REDD KROSS – “CANDY COLOURED CATASTROPHE”
IN THE RED RECORDS
In 1979, two school-kids all hopped-up on punk-rock started their own group in their hometown of Hawthorne, Los Angeles (birthplace of the Beach Boys) and soon found themselves opening shows for notorious scene pioneers Black Flag. Jeff McDonald was 15, his brother Steven only 11. But that didn’t stop their group from becoming one of the most remarkable, enduring and unique outfits punk- rock ever belched up.
2024, then, marks Redd Kross’s 45th birthday β an important anniversary for any group whose heart pulses at 45RPM β and the brothers are celebrating the event with a veritable multimedia extravaganza. There’s a memoir, Now You’re One Of Us, due in October, author Dan Epstein telling the group’s story in the McDonalds’ unmistakable (and occasionally contrary) voices. A brilliant rockumentary, Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story, directed by Andrew Reich, is currently making the festival rounds. Most exciting of all, a new album β an eponymous double-album, no less, packed with 18 of their sharpest, most addictive songs yet β will hit the racks on June 28, 2024, courtesy of In the Red Records. These years of joyful service to rock’n’roll have seen Redd Kross evolve into a killer pop-rock concern, dealing in dayglo power-chords, choruses as tall as skyscrapers and a lyric sheet thick with acid couplets and arch pop- cultural references their loyal following will gobble up like Quaaludes.
The announcement of Redd Kross is accompanied by the lead single “Candy Coloured Catastrophe” which comes with a video directed by Gilbert Trejo, along with newly confirmed Tour Dates which kick-off in early July just following the album’s release.
“Candy Coloured Catastrophe” opens Redd Kross with the perfect vibe: an itchy, unforgettable acid-pop nugget taking impish swings at what Steven describes as “the fine arts career of a well-known pop star who we love-love-love, and also love to make fun of.” “Our message is, ‘What is art?’,” adds Jeff. “Who gets to decide? And maybe these rock-stars who suddenly decide they’re fine artists and Hollywood actors who decide they’re punk-rock singers should, you know, stay in their lane.”
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Redd Kross
Redd Kross
(In The Red Records)
Release Date: June 28, 2024
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