“classic Propagandhi, in terms of attitude: very confrontational politically-conscious punk.” – Vice
“an ambitious, multi-part thrash epic with tons of nasty, tricky riffs.” – Stereogum
“We’re definitely not a band that responds well to someone telling us we need to put something out,” Propagandhi frontman Chris Hannah quips. “That happens when we have something to talk about – and now is definitely the time for that.” In true Propagandhi fashion, their new record ‘At Peace’ is smart music for dangerous times. Out now via Epitaph Records, listen to it in full HERE.
A limited run of At Peace vinyl in multiple color variants is available to pre-order HERE
The band also shares the official lyric video to focus track “No Longer Young” which bassist Todd Kowalski adds, “This song is about the search to find or revive one’s true spirit despite the pressure and negativity of the present world, and hopefully it’s a little inspiration to keep on working towards a more just world. It’s also a reminder that no one is any better than anyone else, in the end we all return to dust. “ WATCH HERE
The ever-evolving standard-bearers of politically charged punk have actively kicked against musical confines and bro-punk conservatism, promoting a message of anti-fascism since 1986. Distilling their DNA of breakneck riffs, hardcore ethos, and radical consciousness, their message remains as vital, and volatile, as ever.
“Everything I’m singing about is still coming from being the same person that wrote and sang our first record ‘How to Clean Everything’ in 1993,” Hannah recalls the band’s snarky skate-thrash origins. “But what we’re putting into the songs now, probably reflects more despair than 30 years ago when we had similar perspectives, but with strands of hope and naivete. Now it’s the existential dread of eking out a life worth living in this completely failed society.”
Marking their first release since 2017’s Victory Lap, At Peace was forged during the ominous political climate in the months before “Emperor” Trump’s ascent to power. Penned shortly before the American oligarch’s suggestion that Propagandhi’s home country become the U.S.’s 51st State, it was then mixed by Jason Livermore (Rise Against, Hot Water Music) at Blasting Room Studios in December 2024. This collection of poetic and polemic songs captures the anxieties and turmoil of the band’s four members, offering a powerful and poignant portrait of uncertainty.
Though at its core, At Peace is Propagandhi’s plea for hope against hopelessness. “Twenty years ago, we had a sense that things are fucked but that there could be a mass mobilization of people against the oligarchy, the billionaire class,” says Chris. “I don’t think that exists much in our music anymore and I don’t believe that mobilization is forthcoming. I hope to be proven wrong.”
Propagandhi is vocalist Chris Hannah, drummer Jord Samolesky, bassist/co-vocalist Todd Kowalski andguitarist Sulynn Hago.
At Peace Tracklisting
1. Guiding Lights 2. At Peace 3. Cat Guy 4. No Longer Young 5. Rented P.A. 6. Stargazing 7. God of Avarice 8. Prismatic Spray (The Tinder Date) 9. Benito’s Earlier Work 10. Vampires Are Real 11. Fire Season 12. Day By Day 13. Something Needs To Die But Maybe It’s Not You
Propagandhi North American Tour Dates June 5 – Granby, QC – Festival Au Lac June 7 – Pont-Rouge, QC – Parc De Li’le Notre Dame June 20 – Victoria, BC – Victoria Curling Club
From Manitoba, Canada, Propagandhi return with their new single “Cat Guy” ahead of their upcoming record ‘At Peace’ out on May 2nd. A blistering anthem dripping with sardonic wit and razor-sharp critique, the track finds the Canadian quartet as incisive as ever, wielding breakneck riffs and subversive lyricism with a smirk and a snarl.
A tribute to societal identity with a twist, “From my songwriting perspective, the two things I was thinking of was capturing a little bit of Judas Priest’s Firepower LP as if SNFU’s Chi-Pig was writing the lyrics,” laughs frontman Chris Hannah.
In true Propagandhi fashion, At Peace is smart music for dangerous times. The ever-evolving standard-bearers of politically charged punk have actively kicked against musical confines and bro-punk conservatism, promoting a message of anti-fascism since 1986. Distilling their DNA of breakneck riffs, hardcore ethos, and radical consciousness, their message remains as vital, and volatile, as ever.
