Originally hailing from the iconic Woodstock, NY music scene, The Bobby Lees – led by singer and guitarist Sam Quartin, drummer Macky Bowman, and bassist Kendall Wind – bring wildness and danger back into punk rock. Today, they announce their new album, New Self, due for release on June 12th. For their fourth full-length and Epitaph debut, the record marks a thrilling new chapter for the band while doubling down on what’s always made them so magnetic.
After revealing their move to Epitaph last Fall with the seething, fiery single “Napoleon”, The Bobby Lees preview the album with its raucous and bittersweet title track, out today. A jagged, desert-hazed confession that turns teenage chaos into sharp self-reckoning, Quartin reveals, “This song feels like a diary entry that I’m letting strangers read, it’s kinda weird to share – but fuck it. We were listening to late 90’s Hip Hop and Nu Metal when we wrote it. We told Dave Sardy, who produced the track, that sound was our goal, that kinda feel.”
Accompanied by an erratic performance video set in a seedy motel, check out “New Self” below:
Watch the “New Self” music video HERE
Pre-Save/Pre-Order The Album HERE
The Bobby Lees don’t need much in the way of introduction. Within a few seconds of exposure to their furnace-blast live shows or their bottled-lightning studio records, it’s easy to hear why they’ve earned fans in legendary musicians like Iggy Pop, Debbie Harry, and Henry Rollins. They’re as uncompromising in their sound and generous with their energy as any of their punk ancestors who first rewrote the rules of engagement back in the 1970s.
The members of The Bobby Lees first met in Woodstock, NY, in 2017, and officially released their debut album in 2018. Since then, they’ve toured extensively on both sides of the Atlantic, building a dedicated following year by year. Their ferocious presence has always been undeniable, but New Self elevates their sound to even brasher heights. Produced by Dave Sardy and Alex Pasco in Los Angeles, the album sets The Bobby Lees’ signature bravado loose across a wide and reverberating soundscape. They’ve never sounded quite this expansive or emboldened before.
The record arrives after a period of deep uncertainty for The Bobby Lees. Toward the end of 2023, the members went on an indefinite hiatus: The deepening economic pressures of the music industry weighed heavily on them, and the labor of touring edged the group close to burnout. “We hit a ceiling with the cycle of funding our own records and then barely breaking even on tour,” says Quartin. The band took a break from performing and started trying to find a sustainable balance instead of working at their limits with no end in sight.
After they announced their hiatus, The Bobby Lees received an outpouring of support from their fans — including actor Jason Momoa, who contacted the group and offered to fund their next record. “That was such a gift for us,” says Quartin. “It made the whole experience of making the record a lot lighter.” Returning to writing was a welcome relief to the musician, who begins to feel ill, “spiritually and physically,” without a creative outlet. With creative energy reignited, the band joined forces with Epitaph Records and are now barreling into an exciting new chapter.
Sometimes when you give up control, you end up claiming more power than you ever knew you had. On New Self, you can hear the Bobby Lees easing into a new confidence — one that’s both looser and more towering. This is the sound of a band who’s scrambled over shaky ground only to come back stronger than ever: more confident, more connected, louder and fiercer and secure in their own skin.
New Self Tracklisting
1. Give
2. Napoleon
3. The End
4. 50 Ft
5. New Self
6. All I got
7. Got me good
8. Red Hot
The Bobby Lees Online