This Week in Pinball, we've got fresh ink on the page — two first-time bylines debut on Kineticist, with more in the wings.
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Song of the Week
Three years ago, New Constellations put a song called "Hot Blooded" on YouTube. It now sits at 21 million views and counting. "Dandelion" is their new single, off their upcoming debut album, It Comes in Waves, due May 15.
I'll let you in on a little secret. These days, in my wildly exciting old-man era, most Friday nights are reserved for catching up on music videos (or more honestly, straight binging them). Sometimes I'll even venture into archival real-time streams of MTV footage from the 90s. What I'd give for an MTV equivalent in 2026. In its absence, I create my own and play pretend VJ for a night. A lot of what ends up here started in one of those sessions.
Take "Dandelion." I've had it on rotation almost every Friday VJ session since its Feb 20 debut. Catchy, with hints of 80s synth-pop and 2010s indie, and lead singer Harlee Case can belt it with the best of them. A fresh voice for a week that's all about fresh voices.
Roger Sharpe Called His Shot Again
Fifty years after Roger Sharpe stood in a New York courtroom and made the shot that helped legalize pinball, he stood over a Bank Shot machine in Stone Park, Illinois, and got ready to do it again. The occasion: the grand opening of The Pinball Capital, Francis Wisniewski's new 131-game outside Chicago. James Fremont was there with a write-up and photos for his first Kineticist byline.
We Rebuilt Kineticist — And Paid TWIP Members Get Ad-Free Browsing
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Meet Leebo's Pinball
Leebo is a mechanical engineer who's been quietly building one of the most useful pinball restoration channels on YouTube. Each machine he takes on gets broken into a series of task-specific videos — flipper rebuilds, cabinet stencils, connector swaps — with the exact tools named so you can replicate the work. Michael Swanson profiles him in his first Kineticist piece; he's on the restoration beat for us going forward.
The Score Card #13: A Historic Run
Matt Owen's thirteenth Score Card catches up on one of the competitive season's great runs. Emily Reilhan stacked three Women's championships in two months (with a historic first tucked in there), plus Sterling Mitoska's first Stern Pro Circuit title at Steel Valley and the Texas Wizards results out of TPF.
Golden Girls Pinball?
Maybe. A few new pinball domain registrations landed this month, and when I went back through the data, I found more I'd missed from a source whose hit rate is starting to look less like coincidence. Paid subscribers get the full rundown.
Links of the Week
Scorbit turned on real-money tournaments at 13 connected pinball and arcade locations across 9 states — $4K in inaugural jackpots through April 22, expanding to 30+ venues by month's end. We covered their relaunch last year; this is what that positioning was for.
Pinball Brothers asked Facebook what they should make next. Predictable mix of wish lists and jokes, but current rumors point to The Thing, which makes the timing either a branding exercise or a genuine fishing trip. Comments are worth a scroll.
HEXA dropped a longer gameplay video for The 3 Musketeers. The TPF reveal deserved more than a sizzle reel, and this is a proper look at the game.
A new pinball podcast just launched: The Pinball Minority Report. Erika (Erika's Pinball Journey) and Manu (Mystery Pinball Theater 3k) are teaming up, and the teaser is live.
Pinball Junk Drawer Episode 95. Craft Brew Sally and Foghorn Leghorn on TPF, Beetlejuice, and assorted pinball bits. Creeping toward episode 100 — and speaking of fresh ink, Foghorn might be filing for us before long.
Weezer posted a reel with pinball in it and pinball social media lost its mind.
The Nudgecast talked Python Anghelo with Joe Ciaravino. Stories about one of pinball's most eccentric designers.
Pete Davidson is selling his North Salem house for $2.275M and the listing photos include a Sopranos pinball machine in the game room. No word on whether the machine comes with it.
Poll of the Week
What should Pinball Brothers make next?
Last Week’s Poll Results
“Looks fun”
“Well, I walked by the 3 Musketeers booth about 30 times while documenting the show with my press pass. Your article here was the first time I realized that booth was 1, HEXA Pinball, and 2, a new game. Poor marketing, geesh. Yukon Yeti, however, looked pretty sweet. No clown puke light shows, no weird color choices, just a solid looking game.”
“As much as I would like to see every pinball manufacturer succeed, The Three Musketeers theme is not one I would remotely consider. Space Hunt was a decent game. Maybe T3M would be as well, nut not excited at all. Yukon Yeti looks pretty nice, the artwork and sound are not for me, but having a "Whitewater 2" (in spirit) is quite exciting. I'm happy for Chris Turner. Every new release gets better.”
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