“Undertaker, Undertake” is the second single from their upcoming full-length, Peace and Love, which hits the streets on August 31st.
The rebellious spirit of the Swingin’ Utters is as present as ever on Peace And Love, although the band looks and sounds a little bit different this time around, thanks to their new rhythm section of Tony Teixeira on bass and Luke Ray on drums. “Both Luke and Tony are stellar musicians who study their work,” says Bonnel. “Luke has amazing ability, but all his drumming is tasteful—it’s never overkill. Tony managed to come up with classic bass lines that made every song a little bit stronger.”Koski echoes Bonnel’s praise, commenting, “We love having these new dudes in the band. Tony is a really melodic, pretty player, whereas Luke is a fucking monster. Tony and Luke are best friends, and they’ve been playing together for years in other bands like Cobra Skulls and Sciatic Nerve, so that really helps.”
It’s been four years since the Utters’ last full-length, so all three songwriters in the band had a stockpile of material when they headed into the studio. That means what you’re getting on Peace
And Love is the cream of the crop.
“We usually abandon songs if we think they’re shitty or filler,” Koski admits. “I still have tons of songs; Johnny does too. But we try not to make records super-long.”
Given that the last time the Utters came off a prolonged hiatus, the band ended up cranking out three full-lengths in four years; one has to wonder if Peace And Love is going to be the
start of another extended burst of creativity for these punk lifers. Koski isn’t thinking that far ahead, though. In fact, he finds it hard to even enjoy the present. Even though his band has
achieved three decades and nine albums together—two feats nearly impossible for most bands—Koski wrestles with his legacy a bit.
“We just keep on going,” he says. “I’m glad we’re still doing it. Johnny’s 50; I’m in my late 40s. I don’t think anything particularly new is gonna happen—we’re not gonna be on TRL any time
soon. That’s fine. It’s a total accomplishment to stay together this long, but I’m a total pessimist. I should be totally grateful—and I am! But it’s hard to be a plumber when you wanna be a
full-time musician. But wah wah wah—I still get paid to travel and play my songs all over the world. I’m not a millionaire, but who cares? I get to make records, and someone out there cares about
them.”
