Sublime with Rome Release New Reggae Rock Single ‘Cool & Collected,’ Talk About Upcoming Album and Touring India

American rock band Sublime – comprising vocalist-guitarist Bradley Nowell, bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh – churned out some of the most captivating music through the Nineties. The band’s blend of rock, reggae and ska spawned hits such as “Wrong Way,” “Santeria,” “Badfish,” “What I Got,” “Caress Me Down,” “40oz to Freedom” and more.

After the untimely death of Nowell in 1996, Wilson and Gaugh formed Sublime with Rome in 2009 along with frontman Rome Ramirez. Gaugh – who left the band soon after they started – was replaced with drummer Carlos Verdugo. The group’s current drummer is Joe Tomino. With three albums released as Sublime with Rome, the band is now gearing up to release their next record and are out with the LP’s lead single, the reggae rock number “Cool & Collected,” featuring fellow American band Slightly Stoopid.

In this interview with Rolling Stone India, Ramirez talks to us about the band’s new song, working with Slightly Stoopid, their ongoing tour, coming to India and more. Read below.

What has the band been up to since releasing “Goodbyes” in 2019?

A lot has changed since then, and we’ve been keeping ourselves busy with recording new music and playing some huge national tours! We just released a new song as well and plan on releasing more as the months follow!

When did work on your new song “Cool and Collected” begin and what can you tell me about the song?

This song came together, very organically as I ran into Miles [Doughty], one of the singers of Slightly Stoopid backstage at a festival. We were just talking about how fun the summer was going to be and he had mentioned that it would be cool for us to get into the studio and record a song together. That way we could play it live every night. I thought that was a great idea and was headed to the studio the very next day to start recording our new album, so the timing was perfect. I quickly put together an idea that I felt represented both bands and I sent it over to them and they loved it and began working on it almost immediately. It truly came together naturally.

What was it like working with Slightly Stoopid on the track?

Those guys are great. They bring such a great vibe and a great contribution of musicality with their band. I love working on music with those guys and hopefully, we can do more in the future.

Is this song set to be part of a larger body of work?

Yeah, this is the first single from an upcoming album that we plan on releasing next year. We have a lot of music to trickle out until then.

The video represents your life on stage and on the road — what’s the current tour been like for you guys?

This tour has been like a giant summer camp on wheels. Everybody gets along so well, and the music complements each other throughout the entire evening. We’ve really gotten to get to know one another and just relax and have fun. It’s the way it should be.

To also address Sublime and what the band means to people, what does it mean to you to carry on the band and the late Bradley Nowell’s legacy?

It’s an absolute honor, and it’s an absolute privilege to be the one who gets to go out there and sing the songs every night to the fans. I’ve been a Sublime fan my whole entire life, so this position really means the world to me. There isn’t a night that goes by where I don’t think about Brad while I’m on that stage.

Do you have any message for fans in India and would you ever consider touring here someday?

I have nothing but absolute love for India. It would be a dream to come out there and play music for you all! Let’s make it happen.

Watch the music video for “Cool & Collected” below: