Members of Operation Ivy, Rancid, Transplants, and Circle Jerks team up as Bad Optix, Spanish Love Songs cover Jimmy Eat World, Boygenius announces tour, Afroman vs the fuzz, and a urine filled record from Australia. Plus: DEATH GRIPS drop at Hello Merch.
A record filled with piss. Australian garage punks Private Function have teamed with Salty Dog Records to create 50 urine-filled vinyl record of their new album. In a social media post, the band noted that making this, uh, unique item turned out to be “really hard.”
In other news: Police officers in Ohio are suing rapper Afroman for songs and videos they say have “humiliated” them. In August of 2022, Ohio police raided the home of the “Because I Got High” rapper, citing suspicions of drug trafficking and kidnapping—claims Afroman denies. They found nothing and no charges have been filed—but the rapper had the last laugh by including home security and cell phone footage in satirical videos that goof on the incident, which he says resulted in theft and damage to his home. Afroman told NPR: “Me laughing at them, making songs about them, is more powerful than their authority.” Will free speech win out? If you’ve got thoughts on this story, give us a call to discuss at 1-877-WASTOIDS.
In classic punk news, Bad Optix is a new band featuring Operation Ivy founders Tim Armstrong and Jesse Michaels, along with Joey Castillo of Circle Jerks and The Bronx and Spencer Pollard of Trash Talk. Armstrong is of course known for his work in Rancid and The Transplants, but Bad Optix’s debut single “Raid,” released as the first installment of the Hellcat Singles Club harkens back to Op Ivy’s classic ska and reggae sound.
And speaking of supergroups: Boygenius, the trio of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker are going on tour, and they are bringing a true roster of heavyweights out with them, including Carly Rae Jepsen, Bartees Strange, Claud, Broken Social Scene, and Illuminati Hotties on select shows. Check out a full list of tour dates.
And to close: Self-described “grouch rock” Los Angeles band Spanish Love Songs has released a cover of Jimmy Eat World’s “Futures,” which joins the previously released cover of The Killers’ “Smile Like You Mean It.”
Got a news tip? Call us at 1-877-WASTOIDS. WASTOIDS Music News is brought to you by Hello Merch—and this week, Hello has an incredible drop from DEATH GRIPS.