“Everything I’m singing about is still coming from being the same person that wrote and sang our first record ‘How to Clean Everything’ in 1993,” Hannah recalls the band’s snarky skate-thrash origins. “But what we’re putting into the songs now, probably reflects more despair than 30 years ago when we had similar perspectives, but with strands of hope and naivete. Now it’s the existential dread of eking out a life worth living in this completely failed society.”
There’s no mistaking that on their first album in eight years, their frontline social activism has been supplanted by a deeper sense of reflection. Nearly a decade later, the members of Propagandhi have a lot on their minds. “We’re definitely not a band that responds well to someone telling us we need to put something out,” the frontman continues. “That happens when we have something to talk about – and now is definitely the time for that.”
Marking their first release since 2017’s Victory Lap, At Peace was forged during the ominous political climate in the months before “Emperor” Trump’s ascent to power. Penned shortly before the American oligarch’s suggestion that Propagandhi’s home country become the U.S.’s 51st State, it was then mixed by Jason Livermore (Rise Against, Hot Water Music) at Blasting Room Studios in December 2024. This collection of poetic and polemic songs captures the anxieties and turmoil of the band’s four members, offering a powerful and poignant portrait of uncertainty.
Though at its core, At Peace is Propagandhi’s plea for hope against hopelessness. “Twenty years ago, we had a sense that things are fucked but that there could be a mass mobilization of people against the oligarchy, the billionaire class,” says Chris. “I don’t think that exists much in our music anymore and I don’t believe that mobilization is forthcoming. I hope to be proven wrong.”
Propagandhi is vocalist Chris Hannah, drummer Jord Samolesky, bassist/co-vocalist Todd Kowalski andguitarist Sulynn Hago.
At Peace Tracklisting
1. At Peace 2. Prismatic Spray (The Tinder Date) 3. Rented P.A. 4. Guiding Lights 5. Cat Guy 6. No Longer YounG 7. Stargazing 8. God of Avarice 9. Benito’s Earlier Work 10. VampireS Are Real
St Louis punks Fight Back Mountain share “Sticker Book”. This new song is the final single released in anticipation of their Death And The Miser album (out Feb 13th). “Sticker Book” is perhaps the album’s most reflective and affecting outing; lyricist/guitarist Anjelica Aquilino describes the song’s inspiration, saying “I was thinking of my grandma who died of an eating disorder decades before I was born. It instilled a very deep specific feeling when I first heard that story. The song evolved to represent our moments of melancholy that stop us and invoke an undefinable yet specific emotion.”
“Sticker Book” stands in striking contrast to the most-recent Fight Back Mountain release “No Recourse”. While the latter placed the band’s hardcore influences up front on a raging dispatch against a world going to rot, “Sticker Book” slows the pace and incorporates 90s alt rock influences on a slow burner that steadily drives the emotions home.
Death And The Miser is the third full-length outing from Fight Back Mountain. Vinyl and digital preorders are now available, here. Across twelve cuts, the album lays out a testament to modern life in flyover country and the dawning realization that everything you were told growing up is no longer true. The first hint of the Death And The Miser arrived in November 2024 with the release of the stormy ripper “Trouble & Havoc”.
This new album is the result of the band’s latest sessions with longtime producer Gabe Usery at Encapsulated Studios. Usery previously helmed the band’s releases Times Beach (2019), Lavender Sky (2021), and the Backslider EP (2023). As always, the Fight Back Mountain lineup is comprised of vocalist/guitarist Adrian Barnello, lyricist/guitarist Anjelica Aquilino, bassist Andy Kohnen and drummer Devin Dessieux.
RAT BOY’s ever-adventurous voyages across genres have taken the band, fronted by Jordan Cardy, on similarly sprawling journeys across the globe. But wherever they go, they inevitably find themselves boomeranging back to their Essex homelands. And that’s the topic that RAT BOY explore as they share their new single “SUBURBIA CALLING”, their first new music in over two years.
