Dirt Cult Records has released a new single from Black Adidas today….
“Here in LA, KROQ had a totally different evolution over the years,” says Courtney Ranshaw, singer and guitarist of Los Angeles punk outfit Black Adidas, releasing their new single “Are We There Yet” today. “And I kind of followed it always from what it was in the ‘80s — more of a post-punk, sort of gothy thing — to the ‘90s. And it was always what I liked. I liked that kind of mixture: Punk, but also equal parts The Cure and The Clash.”
And they continue straddling the chasm dividing Robert Smith and Joe Strummer, active since 2017.
“I wouldn’t say that’s one hundred percent key,” Ranshaw continues. “But it’s definitely a huge part of what we’re trying to do, not just make it straight guitar rock. We want to do something a little different, to add either a synthesizer or an organ or just something else.”
The original Black Adidas ideal, as evidenced on some material on their 2017 self-titled debut LP, was definitely more guitar/bass/drums-oriented. “But for the most part, as we evolve, the more we can incorporate that element, I feel like the more interesting it is and different it is. It’s trying not to be just different for difference’s sake. I’m trying to say, will the synthesizer improve the song and bring something to it?”
“Are We There Yet” is definitely the best kind of example of wearing your influences on your sleeve, from the massive Sex Pistols guitar chords to that KROQ synthpop undertow. Ranshaw readily acknowledges this: “For years, you try to be like, ‘Yeah, I’m so cool, I don’t need to be influenced by anything. I have my own thing.’ And then you realize, who am I kidding? I am the product of what I love, and why not just embrace that and just write what you know, just go in that direction. That’s kind of what Black Adidas is.”
Certainly, one thing Ranshaw embraces on “Are We There Yet” is his vocal resemblance to Social Distortion mainman Mike Ness.
“It’s hard to get away from that, that’s for sure,” chuckles Ranshaw. “He’s always been definitely an influence. I’ve seen Social Distortion back when the old House of Blues used to be here in Hollywood. They would play there, and I’d see them all the time. Definitely, I love them. But any of us who have this low register, we take on a bit of Mike Ness with us. It doesn’t bother me.
“It’s funny,” he continues, “there was a review one time of my first record, and whoever was writing it was no fan of Mike Ness, and that was sort of her review: ‘Yeah, it’s pretty good, except for the fact that he sounds like Mike Ness, and I hate Mike Ness.’ I kind of feel like I sound like what I am, you know. Like, what can you do about it?”
Black Adidas began as Ranshaw’s solo project in 2017, though he soon tired of that approach. “Are We There Yet” features their current lineup: Daniel Alexander on keyboards, bass guitarist Octavio Gallardo, and drummer Stephen Hoke, meshing with Ranshaw’s guitar and vocals. All that with a bit of spice added by longtime producer David Newton (The Mighty Lemon Drops).
“I feel like it’s taken all eight years, or seven years, to kind of get to this point,” he emphasizes. “I feel like the record that we’re recording now, this song, everything we’re doing live, is kind of culminating in this. There’s a band that’s what we want it to be!”
Perhaps that’s the point of “Are We There Yet.” It feels like an arrival. It also feels like a huge, monolithic, uplifting anthem that brightens your summer and makes you want to punch the sky and sing along. Just like all the best punk rock does. It whets your appetite for what Black Adidas will do next.
THOUGHTS WORDS ACTION 