News that is literal music to my ears: Seattle’s Dead Bars have announced their new album Regulars (due out May 3rd), following up 2017’s Dream Gig. The new album is produced by Seattle grunge legend Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney) and mixed by Jay Maas (Defeater, Ceremony)—bringing some high-level talent to Dead Bars’ boisterous and earnest melodic punk.
They’ve also graced us with a new track—the sludgey, kinda funny/kinda sad banger “I’m a Regular.” Vocalist John Maiello had this to say: “I like this idea of being a regular. There are moments of highs and lows; loneliness and community, sadness and celebration. That’s what it’s like to be in a band. That’s what it’s like to be in Dead Bars.”
Straight from the press release:
“…Yet, while ‘Regulars’ retains much of what makes Dead Bars so great, it is no mere repeat of past successes. Instead, it features the group’s most ambitious songs to date – a consequence of more collaboration and a settled line-up. In turn, this has allowed for more of the group’s classic influences to start informing the songwriting – from the Beatles to Tom Petty and the Stooges.
“Everything was different, this time,” says Maiello. “We jammed a lot more during the writing of this, so there’s definitely more guitar stuff – and more vocal stuff – going on. Also, two of C.J.’s songs made it onto the album.”
The result is 11 songs of heartfelt and passionate punk rock, which will appeal to anyone who has ever struggled to find their place in the world. ‘Lucky’ and ‘Another Day’ are pure garage-tinged pop-punk ragers that are built for sweaty bar-room call-and-responses, while ‘You Never Left’ and ‘Rain’ show the group’s ability to mix the hopelessness and hopeful. ‘Freaks’, meanwhile, is a rallying call for the misunderstood, while ‘Producto Toxico’ – a song about going to an exotic place and doing the same thing you do at home – carries a relatable world-weariness.”
If you aren’t down with Dead Bars yet, check out our reviews (here, here) and then go straight to their bandcamp. New Dead Bars is worthy of your internet excitement.