Latest Release
- MAY 24, 2024
- 1 Song
- Sublime · 1996
- Sublime · 1996
- Sublime · 1996
- 40oz. to Freedom · 1992
- Sublime · 1996
- Sublime · 1996
- 40oz. to Freedom · 1992
- Feel Like That (feat. Bradley Nowell) - Single · 2024
- Sublime · 1996
- 40oz. to Freedom · 1992
Essential Albums
- Full of unruly insouciance, Sublime’s eponymous third venture packs bong-powered summertime hits that made frontman Bradley Nowell immortal. His final record—which dropped weeks after his untimely death in 1996—is driven by slacker ska-punk debauchery, taking spectators on a wild ride fueled by tales of looting liquor stores (the sly, spunky bop of “April 29, 1992 (Miami)”) and popping a cap in Sancho (the bouncy upstroke of “Santeria”). Its languorous rhythms and puerile soul beguile with the defiant spirit of ‘90s alt-rock, which this masterpiece helped define.
- Sublime’s defiant, DIY-driven debut paved the way for SoCal’s ‘90s ska-punk explosion. Via a bong-fueled mix of languorous riddims, rocksteady madness, and slick hip-hop samples, the Long Beach dwellers forged a soundtrack for insouciant rebellion. They display loose morals on the skanky “Smoke Two Joints,” share tales of hookups on the stripped-down “Waiting for My Ruca,” and celebrate debauchery over supple reggae basslines in “Badfish”—all in all, an unruly mission statement for a rowdy counterculture.
- 2022
- 2022
- 2021
- 2021
Artist Playlists
- A tribute to one of the biggest selling punk acts of all time.
- Laidback rock infused with reggae, hip-hop, and pop grooves.
Singles & EPs
- 2021
Compilations
About Sublime
Sublime’s woozy, skanky ska-punk not only represents the “LBC,” but also ‘90s alternative at its most defiant and decadent. Coming out of Long Beach, California, the trio of vocalist/guitarist Bradley Nowell, bassist Eric Wilson, and drummer Bud Gaugh joined forces in 1988 and soon led the charge in spreading SoCal punk—an urgent, unruly mix of rebel calls drenched in sun, surf, and stoner philosophy—to unsuspecting suburban homes across the U.S. Sidestepping grunge’s moody rock template, Sublime slipped their hardcore melodies with rocksteady riddims, thick dub bass, furious record scratching, and savvy hip-hop sampling, and unabashedly washed it all down with cans of malt liquor—the titular inspiration for their self-released 1992 debut, 40oz. to Freedom. That album and its follow-up, 1994’s Robbin’ the Hood, are scrappy, lo-fi documents of coming-of-age revelations fueled by sex, drugs, and a voracious appetite for rock, reggae, and hip-hop. Sublime name-dropped Bob Marley and KRS-One, covered Grateful Dead and Toots & The Maytals, sampled Primal Scream and The Doors, and introduced Gwen Stefani (on “Saw Red”) at least a year before No Doubt began their rise out of Orange County. With 1996’s Sublime, the band made its launch into the mainstream with career-defining hits “What I Got,” “Santeria,” “Wrong Way,” and “Doin’ Time,” all of which reveal Nowell as a sharp, sincere poet of the times with his evocative tales of unfaithful lovers, broken homes, and the sun-dazed illusion of lovin’ and livin’ easy. These restless anthems would prove even more potent in the wake of Nowell’s death from a heroin overdose, just two months prior to the album’s release. That tragic loss effectively ended the band (aside from a reboot in 2009 as Sublime with Rome)—but certainly not their influence, which has since reigned over third-wave ska, rap rock, nu-metal, 21st-century genre-obliterators like twenty one pilots and Post Malone, and even Lana Del Rey.
- ORIGIN
- Long Beach, CA, United States
- FORMED
- 1988
- GENRE
- Alternative