Bringing together spiky indie-pop thrills with Jordan’s drawling semi-rapped vocals, “SUBURBIA CALLING” could be a big beat Blur, or The Streets had they emerged mid-Britpop. As we’ve come to expect, RAT BOY’s musical anarchy is the backdrop to Jordan’s distinctly British lyricism, his postcard pictures of small town culture providing equal measures of insight and humor. “SUBURBIA CALLING” is RAT BOY’s response if Essex ever needed its own national anthem. Priced out of London, you’re back in a world of commuters, curtain-twitching neighbors and Union Jacks – and you know what? It’s good to be back home. While it’s specifically about Essex, “SUBURBIA CALLING” will be relatable to anyone in the satellite towns or outer travel zones near any big city.
Jordan says, “This is a love letter to the suburbs. It made us and shaped us. It’s good to be back.”
“SUBURBIA CALLING” was produced by the renowned Stephen Street (Blur, The Smiths, Kaiser Chiefs). It was written by Jordan alongside the track’s co-producer Sam Preston (jxdn, MOD SUN).
When RAT BOY first emerged with his debut collection ‘THE MIXTAPE’ (which recently debuted on Spotify) he immediately earned a one to watch reputation, his genre agnostic style and biting lyricism encapsulating his generation’s experiences. But RAT BOY was only going to play by his own rules. Initially a solo project, RAT BOY evolved into a full band identity (with guitarist Harry Todd, bassist Liam Haygarth and drummer Noah Booth) with the more visceral spirit and darker themes of their debut album ‘SCUM’ nonetheless firing them into the UK Top 15.
RAT BOY’S next stop was a leftfield turn into the American punk scene, working with its pivotal figures such as Tim Armstrong (Rancid, Operation Ivy) and Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion, Epitaph Records) as well as touring with The Interrupters and earning the admiration of Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park). It was an experience that resulted in the album-length mixtape ‘INTERNATIONALLY UNKNOWN’ and the follow-up ‘GOVERNMENT VACATION’ EP. Since then, RAT BOY have focused on their other related projects (LOWLIFE’s ‘PAY DAY’ album and a mixtape from MILA) and brand new music, with only sporadic live shows in 2023 with a gig as special guests to YUNGBLUD and a hometown warm-up in Chelmsford.
SKA PUNK INTERNATIONAL FEST REVEALS LOCATION AND FULL OF LINEUP FOR SPI FEST 2024
Windsor, CT- The highlight of 2023 for many concert goers was Ska Punk International Records’ inaugural SPI Fest at the Flamingo Cantina, in Austin, TX, headlined by the Toasters, Tsunami Bomb, the Littlest Man Band, and Hans Gruber and the Die Hards. The event sold out and was full of so much love and chaotic good. Ska lovers traveled from all over the USA and Canada last March to meet their many internet friends and musicians from the Ska Punk International community. Ever since, there’s been folks asking when the next festival would be? And where?
With the intention of making each SPI Fest a travel destination, Ska Punk international will be moving the location from year to year. Ska Punk International Records, in partnership with CT Ska Productions, is proud to announce that the 2nd annual SPI Fest will be held on May 17 and 18th at 25 Central St in Windsor, CT.
Gary Woodruff of CT Ska Productions jumped at the chance to partner with SPI, stating, “When Chris asked me to work with him on the festival, I knew it was fit. Part of our mission is to bring acts to CT that might otherwise skip the state.”
SPI Fest will be held at a new all ages venue known as 25 Central Street.
About the venue, Woodruff says, “Partnering with 25 Central Street as a venue was a logical choice. The new space is a former vaudeville theater with a main floor and a mezzanine that’s perfect for the event, accommodating vendors, and most importantly allowing all ages attendance.“
25 Central Street is in the Windsor Historic District within walking distance of Windsor Railroad Station. Windsor, CT is just outside of Hartford, CT and one of the first English settlements in North America. Windsor is on the land of the Pequot and Mohegan Native Americans.
