Watch the video here:
‘Unsubscribe’ is out today, the first single off Hayley and the Crushers’ upcoming EP, Unsubscribe from the Underground, out September 10, 2024 via Kitten Robot Records. New Noise is pleased to premiere the official Unsubscribe music video, reminiscent of old school Xerox fliers come to life.
Frontwoman/guitarist Hayley Cain penned the song lyrics from the perspective of a music scene veteran who sees new people come in.
“Music scenes are always fraught with this tension of new and old, reverence for the past and the energy to push forward,” Cain adds. “At some point, the bubble bursts, and things start changing. Maybe that’s neither a good nor bad thing; it all depends on who you ask. But it’s always rich territory.”
The band, helmed by married team Hayley “Crusher” Cain and bass player Dr. Cain ESQ, know a thing or two about new territory. In 2022, they made the cross-country leap from California to Detroit, enticed by the eclectic music scene, cheap cost of living, and touring possibilities. Their 2023 cover of Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” is a fitting homage to the Motor City.
Forthcoming EP Unsubscribe from the Underground will mark the band’s first substantial project since their 2022 full-length, Modern Adult Kicks, a blend of retro-futuristic pop and pretty-in-punk attitude. Recorded in Los Angeles at Josie Cotton’s Kitten Robot Studios, the album inspired an ongoing creative partnership with producer Paul Roessler, founding member of electro punk pioneers The Screamers.
“We were this scrappy melodic garage band recording in a warehouse, and then, with Kitten Robot, we were suddenly able to follow our Phil Spector dreams in a badass studio,” Cain says. “It’s been wild. We’ve grown a lot over the past few years. Now, with the new EP ‘Unsubscribe from the Underground,’ it feels good to go a little feral.”
Contributing to the looser vibe, instrument tracks were recorded in lead guitarist Ryan DeLiso’s Detroit basement studio with vocals and more tracked in L.A.
“I think that says a lot right there,” Cain says of the juxtaposition in sound. “We’ve always been part grit, part glitz. It was a trip recording with these new Detroit guys in a home studio/practice space, then turning around and finishing up the tracks with our West Coast gang back in LA, including our buddy John Miller, who’s become a true member of the band. We’re lucky to have attracted wildly talented people into our orbit. It’s a motley crew! In the studio, we all have fun and share our current hyper-fixations. For the first song, it was about bringing to life an outsider anthem without losing our pop-hook heart.”
Cain came up in the DIY world of California backyard shows and continues to self-book tours and edit her own videos. Dr. Cain co-writes, co-produces, manages the art department, and shoots videos via iPhone. The band’s current Midwest recording and touring lineup includes Hayley Cain (vocals), Dr. Cain (bass), Ryan DeLiso (lead guitar), and Gabe Masek (drums).
“With ‘Unsubscribe,‘ we’re sticking our heels in. We’re still out here making fun, guitar-based music for the people who get it,'” Cain says. “We joke that Crushers fans are ‘punk dads and their cool daughters,’ but there is truth in that. We get to bridge that gap. It’s awesome! To be a 14-year-old’s first punk show or a 44-year-old’s four-hundredth punk show is an honor.”
Cain says she’s eager to lead the poolside glitter trash band into a new era with the new EP. Call them pop; call them punk. Just don’t ever call them “cool.”
“Rock and roll has been dead for a long time, and good riddance!” Cain says. “We don’t need another rock band. The world won’t be saved by a bunch of cool dudes with guitars.”
A physical release for Unsubscribe from the Underground is forthcoming and will be available via record label Kitten Robot Records. For more info, head to Hayley and the Crushers’ website and Bandcamp.
Upcoming Shows
6/8/24: Oh Bondage, Up Yours! Fest– Ridegwood, NY
7/27/24:Melody Inn–Punk Rock Night Indianapolis, IN
8/3/24: Ziggy’s– Ypsilanti, MI
