Observant Sublime fans have noticed a new song in the band’s set list, leading to speculation it could be their highly-anticipated next single.
Sublime is in the midsts of a big year, having already played such major festivals as BeachLife, BottleRock and Boston Calling. Their crowds at each one of those stops stretched to over 50,000 people, proving the band’s popularity is as high as ever. With Jakob Nowell now fronting the group, taking over the role once held by his late father Bradley Nowell, Sublime is enjoying the kind of renaissance most bands dream of. Now, it appears, they’re readying to release new music.
In footage uploaded to YouTube (which you can watch below), Sublime can be seen performing a previously unheard track called “Ensenada.” With a bouncy backbeat, inviting guitar and some turntable scratching thrown in, the tune feels reminiscent of Sublime’s classic material. However, “Ensenada” has never appeared on a Sublime release and fans seem confident it’s a new song created by the Jakob-led lineup.
On Reddit, an abundance of conversations regarding “Ensenada” reveal high anticipation surrounding the track. User mickmoxs2 reported the song was debuted during an April performance in Miami. “They played in full the song from IG. Jake sang that if he was president he would hire 20 strippers as his cabinet and some more fun and silly stuff,” they explained, the description accompanied by a picture of the band’s set list.
“I really like the song, I really want more original stuff from them rather than old songs with different people,” remarked user Complete-Strain7263. “Sounds pretty tight to me,” added Strict-Ingenuity2448. Other Reddit commenters pondered whether “Ensenada” could be a unreleased track from Sublime’s ‘90s days, given the nostalgic, sun-soaked vibes it conjures up.
Listening closely to the YouTube video gives us a taste of the lyrics. Lines like, “I guess I gotta go / See you when I’m back from Mexico,” establish the south-of-the-border motif, while Jakob proclaims in the chorus: “I don’t wanna be your man no more / I wanna make love to a whore / Ensenada on my mind.”
If “Ensenada” is indeed the band’s next single, it will mark Sublime’s first official release without Bradley Nowell. The group’s original singer died in 1996, at which point the surviving members disbanded. A later incarnation was known as Sublime With Rome, while last year’s single “Feel Like That” featured archival recordings from Bradley alongside new vocals from Jakob and guest artist Stick Figure.
