Sublime's Until The Sun Explodes isn't about replacing what was lost, it’s about finding a new voice to tell their stories. Guests include Skegss, Bad Brains’ H.R., and Fletcher Dragge of Pennywise.
Few bands have s story as complicated, beloved, sad, and mythologized as Sublime. Nearly 30 years after the much-too-young death of frontman Bradley Nowell, the Long Beach ska-punk pioneers are returning with Until The Sun Explodes, a record that honors their past but refuses to get stuck in it.
The album is the band’s first full-length studio release since 1996's self-titled classic and introduces a perfect new voice at the center of the band's unmistakable sound: Jakob Nowell, Bradley's son. The symbolism is impossible to ignore. What could have easily become an exercise in looking back instead feels like a genuine continuation of the story that was abruptly interrupted decades ago. Jakob doesn't try to imitate his father. Instead, he channels his own restless energy, melodic instincts, and sun-soaked punk spirit that made Sublime one of the defining alternative bands of the Nineties.
Produced by blink-182’s Travis Barker, Until The Sun Explodes brings together an eclectic cast of friends and fans that mirrors Sublime's genre-mixing DNA. Bad Brains’ H.R. brings his unmistakable presence, while Fletcher Dragge of Pennywise, G. Love, Los Angeles punks FIDLAR, and Australian surf-rockers Skegss all contribute to the record's celebratory feel.
In the end the album that remains deeply rooted in the band's signature formula of reggae grooves, skate-punk attitude, beach-town storytelling, and hooks all over the place. But there's also a sense of renewal throughout the album. Rather than simply recreating the past, Sublime chooses to evolve, allowing new influences and younger perspectives to coexist alongside the band's original vibe.
For longtime fans, Until The Sun Explodes represents something many never expected to see, a legitimate new chapter in the Sublime story. For a younger generation discovering the band through Jakob, it serves as an introduction to a legacy that continues to be felt across punk, reggae, ska, and alt rock. Three decades after tragedy halted one of rock's most unique voices, Sublime has found a way forward, showing that some songs, some stories, and some bands still have another sunrise left in them.