MUMBAI: Minneapolis’ indie rock heroes Bad Bad Hats have announced their brand new self-titled album due out April 12 on Don Giovanni Records. The new collection packs the band’s ebullient sweet-and-sour indie pop chops, playful lyricism and signature sense of humor into every bite – this time taking their creativity to a new level with a little help from their mighty fanbase. In the Fall of 2020, songwriter Kerry Alexander (guitar/vocals) and Chris Hoge (guitar/bass) collected prompts from their active Patreon fanbase, writing one-off songs based on the requests. The untraditional process challenged the band to write songs of country, pop punk, surf rock, disco, and countless other genres and provided a joyful freedom to collaborate on new music during an otherwise very hard time. It also set the blueprint for Bad Bad Hats’ new album and planted the seeds for several new album tracks such as lead single “TPA” released today alongside an official video featuring cameos by Kerry’s mom and stepdad playing older versions of Kerry and Chris.
Kerry shares, “This song began with a guitar line I wrote, which I referred to as “the sauce”. “The sauce” sat languishing in my voice memos until we heard “Wake Up” by XTC and knew my guitar line could fit perfectly in an intertwining guitar part. From there, we ran to buy bongos from the Music Go Round down the street and, before long, we had our sideways, dance-y track, “TPA”. Lyrically, I was inspired by the summer my family moved to Tampa, FL. I was in between my freshman and sophomore years of high school, very surly, very sweaty, and very self-conscious amidst the tan, glamorous, and bikini-clad locals.”
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Self-producing for the first time, Bad Bad Hats is a freewheeling and fully authentic expression of the band’s classic sound. Masters of simplicity, the band pairs unshakeable pop hooks with classic indie sounds and several unexpectedly funky turns. Their unique combination of up-beat and heartfelt songwriting has earned Bad Bad Hats acclaim from fans, critics and fellow artists. The latter of which have earned invitations to tour with peers like The Beths and Hippo Campus as well as storied acts like The Front Bottoms, Third Eye Blind and Michelle Branch, who picked them up for her 2022 headlining world tour. Bad Bad Hats will hit the road once again this Spring including several appearances at SXSW!
Bad Bad Hats tracklist:
1. Let Me In
2. TPA
3. Bored In The Summer
4. Back To My Body
5. The New Stuff
6. Lay Low
7. My Heart Your Heart
8. Meter Run
9. Lime Green
10. Happy
Bad Bad Hats Tour Dates:
SXSW
3/13: Women That Rock showcase @ Austin Garden & Studio, 5:35pm
(1209 E 6th St. | No badge Required)
3/13: SXSW Showcase @ Mohawk, 9pm
(912 Red River St.)
3/14: Don Giovanni Showcase @ The 13th Floor, 11pm
(711 Red River St.)
3/15: Music For Listeners showcase @ Lazarus Brewing Co, 1pm
(1902 E 6th St. | No badge required)
3/15: PASTE showcase @ High Noon indoors, 4:40pm
(2000 E Cesar Chavez St. | No badge required)
US
4/26: Superior, WI @ Earth Rider Brewery
4/27: Chatfield, MN @ Chatfield Center for the Arts
5/3: Des Moines, IA @ xBk Live
5/5: Detroit, MI @ Lager House
5/7: Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
5/8: Washington, DC @ Union Stage
5/9: Plains, PA @ River Street Jazz Café
5/10: Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
5/11: Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
5/13: Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
5/14: Amherst, MA @ The Drake
5/15: Buffalo, NY @ The 9th Ward at Babeville
5/16: Columbus, OH @ Rumba Café
6/8: Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue Mainroom
UK / EU
5/27: Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade
5/28: Manchester, UK @ Gulliver’s
5/29: Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast
5/30: London, UK @ The Lexington
5/31: Rotterdam, NL @ Roodkapje
6/1: Paris, FR @ Supersonic (Supersonic Block Party)
