[Cover photo credit to John Gilhooley]

SoCal punks T.S.O.L.(aka True Sounds of Liberty), have released their ninth studio album A-Side Graffiti via Kitten Robot Records, which was produced by Paul Roessler (The Screamers, Nina Hagan, Josie Cotton). The album sets out to challenge our concept of Punk. The singles “1 Thing” and “Swimming” are out now.

T.S.O.L. weave symphonic tracks together on the album, like a loose cover of Louis Armstrong’s “Wonderful World” and a faithful cover of Rocky Horror‘s “Sweet Transvestite,” which features Keith Morris of Circle Jerks/Off in the role of “Brad.” 

Elsewhere on the album, their interpretation of David Bowie’s “Can You Hear Me?” features some of their musical friends, including Frank Agnew from The Adolescents, Chip Hannah of The Trigger Complex, and Murphy from Sugar Ray.

Probably most surprising is their cover of R&B artist Amerie’s “1 Thing“.

Vocalist Jack Grisham says:

Ah, the Amerie track. I love R&B, soul music, and go-go beats and this one has it all. I was sitting at home, digging the track, singing along—basic ‘boy fucks over girl’ lyrics, and then I thought. ‘Hold up. Maybe it’s not a song about a boy. Maybe she’s singing to a system of government and they been lying and fucking her over for years. Maybe the boots she puts on are laced up Doctor M’s and she’s gonna kick their fucking asses. This ain’t a love song… It’s a protest track.’ It was an easy sell to my band, and I think we did it justice.