Lovin’ is what Sublime fans got this week, as their first song in nearly 30 years was released on Friday. More extraordinarily, the track, titled “Feel Like That”, features the late Bradley Nowell on vocals via outtakes from a 1996 jam session.
“Feel Like That” is actually a collaboration between Sublime and reggae band Stick Figure, with vocals from three different people, including Nowell’s son Jakob, who was less than one year old when his father died from a heroin overdose in May 1996. After a lengthy hiatus solely because of the loss of their frontman, Sublime took on Jakob as lead singer this year with the intent to build a future for the band.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, Sublime bassist Eric Wilson expressed gratitude for having a collection of outtakes that can be heard – in some form or another – by fans. “We are blessed that we still have all these old recordings and that we were able to stumble upon an outtake that has been sitting there waiting for all these years. They say timing is everything, and I think they were right! It’s super awesome to hear Brad and Jakob singing side by side on the same track. I’m sure this song is gonna set the mood for the summer.”
Sublime for sure has some of the essential summer jams from the ‘90s, including “Doin’ Time”, “Badfish” and, depending on your daily habits, “Smoke Two Joints.” On the new track itself, Jakob Nowell stated, “My dad has a verse and then I have a verse and then Stick closes out the song…It’s a beautiful thing.”
In their short run, the band released just three studio albums: 1992’s 40 Oz. to Freedom, 1994’s Robbin’ the Hood and 1996’s self-titled, released two months after Bradley Nowell’s death. “What I Got” would win the MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video.
This venture calls to mind “Now and Then”, the 2023 Beatles’ release which, like Sublime, was their first new song in 28 years. While that track was dubbed “the last Beatles song”, there’s hope for continuation with Sublime depending on fan reaction to “Feel Like That”.
What do you think of “Feel Like That”? Do you want to see Sublime continue with Jakob Nowell on vocals?
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