SPI Fest will take place across two days, May 17 and May 18, 2024. The lineup consists of bands from Ska Punk International Records as well as friends of the Dallas based record label. Many of the groups perform ska music and its various subgenres.
The full lineup: Catbite (Philadelphia, PA) Mutiny (Fullerton CA, Denver CO, & Pittsburgh, PA) Stop the Presses (New York, NY) Matamoska (Los Angeles, CA) Hans Gruber and the Die Hards (Austin, TX) Call Me Malcolm (UK) Kmoy (New York, NY) The Best of the Worst (New Jersey) PWRUP (Agawam, MA) Mega Infinity (Seaford, NY) Runaway Ricochet (Minneapolis, MN) Sgt. Scag (New Haven, CT) Common Sense Kid (UK) Bondbreakr (Austin, TX) Eevie Echoes & the Locations (Brooklyn, NY) Plastic Presidents (Omaha, NE) Checkered Past the Ska Cast (Canada) Joker’s Republic (New Jersey) Take Today (Philadelphia, PA) Flip and the Combined Effort (Dallas, TX) Ghost Tones (Connecticut) Solgyres (Connecticut)
The label and festival team and all of the bands hope to bring the same chaotic good energy as the 2023 festival. In addition to the community values being reflected in the event itself, the label’s initiative to give back will include Punk Rock Saves Lives, who will be present to raise funds and awareness for their projects and swab guests for the bone marrow registry. Ska Punk International has been raising funds for life saving initiatives to prevent cancer from the first compilation the label released in 2021, Songs for Moms.
About Ska Punk International Records Ska Punk International is a record label run out of founder Chris Reeves’ home in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. When Chris founded SPI Records in 2021, he founded the record label on 3 principles, community, accessibility and giving back.
About CT Ska Productions
CT Ska Productions is an all volunteer organization that provides safe spaces for awesome bands to play dope shows while raising money for charities that support diversity equity and inclusion.
Mutiny is a skacore supergroup formed during the COVID Pandemic by Eric Fazzini, Jordan Pepper and Chris Ruckus. But in case you forgot, the members of Mutiny are:
Efrem Schulz (who is in Death by Stereo, Voodoo Glow Skulls, and Manic Hispanic) Mike Cambra (Death by Stereo and the Adolescents) Chris Ruckus (Dissidente) Eric Fazzini (Voodoo Glow Skulls and PWRUP) Jordan Pepper Jose Pazlodan (Voodoo Glow Skulls) Adam Shah
The honorary members of Mutiny are: Ryo (Frail) Shinji (Frail)
Get ready to shred, Mean Jeans fans! The Portland punks have unleashed their killer new album, “Blasted,” today. Crank it up on YouTube or your favorite streaming service – it’s a guaranteed party. Missed the epic “Lost My Mind” video? Don’t worry; Mean Jeans brings the Judge Judy-inspired courtroom justice straight to your screen.
For our Aussie fans, gear up to catch Mean Jeans live alongside The Chats on their tour, which kicks off today! Additional tour dates worldwide will be announced soon, so stay tuned. Here’s a snippet from what Billy Jeans shared: Getting back on tour post-pandemic and doing 9 weeks with The Chats in the US and Australia reignited our appetite for shredding. We got home, wrote a new album, and recorded it by ourselves in Portland over 5 days. Blasted’s got more fast + wild loser anthems, a couple tearjerkers, more Houndy singing, and I finally figured out how to do a guitar solo. We’re kicking the year off with another Australian tour, this time a punk cavalcade of 6 bands.
From the moment they started 15 years ago, Mean Jeans have been creating their own slime punk fantasy world. Study their six previous album covers and you’ll find junkyards full of bongs and yo-yos, macaroni galaxies, Jägermeister spaceships, alien saxophonists and pink slugs in bondage dripping ooze. On their newest full-length album Blasted, the goofball trio have clearly been through wild years and seen some shit—on the cover, the three members peer out of toxic waste bins, no longer cartoons of themselves but instead incredulous country-fried maniacs who are still following a slime punk dream, and dealing with where it’s led them.
