Why it is trending: The Bobby Lees’ New Self is igniting buzz across the punk world as the band’s Epitaph debut delivers their most expansive and ferocious sound yet, amplified by heavyweight production and their ever-explosive reputation.
The Bobby Lees have never been a band that ease their way into a room — they detonate. Formed in 2017 in Woodstock, the trio — Sam Quartin (vocals/guitar), Macky Bowman (drums), and Kendall Wind (bass) — quickly built a reputation for furnace-blast live shows and bottled-lightning studio recordings. Their uncompromising intensity has earned admiration from icons like Iggy Pop, Debbie Harry, and Henry Rollins, placing them firmly in the lineage of punk’s most fearless disruptors. Since their 2018 debut, they’ve toured relentlessly across the US and Europe, cultivating a fiercely loyal following drawn to their rawness and refusal to play it safe.
With New Self — their fourth album and first release via Epitaph Records — The Bobby Lees enter a thrilling new chapter. Produced by Dave Sardy and Alex Pasco in Los Angeles, the record magnifies their signature danger across a broader, reverberating soundscape without sacrificing grit. The album feels bigger, brasher, and more emboldened, pushing their wildness into widescreen territory. New Self doesn’t smooth their edges; it sharpens them, proving that punk’s spirit of defiance still burns bright — and in The Bobby Lees’ hands, it’s downright combustible.
