This week self-professed “noisy guitar pop band from Sunny QLD” Bugs have released their third studio album Cooties, ahead of their 17 date Australian tour which kicks off on April 22. The trio will make their way to WA for shows at Perth’s Jack Rabbit Slims on Saturday, May 28 and Indian Ocean Hotel on Sunday, May 29.
Cooties features previous singles Old Youth Feeling, Diamond, Decisions, Commitments & Plans, In The Middle (Of It), and new focus track Alone Again. “This is a modern lonely cowboy/cowgirl crooner classic,” said lead vocalist Connor Brooker of Alone Again. “Itʼs all about feeling isolated and how social media can exacerbate the pain associated with being alone. It explores struggling to find the place where you fit in the world.”
Cooties was recorded and produced by drummer Brock Weston at his home studio in Brisbane. They started by refining a batch of 30 songs during the middle of 2020, and through the continuous lockdowns they managed to record most of the final tracks.
“I wrote most of the songs between 2019-2020 and as the obvious gems worked their way onto the final track listing the theme of the album came together,” explained Brooker. “It’s all about coexisting realities, relationships in your twenties, finding your place in the world. I’ve gone through pretty drastic and destabilising change at times and I guess it’s representative of a lot of personal experiences over the last few years. Some of the songs are pretty sad, some are full of angst, others unbridled joy. It’s a polarising mix of music because life isn’t as linear as we’d often like it to be.”
Bugs have toured with the likes of Grinspoon, Mallrat, WAXX and The Hard Aches as well as appearing on festival line-ups including Falls Festival, Yours & Owls and The Hills Are Alive.
Cooties is out now. Bugs play Jack Rabbit Slims on Saturday, May 28 and Indian Ocean Hotel on Sunday, May 29. For more info and to buy tickets head to linktr.ee/bugscooties