Which isn’t to say the Jeans are jaded. In fact, the band—Billy Jeans, Houndy and Junior Jeans—seem to be having as much fun as ever on this record, ripping through these 15 rapid fire ear worms without coming up for air. They seem equally focused on tight catchy songwriting and packing in Easter eggs and absurd lyrical references, including (but certainly not limited to) Tim Armstrong’s X-Filescameo, Mike Schank’s PCP overdose story in American Movie, multiple songs with lyrics about their space-obsessed kindred pop-punker Tom DeLonge, a chorus borrowed from Seal, and a not-very-legal piano collage of well-known pop-punk melodies.
Anyway, this record is a frantic and frenetic joyride, though probably one made in Rick from Rick And Morty’s Space Cruiser and through time and space, rather than any form of road-based vehicle here on Earth. But that energy was probably enhanced by the fact the band recorded Blasted all by themselves here on this planet. Well, at The Trash Treasury in Portland, OR, at any rate—the city where the band first got together and which is one of the least Earth-like cities on, well, Earth. At their own behest, the trio were left entirely to their own devices, putting themselves through their own physical paces by trying to be in two places—the control room and the recording room—at once. One of Rick’s portal guns might have helped make it easier, but who needs a producer or engineer? It’s just another cook waiting to spoil that delicious, fluorescent green, slime punk broth.
“Studio time is just more fun when no one’s in charge,” says Billy Jeans. “To some extent, I know what I’m doing, and to some extent the other dudes know what they’re doing, but none of us are pro at all. Like, Junior would have to run over to the control room, hit the record button and then run back, all while holding the bass, and then we’d play. It’s idiotic, but when it’s just the three of us fucking around, the vibe is there.”
You can hear that all throughout Blasted. It’s a weird, wonderful and wacky album, but also not without its occasional serious moments. Mean Jeans are—still, after all these years—a band that love to party, and that’s what they continue to do on these songs. Every once in a while, though, you might catch a little regret about doing so, if not a full-on hangover. Opener “I Don’t Give A Shit Anymore” might sound like a statement of nihilistic intent, but it’s more what Billy calls an “underthinkers anthem”, a direct response to him overthinking everything all the time, while “Look What Punk’s Done To You”, “Took Too Much” and “I Don’t Know What I Did Last Summer” all address the comedown of life lived in the fast lane. But then there’s also “Something’s Going On”, which is the best (and possibly only) song that’s ever been written about the cult 1986 comedy horror b-movie Class Of Nuke ’Em High.
At the same time, the album also serves as a kind of meditation on pop-punk, about what it means to be a punk band as opposed to a band playing music in the style of punk. Can you be both? Does it even matter? Maybe. Maybe not. What matters is that, with Blasted, Mean Jeans have made a record that defines what they are and what they’re not at the same time. Most importantly, it was fun for them to make, and it’s an absolute joy to listen to. For Billy, that’s always the aim.
