The Later, The Better is the current, 2026 solo grunge and garage-punk project of San Francisco-based Sino-Japanese musician Patrick Lew (also known as Patrick Lew Hayashi). After concluding his long-running 25-year virtual rock act, the Patrick Lew Band (PLB), and putting his AI-assisted hybrid project Lewnatic on pause due to shifting distributor rules, Patrick launched The Later, The Better. This project represents a "return to basics," focusing strictly on raw, guitar-driven punk rock played directly by Patrick without the virtual personas or heavy AI reliance of past eras. You can check out updates directly via The Later, The Better on Instagram. (https://instagram.com/laterthebettersf)