When the late Bradley Nowell’s son, Jakob Nowell, joined the reunited Sublime with original members Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson, he originally thought it would be a touring-only project. “The Sublime catalog is sacred,” he says now. “We don’t wanna ruin it.” But when he started experimenting with singing along with his dad’s unreleased vocals in the studio, he began to soften: “It was so emotional to do.” Last May, the band released “Feel Like That,” which fleshed out an unreleased Bradley Nowell composition, and they just dropped a new single, the entirely original “Ensenada.”
The song is an almost eerily convincing take on Sublime’s Nineties sound, DJ scratching and all. “It’s real catchy,” says Gaugh, the band’s drummer. “It really sounds like it should have been on one of our past albums already.” He credits the band’s chemistry with Jakob: “When we close our eyes, it takes us to that same place when we’re playing. The feeling is real. You know, the family vibe. It’s 100 percent real and genuine. And it’s just great being out there playing music with my brother Eric again. I really missed him.”
“Ensenada” wasn’t inspired by any specific original Sublime composition. “It wasn’t like we were cutting up old stuff or taking an idea and seeding that into something new,” Gaugh adds. “It was fresh.” But the song’s particular reggae feel is intended as a tribute to a 1996 video bootleg of the band known to fans as “Mexico Shithole.” “We were just mesmerized by it,” says Jakob, “and it kind of took us on that vibe.”
The band plans to follow the single with a full album that they’re nearly done recording, with guest appearances confirmed by Pennywise’s Fletcher Dragge, Fidlar’s Zac Carper, and Bad Brains’ Paul “HR” Hudson. Jakob had earlier writing sessions with Travis Barker and John Feldmann, but he clarifies that no songs from those collaborations are set for the album. Instead, the band wrote the album —tentatively set for a December release — with Jakob’s longtime collaborator Zane Vandevort and producer John Joseph. Gaugh, meanwhile, assures fans that the album will touch on the band’s punk side, not just the reggae that the singles have emphasized.
“Personally I don’t think I’ll ever do another Sublime record,” says Jakob, who also fronts his own band, Jakobs Castle. “This is it for me. This closes a big chapter in my life, my struggle and journey with who I am and my own authenticity — dealing with where I come from and in relationship to my father and his music and the work that they’ve done.” He expects to tour heavily for two years or so in the wake of the album, and then to taper down work with Sublime. Afterwards, he plans to focus on his own music and his burgeoning record label, Svn/Bvrnt Records, which he hopes will spotlight bands that carry on Sublime’s tradition.
In the meantime, the band is gearing up for a major homecoming show when they play the Warped Tour July 26 in Long Beach, California. “All my homies and friends and family are gonna be there,” says Gaugh. “It’s gonna be nuts. I’m gonna be, like, overwhelmed with all this love and compassion.”