“We’re a band in it for the good times,” he says. I’ve always thought if we’re not having fun, then it isn’t Mean Jeans. Which isn’t a recipe for success in the music biz, but I could bitch about that all day if you want. What’s the difference between being a bitch and being punk?” He doesn’t answer his own question, but it might be found somewhere in these songs
9 Feb 2024 in Maroochydore, QLD, Australia @ The Solbar
10 Feb 2024 in Brisbane, QLD, Australia @ The Tivoli
11 Feb 2024 in Gold Coast, Australia @ Vinnie’s Dive
13 Feb 2024 in Byron Bay, NSW, Australia @ The Northern
14 Feb 2024 in Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia @ The Hoey Moey
15 Feb 2024 in Newcastle, NSW, Australia @ King Street Band Room
16 Feb 2024 in Gosford, NSW, Australia @ Drifters Wharf
17 Feb 2024 in Sydney, AU @ Metro Theatre
18 Feb 2024 in Sydney, AU @ Crowbar (FREE SHOW)
20 Feb 2024 in Castlemaine, VIC, Australia @ Theatre Royal
21 Feb 2024 in Melbourne, AU @ Haba Rye
22 Feb 2024 in Frankston, VIC, Australia @ Pelly Bar – Pier Hotel
23 Feb 2024 in Melbourne, AU @ Northcote Theatre
24 Feb 2024 in Melbourne, AU @ The Tote
19 Apr 2024 in Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
BLASTED track-listing 1. I Don’t Give a Shit Anymore 2. Let’s Go 3. Diagnosis 4. Lost My Mind 5. Blasted to the Moon 6. Something’s Going On 7. Reggie 8. Taco Bell Parking Lot 9. Look What Punk’s Done to You 10. Slugs 11. Break up With You 12. Took Too Much 13. I Don’t Know What I Did Last Summer 14. Living Large on a Credit Card 15. Pop Punk Casualty
(January 17, 2024 – San Francisco) California rock band Strung Out is set to release their 10th album, Dead Rebellion (pre-order), on Fat Wreck Chords on April 5th. Crafted amidst the challenges of the global pandemic, “Dead Rebellion” signifies a pivotal juncture for the band as they celebrate 35 years of musical prowess. The album embraces a distinctive mid-tempo and heavy vibe, prioritizing melody over speed. Dead Rebellion’s thematic core delves into the complexities of societal issues, personal struggles, and the divisive impact of our technology-driven world. Vocalist, Jason Cruz shares:
Dead Rebellion is a love letter to our fans, and the product of a 34-year negotiation with ourselves and the world. It was written, performed, and produced with a deep conviction that none of this is in vain, and if you love something enough, it will always take care of you in the end. For example, the song “Cages” explores the self-imposed limitations that hold us back, like blame and self-victimization. Only by eliminating these from the equation can true growth occur.
It was always going to be different. Regardless of what ended up happening between Strung Out’s previous record—2019’s Songs of Armor and Devotion—and this new collection of songs, it was always the band’s intention to step away from themselves a little bit with it. Although Dead Rebellion-the band’s 10th album of their remarkable 35-year career—was written during the height of the pandemic and is, as all Strung Out albums have been, a reaction to the world at large and their own personal experiences within it, the band had already decided to end that chapter before Covid. A new beginning had long been in the works.
“We got to that point where I felt like if we kept going, we’d be repeating ourselves,” explains vocalist Jason Cruz. “And you know, we’re a metal band—a punk metal band—and there’s only so much you can do before people start writing you off as losing your roots or whatever. We all have side projects, so we use those to go into leftfield, but I think that this is the most we can do and keep our fan base and take them in just a little bit of a slightly different direction. It’s more mid-tempo and heavier, less worrying about speed. We were trying to be more melodic.”
That’s not to say these 12 songs don’t pack a punch, but, at the same time, the way the five-piece—these days completed by guitarists (and founding members) Jake Kiley and Rob Ramos, bassist Chris Aiken and drummer Daniel Blume—focus on melody over riffs is definitely noticeable. Take, for instance, the way opener “Future Ghosts” begins in a frenzy of riffs and drumbeats before settling into a kind of hypnotic aggression, or how the frenetic undercurrent of “White Owls” quietens down, its power condensed into a hushed whisper before once again soaring off in an impassioned burst of emotion. Similarly, “Life You Bleed”—one of many requiems here for modern living—tiptoes quietly at first but then accelerates into a fully-fledged rock anthem.
Elsewhere, “Cages” is a vicious indictment of the fractious, polarized and technology-driven nature of society, while “Empire Down” is a self-reflective ode about living up to the pressures and expectations of being in this band. ‘We are the orphans of a revolution song,’ sings Cruz; elsewhere in the song, he quotes the chorus of the 1964 Nina Simone song, ‘Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.’ When the album ends a few tracks later with the breakneck (yet still melodic) intensity of ‘Plastic Skeletons,’ Cruz returns to the importance of that same revolution song. ‘Everybody dancing for applause,’ he sings, ‘when the song is how we rise above.’
