Sublime fans everywhere, including myself, rejoice as the band announces the official release date of their first studio album in almost 3 decades.
Titled Until The Sun Explodes, the album features 21 tracks, two of which have already been released. After listening to both, I can confidently say I expect nothing less than an iconic album this summer.
30 years ago, Sublime released their third studio album, self-titled and chart-topping; it was a massive commercial success. Two months prior to the album’s release, however, the band’s lead singer, Bradley Nowell, died of a drug overdose, which led the surviving members to no longer perform under the band’s name.
Nowell’s son, Jakob Nowell, became the new lead singer of the band in late 2023, and he and the other reunited members went on to make waves as part of the Coachella 2024 lineup. On March 25, 2026, the band announced the release of their fourth album, set for June 12.
Along with the confirmed release date, they launched the title track single “Until The Sun Explodes,” paired with its own music video.
Authentic, intimate, and nothing short of beautiful, both the song and visual blend seamlessly. I felt completely immersed in the atmosphere of this video; it vividly captures that early 2000s Long Beach feeling, and with each scene featuring such a diverse range of people, it shines a light on the community-centered roots of the Southern California (SoCal) scene.
Though it follows Jakob, it consistently pays homage to his late father, emphasizing that this truly is an epilogue to what the band had already accomplished, not a rebranding. In many scenes, the video features him flipping through an old photo book containing pictures of his father, telling an emotional yet fulfilling story related to the full-circle moment that originally inspired him to continue his father’s legacy.
I think the growth that is represented in that video also applies to the SoCal scene as a whole, because not only does it manage to bridge the gap between both younger and older generations, it turns nostalgia into an accessible, shared experience. The art that they’ve created, both visually and audibly, refers the younger audience to a time where happiness was found simply between each other, and, in turn, those who experienced Sublime in their prime are invited to relish it.
I, for one, feel incredibly fortunate to be the age I am as they release this album. That classic sound feels like a breath of fresh air and a return to something meaningful, the perfect mix of new and old existing harmoniously.
The only other song out on the album right now, “Ensenada,” was the band’s first original song featuring Jakob Nowell, and was released July 18, 2025. Personally, I’d say it’s a lighter, more polished track, and it definitely takes on the laid-back sound of some of their timeless hits, like “Santeria” and “What I Got.”
Complementing the album’s release, the new cover art provides fans with a fresh take on the beloved sun logo. Reworked rather than replaced, it reflects those same values of honoring the band’s past in a way that stands out to the present. After all these years, it’s the continuation of a story that was never finished.
