October 2026.

Where to listen and follow

The Nerve is out now on Cosmica Artists digitally, with vinyl planned later this summer, per the Current. Follow Fea on Instagram for new dates.

Sources

San Antonio Current — "San Antonio punk act Fea's long-awaited new album The Nerve pulls no punches"
Ghost Cult Magazine — "Fea (Ex-Girl in a Coma) Share Their Single “Paco” – New Album Incoming"
Melodic Magazine — "San Antonio's FEA on Community, Joy, and new record ‘The Nerve’"