“People always talk shit about religious people and spirituality,” says Cruz, “like ‘Oh, you believe in a man in the sky.’ But then the same people come up to me and look to me like I, or my songs, have the answers to their questions. Because everyone’s looking for something, everybody needs something. Sometimes, as a dad and as a husband, I wish I could call my dad or somebody and just ask ‘What the fuck do I do here?’ Everybody needs a Northern star. So, while those two lines kind of contradict each other, at the same time they lend to each other that we’re all just looking for something and we all put our belief in something, no matter how ridiculous or superstitious it is. And those things can let you down, but they also can rise you up.”
Regardless of the pressure it may have put on the band, and despite Cruz’s insecurity that being a Northern star could let people down, Strung Out’s songs have been lifting people up for three-and-a-half decades now. Dead Rebellion is no different. In a world that Cruz sees as incredibly divided, one that—as he outlines in the afore-mentioned “Cages”—sees people constantly building what he calls “ideological walls” around each other, his hopes are this record can help tear them down.
“The key to this record,” says Cruz, “is technology and divisiveness—divisive language, divisive attitudes, divisive ideologies. I feel I was abandoned in a way, by a lot of things. What happened to bringing people together? I thought that that’s what we started doing this for. It’s still a huge part of who I am, and it seeps into the lyrics – trying to just find some common ground with people again and remind people that we’re all the same. At the end of the day, when the lights go out, we all want the same thing. And that’s where the title Dead Rebellion came from – like, we got so far and here we are right back again, just fragmented and at each other’s throats constantly.”
That, then, is the crux of Dead Rebellion. Produced, mixed, and recorded by Shawn McGee at Artistry Recording Studio in Las Vegas, it might represent a new chapter for Strung Out, but it’s guided by the same principles that have always driven them. And while Cruz says he’s never thought of Strung Out as a political band, this record—like all Strung Out records—has captured the zeitgeist and the self-destructive political climate, especially in the USA, perfectly.
“I struggle with the political thing,” says Cruz. “I don’t think we’re political. I think we’re just human. We’re a bunch of guys who are like everybody else. We’re not that smart. We’re just five guys that had nothing in common and we’ve proved to the world that you can come together and make something beautiful if you put your bullshit aside. It’s as simple as that.”
Overtly political or otherwise, Dead Rebellion is nevertheless a record informed by and reacting to the world we live in and all the experience and wisdom that Cruz has attained over the years. It’s also one built on the unwavering principles that the band has had at their core from the very beginning. So, while Cruz hopes that it can help unify people, he’s more than aware that that’s very likely too much to ask. But that doesn’t mean he’s not going to try.
“I know that’s not going to happen,” he admits. “We’re too far gone. There’s a saying ‘You can never go back home’, and I feel like the horses are out the stable and they’re running wild. So this is my declaration of war, in a way—a war to stay true and to just go down like the person I know I am, to stay true to myself and to stay true to my brothers–and go down believing what I know is right, to look people in the eye and give them a chance, and to listen and to try my best to bring people together. And that’s the hill that I’m going to die on.”
17 Mar 2024 in Asheville, NC, US @ The Orange Peel
18 Mar 2024 in Norfolk, VA, US @ The NorVa
20 Mar 2024 in Boston, MA, US @ Big Night Live
21 Mar 2024 in Brooklyn, NY, US @ Warsaw
22 Mar 2024 in Montreal, QC, Canada @ L’Olympia
23 Mar 2024 in Ottawa, ON, Canada @ Bronson Centre
24 Mar 2024 in Toronto, ON, Canada @ History
26 Mar 2024 in Grand Rapids, MI, US @ The Intersection
27 Mar 2024 in Bloomington, IL, US @ The Castle Theatre
28 Mar 2024 in Cincinnati, OH, US @ Bogart’s
29 Mar 2024 in Reading, PA, US @ Reverb
Dead Rebellion Track-listing:
1. Future Ghosts 2. Signal Fires 3. New Gods 4. White Owls 5. Life You Bleed 6. Cages 7. Empire Down 8. Resistance 9. Ceremony 10. Veronica’s Song 11. Dystopian Party Bus 12. Plastic Skeletons
London, England – December 18, 2023 – Some bands say all they have to say at the very beginning of their career, with diminishing returns the longer they hang around. That could not be further from the truth, however, for the legendary Cock Sparrer, the “biggest punk band most people have never heard of.” As the band gears up for the April 5th, 2024 release of their eighth and final studio album, “Hand On Heart,” and looks forward to celebrating their 52nd year with headlining shows and festival appearances, it’s never been a better time to be Cock Sparrer than right now!
