Southern California’s favorite sons, the RIAA-Platinum-Certified band Dirty Heads, recently announced their ninth full-length album, ‘7 Seas,’ on June 12th via Better Noise Music.
About ‘Better’, percussionist Jon Olazabal opens up regarding the song’s hopeful tone, saying, “This is one of my personal favorites on the album. Another one that was mostly done out in Nashville. We are definitely living in wild times right now. There is a lot of uncertainty in the world, it’s so important we stick together and help each other navigate this crazy ass world, and to remind each other that all things pass. Moving forward with love and compassion for one another is a must. This song is a great reminder of that.”
Vocalist/guitarist Duddy B notes: “Sometimes, writing songs can be difficult. It feels like you’re pulling teeth trying to finish the idea. But every now and then, a song just pours out of you. That happened with ‘Better.’ I think we all needed this one.”
Singer Jared Watson weighs in on ‘Sound Boy Killa’ offering: “This is one of those songs I kind of had done in my head since before we started. The vision and the sonics were already there, we just had to create them. I’ve been listening to a lot of UK garage. That genre, sonically, is always progressing, especially with bass tones, so I wanted to take the sonics of a dirty UKG bass and build Dirty Heads-style hip-hop song around it. I wanted the song to slap hard, be dynamic for the live show, and also be fun and not too serious.”
He continues: “‘The ‘Sound Boy Killaaaa’ was what started the chorus and the lyrical content. The whole song now blends Jamaican DJ clash culture with UGK bass sonics, Dirty Heads hip-hop drums, and reggae influence. All together is that essential dirty, grimy, and fun Dirty Heads song, but with a progression of sonics.”
Dirty Heads will hit the road this summer for a co-headline trek with 311. They also have headline dates and festival appearances on deck. All forthcoming dates are below. Dirty Heads‘ signature brew of sun-kissed reggae, breezy hip-hop, boundary-breaking alternative, and hazy pop is as intoxicating as ever on ‘7 Seas’. Overall, the album represents yet another evolution for the beloved outfit.
Last month, Dirty Heads launched a collaboration with 4ocean — a global organization on a mission to end the ocean plastic crisis. Frontman Jared Watson embarked on an excursion alongside the 4ocean team. Together, they picked up trash from the shoreline of Key Largo at the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The trash collected on the excursion has been recycled into a Dirty Heads 4ocean bracelet. Fans can help 4ocean pull even more plastic out of the ocean with purchase of the bracelets — either individually or as part of a very special and very limited, premium vinyl edition of the new album, which is now available for pre-order on the band’s store.
Upcoming tour dates:
June 13th — Reggae Rise Up Oregon — Bend, OR
June 19th — Northlands Festival — Swanzey, NH
June 21st — Point Break Festival — Virginia Beach, VA
June 25th — Red Rocks Amphitheater — Morrison, CO
June 26th — Dillon Amphitheater — Dillon, CO
June 27th — Sandia Casino Amphitheater — Albuquerque, NM
July 11th — Mystic Lake Amphitheater — Shakopee, MN
July 12th — Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island — Chicago, IL
July 15th — Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course — Grantville, PA
July 16th — Northwell at Jones Beach Theater — Wantagh, NY
July 18th — Ovation Hall at Ocean Casino Resort — Atlantic City, NJ
July 19th — Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview — Syracuse, NY
July 22nd — Merriweather Post Pavilion — Columbia, MD
July 23rd — PNC Bank Arts Center — Holmdel, NJ
July 25th — Stage AE Outdoor — Pittsburgh, PA
July 26th — RBC Amphitheatre — Toronto, Ontario
July 28th — Acrisure Amphitheater — Grand Rapids, MI
July 30th — Pine Knob Music Theatre — Clarkston, MI
July 31st — Everwild Music Festival — Thornville, OH
August 1st — Pinnacle — Nashville, TN
August 2nd — Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park — Indianapolis, IN
August 4th — Morton Amphitheater — Kansas City, MO
August 5th — Harrah’s Stir Cove — Council Bluffs, IA
August 7th — The Gaslight — Casper, WY
August 8th — Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre — West Valley City, UT
August 10th — Kettlehouse — Bonner, MT
August 11th — Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater — Nampa, ID
August 12th — BECU Live at Northern Quest — Airway Heights, WA
August 13th — White River Amphitheatre — Auburn, WA
August 15th — Toyota Pavilion at Concord — Concord, CA
August 16th — Santa Barbara Bowl — Santa Barbara, CA
August 18th — Long Beach Amphitheater — Long Beach, CA
August 19th — North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre — Chula Vista, CA
August 22nd — Germania Insurance Amphitheater — Austin, TX
August 23rd — The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion — Houston, TX
August 25th — The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory — Irving, TX
August 26th — Walmart AMP — Rogers, AR
August 28th — Ameris Bank Amphitheatre — Alpharetta, GA
August 29th — MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre — Tampa, FL
August 30th — iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre — West Palm Beach, FL