—————- “Equipped with heavy, guitar-forward instrumentals and vulnerable lyrics, HUNNY are tapping into the essence of early West Coast pop punk.” – AltPress “a fervid declaration of emotion backed by powerful instrumentals and titanic hooks.”
Ones To Watch “driving rhythms and post-punky guitar tones…” – AllMusic —————- Today, beloved LA indie-pop outfit HUNNY announces their new album ‘SPIRIT!’ due for release on September 26th via Epitaph Records. All about embracing the weird, SPIRIT! is an album born from uncertainty and built on instinct; a testament to breaking free, starting over and blocking out the external noise. Now solely the project of longtime frontman Jason Yarger, HUNNY has shed its past shape to become something more fully itself. Pre-save & pre-order HERE HUNNY also shares the album’s lead single “title track,” equipped with a chippy cheerleader vocal intro (recorded by actual HUNNY fans), and richly layered production. Filmed on a high school campus, check out the nostalgic accompanying music video below: “title track” – WATCH | LISTEN Yarger says of the new song: “When I started making the first couple songs for SPIRIT!, I was putting these high-pitched cheerleader vocals into things. I think there’s an overarching theme with the whole record of just trying to have fun and create a celebration type of vibe. There’s a nod to FOOLY COOLY in there, counting wrinkles in your brain, as well as a Killers reference. Sometimes I’ll do this thing where I sing a line from an existing song over my melody knowing it won’t make the final cut, telling myself I’ll go back and think of something different. I couldn’t shake this one. If you listen closely after that part, you can hear me in the background saying, “Please don’t sue me.”” The Epitaph-released ‘SPIRIT!’ is yet another chameleonic turn for HUNNY, a band long known for shapeshifting through genres and decades with style on fan favorites like 2019’s Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. and 2023’s new planet heaven – all while still sounding unmistakably like themselves. Across its 15 songs, the album (co-produced by Yarger and former HUNNY bassist Kevin Grimmett, with drums by former HUNNY drummer Joey Anderson) leans into the sounds that have always lit the group’s fuse – hooky post-punk, gleaming synths and shout-along choruses – but now pushes HUNNY somewhere more abstract, more playful, more free. For Yarger, the process of making ‘SPIRIT!’ marks a pivotal shift, not just creatively, but in how he envisions the future of HUNNY. Free from compromise and external expectations, he was able to follow his instincts completely, allowing the music to unfold in unexpected and unfiltered ways. “There’s a lot to love about the spirit of collaboration,” he explains when discussing the decision to transition HUNNY away from a full band, “but at the same time, approaching this album without having to compromise was such a freeing feeling. I could just let whatever ideas I had run wild.” Yarger wrote and recorded the album almost entirely in his LA-based home studio, emptying his voice memos and Notes app of in-the-moment observations and off-the-cuff inspiration. Whether he’s detailing the absurdity of spotting an iPad-toting nun at an airport bar, marveling at the simplistic beauty of nature, lamenting his inability to smoke weed or consistently sleep, or firing a middle-finger salvo to telemarketers testing his sanity, it all serves to strike the perfect balance between irreverent humour and indie-rock chic. “I’m happily married with a child,” the singer shares. “You know, there’s not too much tortured stuff for me to write about anymore. I love that songs I’ve written have resonated with people, but I also loved the opportunity to just be a f***ing silly guy and tell some weird stories on this album.” | 