To celebrate the album, the band has announced two special record release shows in the UK:
04/06/2024: London, UK – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire 04/13/2024: Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy
The 10 tracks that comprise Hand on Heart will thrill the Cock Sparrer faithful with their iconic, anthemic sound, but the band still has surprises and new tricks up their sleeves, including a string arrangement by Simon Dobson (Bring Me The Horizon / Mike Oldfield) that lends a touch of class to the affair. With production overseen by James Bragg & guitarist Daryl Smith, as well as mastering by Grammy-winning engineer Kevin Tuffy, the lads sound better than ever, and for once, more of the budget went into the studio than down the pub!
Pirates Press Records have teamed up with Cock Sparrer to make “Hand On Heart” available for pre-order on classic 12” 180 gram black vinyl, 12” 180 gram Milky Clear vinyl, 12” 180 gram Claret & Blue AsideBside vinyl in a deluxe gatefold sleeve, 12” picture disc with alternative artwork, digipak compact disc, and limited edition cassette!
ABOUT COCK SPARRER:
Astoundingly, the four core members present at the band’s 1972 inception – vocalist Colin McFaull, guitarist Mick Beaufoy, bassist Steve Burgess, and drummer Steve Bruce – are still the ones in the studio and onstage today, joined by their “new member,” guitarist Daryl Smith, who has a “mere” 31 years under his belt! This atypical longevity and stability are a part of Sparrer’s legacy of shoving any rules and expectations put on them by anyone else. They were childhood friends, and were already well underway playing, drinking, and rabble rousing by the time punk became a recognized social movement.
While Cock Sparrer found a level of kinship with punk, their relentless independence meant they wouldn’t go down with the ship when the pop culture attention span moved on to the next big thing. While most bands were only getting started, Sparrer had already logged touring miles with luminaries like the Small Faces, Thin Lizzy, Motörhead, and Slade, and had already seen a contract with Decca Records go up in flames. Sex Pistols impresario Malcolm McLaren’s offer of management was rebuffed due to his refusal to pick up a round of drinks. So the decline of punk was yet another opportunity for the band to soldier on on their own terms, as they have continued to do for decades ever since!
Nowadays, the band’s “career in reverse” sees them enjoying more success than they ever experienced in the “good old days.” Cover songs from a huge and diverse array of artists from Rancid to Against Me!, The Bouncing Souls, The Interrupters, Ted Leo, and more are a testament to their wide ranging influence, as is their status as an in-demand live act at festivals all over the world.
However, as always, it is at their own headlining club shows that Cock Sparrer are most in their element, playing for sold out crowds of adoring fans of all ages. It turns out, over 50 years of doing things their own way has attracted legions of like-minded faithful!
Photo by: Roberto Pavic
Track listing: 1. With My Hand on My Heart 2. Mind Your Own Business 3. I Belong to You 4. Rags to Riches 5. No Way Out 6. Take It on the Chin 7. Nowhere to Be Found 8. One Way Ticket 9. My Forgotten Dream 10. Here We Stand
Cock Sparrer are: Colin McFaull – vocals Daryl Smith – guitar Steve Burgess – bass Steve Bruce – drums Mick Beaufoy – guitar
Hailing from Tel Aviv, Israel, Free Sergio is a high-octane skate punk band with elements of ska sprinkled into the chaos. After a successful European tour and debut record, the guys are back with 16 new songs. “The Nail in the Coffee” is a fast and furious release and will drop on January 19 via High End Denim Records.
You can hear “מהזהפהקרה” now – a tune sung entirely in their native tongue of Hebrew.
