The Later, The Better is a solo grunge and garage-punk band fronted by prolific Asian-American musician and Internet content creator Patrick Lew Hayashi. From San Francisco. 

The band was formed in 2026. After spending 20+ years creating music, going public, and sporadically touring with the Patrick Lew Band (PLB). For the past couple of years, Patrick was in-between playing guitar, creating AI-assisted instrumentals, and writing songs with both Patrick Lew Band and his post-PLB project Lewnatic & Madeline Lew. 

The Later, The Better is a return to basics. All the guitar, bass, and lead vocals are from Patrick himself on his computer running the latest DAW. Returning to playing along with the garage-punk and Sub Pop style grunge music that Patrick was always passionate about since the early years of PLB. With all his musical ideas via stems surgically repaired through MOISES app. There's no mythology, no personas....And there's very little to non-existent AI-assisted scaffolding in the music. Patrick Lew is doing The Later, The Better as a return to what made him fall in love with being a musician and playing guitar in the first place. 

Sneered nasal speak-and-shout vocals, grungy guitar riffs, chaos, and still very much the Patrick Lew we all know. Imagine if a local Seattle band from circa 1991-92 had access to modern tools and platforms in 2026 to get this angsty punk rock songs out there worldwide. Instead of waiting for the gatekeepers and corporations to poach them from being hella authentic. 

The Later, The Better recently released their first mixtape in Japan and worldwide on Spotify on July 12, 2026. 

Unlike Lewnatic and previously with the Patrick Lew Band before, this is a passion project. Hella rock and roll. But not for mass consumption for social-media and the music scene. All about rocking and getting them slam dancing going on at the basement here at Patrick's house in the Excelsior District or kicking ass at 1 AM at some dive bar up here in San Francisco.