Sublime are officially back in album mode for the first time in nearly three decades. The Long Beach ska-punk icons will release Until the Sun Explodes on June 12 via Atlantic Records, marking their first full-length project with Jakob Nowell — son of late frontman Bradley Nowell — stepping into the lead role.
If the idea of a “new” Sublime album raises eyebrows, the band is already framing expectations. “The last Sublime record that will ever be made” is the band’s beloved 1996 self-titled effort, Jakob Nowell says. “There’s no replacing history, period. Until the Sun Explodes the album is an epilogue, and ‘Until the Sun Explodes’ the single is the epilogue to the epilogue. It is a tribute to the expansive works of Sublime, it is an acknowledgment for all that my father has done for me my entire life, and most importantly it is a thank you. I love you dad, and I owe you my life.”
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The accompanying video for “Until the Sun Explodes” leans heavily into that lineage, moving through Long Beach landmarks tied to the band’s history and anchoring it all in a backyard party that folds generations together. Cameos from skate figures like Christian Hosoi and Omar Hassan underscore the group’s deep ties to Southern California’s punk and skate scenes.
Guests on the album include Bad Brains’ H.R., Fletcher Dragge and G Love, while the track list features the previously released hit single “Ensenada.” For founding members Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson, the project doubles as both reflection and reset. The single “expresses the gratitude we all feel as well as our intent for the future of our band and the music we love,” says Gaugh. “Until the Sun Explodes is our reality. Thank you for enjoying life with us.”
Sublime will honor the 30th anniversary of Sublime during an April 17-18 stand at Red Rocks Amphitheatre outside Denver, and will perform the LP in its entirety for the first time ever at the first of the two gigs. Sublime was released in July 1996, two months after frontman Bradley Nowell died of a heroin overdose at the age of 28. Despite the tragedy, it sold five million copies thanks to the enduring punk/rock/reggae-infused hits “What I Got,” “Wrong Way” and “Santeria.”
Meanwhile, Sublime’s own touring festival launches May 9 in Fort Worth, Tx., and will play additional dates in Portland and Salt Lake City. A destination cruise, dubbed Sublime Reed Madness, sets sail in November.
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