New York City, NY — March 17, 2022 — New York City reggae legends THE SLACKERS premiere “Hanging On,” the second single from the band’s upcoming record “Don’t Let The Sunlight Fool Ya” which comes out April 15th. This record, their first in 7 years and 15th full-length in their career, is now available on Pirates Press Records’ webstore.
“Hanging On” is a mantra that almost every band, including The Slackers, have had to deal with during the pandemic. “Being in NYC in March of 2020 was an experience I wouldn’t wish upon my enemies. People talk about how great it was to get off the road or spend extra time with their family, but I was already tight with my family. We rallied and my apartment became a law office, a college classroom, a recording studio, a mail-order merch warehouse, and a high school classroom. We did what we had to do to keep going,” said saxophonist Dave Hillyard.
The process for bringing this album to life was, by all accounts, one that was met with twists and turns that would make most bands implode. The band used their sound engineer’s house to practice and record while also trying to accommodate everyone’s personal situations. “The main challenge/s we had to overcome in making the record had to do with distance, finding a way to involve Vic and Glen, who live on the West Coast and thus 3000 miles from the rest of the band. We put half the band in one room, half the band in another, we continued to wear masks around each other, put a giant shield around the drums and just hoped for the best. Glen and Vic very graciously gave up their West Coast lives to live at Marc Critelli’s house for 2 months while we completed the majority of the record,” remarked drummer Ara Babajian.
The band previously released an adorable and hilarious puppet video for the title track “Don’t Let The Sunlight Fool Ya.” The song was written by the band after the initial wave of COVID was over but it was certainly not the end of the pandemic.
Rolling Stone recently hailed The Slackers as “THE legendary New York City ska band” and this is by no means hyperbole. Having formed in 1991, The Slackers released their debut album in 1996, Better Late Than Never, and then signing with Epitaph Records and releasing their breakthrough full-length, Redlight, in 1997. From there, the band traveled the world and began to develop a prolific audience through their fun and energetic shows.
14 full-lengths later, countless EPs, singles, and touring all around the world playing to thousands and thousands of fans from Tokyo, Japan to their hometown of New York City, The Slackers return with Don’t Let The Sunlight Fool Ya. Marc Wasserman, author of “Skaboom! An American Ska & Reggae Oral History,” says The Slackers’ “…songs are about real darkness, depression, anger, sadness and loneliness, and some of the political songs as well are pretty vibrant.”
Catch The Slackers on tour:
03/30/2022 – Harrisburg, PA – Stage On Herr
3/31/2022 – Pittsburgh, PA – Pittsburgh Crafthouse
4/01/2022 – Bethlehem, PA – Musikfest Cafe
4/07/2022 – Rehoboth Beach, DE – Arenas
4/08/2022 – Virginia Beach, VA – Bunker Brewpub
4/10/2022 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
5/7/2022 – Jersey City, NJ – White Eagle Hall
5/12/2022 Ottawa, ON – Brass Monkey
5/13/2022 Montreal, QC – Cafe Campus
5/14/2022 Quebec City, QC – L’Antibar
5/17/2022 Salt Lake City, UT – Commonwealth Room
5/18/2022 Denver, Co – Oriental Theater
5/20/2022 – Dallas, TX – Three Links
5/21/2022 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar
5/22/2022 – San Antonio, TX – Rockbox
5/24/2022 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
5/27/2022 – Flagstaff, Az – Yucca Room
5/28/2022 – Phoenix, Az – Crescent Ballroom
9/26/2022 – Birmingham, UK – Hare and Hounds
9/27/2022 – Manchester, UK – Retro
9/28/2022 – Huddersfield, UK – Parish
9/30/2022 – London, UK – Underworld
10/1/2022 – Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
10/2/2022 – Newcastle, UK – Think Tank
10/3/2022 – Bristol, UK – Exchange
10/4/2022 – Antwerp, Belgium – Kavka
10/6/2022 – Haarlem, Netherlands – Patroonaat
10/7/2022 – Den Haag, Netherlands – Paard
10/8/2022 – Sittard, Netherlands – Ernestos
10/11/2022 – Zurich, Switzerland – Komplex
10/12/2022 – Munich, Germany – Feierwerk
10/13/2022 – Vienna, Austria – Arena
10/15/2022 – Sluderno, Italy – Loki
10/16/2022 – Nuremberg, Germany – Desi
10/17/2022 – Hannover, Germany – Lux
10/18/2022 – Berlin, Germany – S036
10/19/2022 – Hamburg, Germany – Molotov
10/21/2022 – Koln, Germany – Gebaude 9
10/22/2022 – Arlon, Belgium – L’entrepot
The Polish heavy underground has consistently been one of the most fertile, unforgiving, and fascinating…
There is a distinct sterility that has slowly crept into a massive portion of modern…
In these modern times, when we’re living as fast as possible due to the pressures…
If you paid attention to our pages in the past couple of months, then you…
We all know that for a great album, you need to have a vocalist who…
Photo courtesy of the band. The band's fifth and final single, 'Gut Feeling', is taken…