The Bouncing Souls have released their new single, “Shannon’s Song“, taken from their upcoming album, Ten Stories High, out March 24th via Pure Noise Records. The new song follows previously released tracks, “Ten Stories High” and “Higher Ground,” and offer’s another effortless anthem from the band. With razor sharp production courtesy of Will Yip (The Menzingers, Title Fight, Tigers Jaw), “Shannon’s Song” highlights the unique approach to songwriting that inspired Ten Stories High while also providing the big hooks that The Bouncing Souls excel at.
Speaking on the creation of the new song, Vocalist Greg Attonito said, “This was the second song we worked on for the Patreon songwriting project we did during lockdown. It wasn’t always obvious what the song would be about—we would look for a seed in the conversation that could grow into a deeper story. In this case we were chatting with Shannon who told us about a time she lived in Russia years ago. She had learned to speak Russian so we joked that maybe she was a spy. She replied, ‘maybe I am?’ That was the seed for a spy song which evolved into a spy love song. The character in the song is tackling the moment when they realize the relationship with the one they love is the most important thing in their life. They had been living on the fence and now it might be too late to express their feelings to the one they love because their life is in immediate danger.”
For over three decades The Bouncing Souls have been one of the most reliably joyful bands in punk rock, fostering an incredibly close kinship with their loyal listeners. Now on Ten Stories High, the band have taken this connection even further, creating an album of songs directly inspired by the stories of their fans.
Ten Stories High finds The Bouncing Souls–vocalist Greg Attonito, guitarist Pete Steinkopf, bassist Bryan Kienlen, and drummer George Rebelo–making the best of the chaotic past couple of years. With touring on pause during the pandemic, the group turned to Patreon connect with their listener community, including a tier where fans could have a custom song written for them. The process would begin with the band having Zoom conversations with fans. “It was so refreshing to be like ‘Oh cool we’re going to get to know someone’,” Attonito explains. “We’ve written so many songs from our own experiences but this time we really stepped outside of that.” The Souls would learn about their fans’ lives, and then dive into tightly regimented writing sessions to turn the things they’d heard into the makings of songs. Eventually the group decamped with Will Yip in Philadelphia to hone their demos, write more, and record Ten Stories High. The result is an album that draws directly from stories of life’s ups and downs, the moments of joy, sadness, and excitement that end up bonding us together. “We’ve been writing songs together for 30 years and that’s been amazing,” Attonito says, “but this felt like something new: a way to tell someone else’s story and have a whole new journey.”
The Bouncing Souls also announced a lengthy run of North American tour dates for the rest of 2023. The shows include dates with Anti-Flag, A Wilhelm Scream, Samiam, Swingin’ Utters, and more. See full itinerary below.
Upcoming Shows:
04/07 Minneapolis, MN @ The Varsity Theater * +
04/08 Milwaukee, WI @ The Eagles Club +
04/09 Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue +
04/10 Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts * +
04/12 Buffalo, NY @ The Town Ballroom * +
04/13 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop * +
04/14 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop * +
04/15 Toronto, ON @ The Phoenix Concert Theatre * +
04/16 Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall * +
05/11 Chicago, IL @ Metro ^ #
05/12 St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall ^ #
05/13 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade ^ #
05/15 Orlando, FL @ The Social ^ #
05/16 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room ^ #
05/17 Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum^ #
05/19 Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall ^ #
05/20 Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room ^ #
05/21 Dallas, TX @ Amplified Live ^ #
10/12 San Diego, CA @ Observatory Northpark * ~
10/13 Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco * ~
10/14 Santa Ana, CA @ Observatory * ~
10/15 San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom * ~
10/17 Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall * ~
10/18 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile * ~
10/19 Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw * ~
10/21 Edmonton, AB @ Union Hall * ~
10/22 Calgary, AB @ Palace Theater * ~
12/07 Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live * %
12/09 Charlotte, NC @ The Underground * %
12/10 Nashville, TN @ The Brooklyn Bowl %
12/11 Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel %
12/13 Boston, MA @ The Royale %
* w/ Anti-Flag
^ w/ Samiam
# w/ Swingin’ Utters, Pet Needs
+ w/ A Wilhelm Scream, The Venomous Pinks
~ w/ Catbite, Urethane
% w/ Catbite, Blind Adam and The Federal League