NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n\n- \n\n
Jakob Nowell, son of late Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell, has stepped in to front the band he once swore he\u2019d never join, leading to their first new music in nearly 30 years<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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Inspired by a personal turning point at the Phoenix Theater \u2014 the site of his father\u2019s last show \u2014 Jakob embraced the legacy while honoring his own sobriety journey<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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The upcoming album Till the Sun Explodes blends nostalgia with fresh energy, reflecting both Sublime\u2019s iconic sound and Jakob\u2019s determination to carry the torch forward<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In April 2024, Jakob Nowell<\/a> took the stage in front of 100,000 festival-goers at Coachella to make his official debut fronting the band he once swore he\u2019d never join. For years, the son of late Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell<\/a> kept his distance, wary of being defined by the father he lost before his first birthday. But the set<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 packed with faithful renditions of the group\u2019s gloriously foul-mouthed reggae-tinged punk rock mainstays \u2014 was a triumph with critics and O.G. fans from their \u201890s heyday. The tentative reunion quickly snowballed into a full tour and, now, Sublime\u2019s first new music in nearly 30 years.<\/p>\nThis was not part of the plan \u2014\u00a0so much as there was one. “This last year has been a blur,” Jakob tells PEOPLE. “So much has happened and changed. Lots of ups and downs, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”<\/p>\n
When he first agreed to join surviving Sublime members Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson at a one-off charity benefit in December 2023, a few months prior to his formal coronation at Coachella, it felt like nothing more than a tribute. But the chemistry with his musical “uncles” \u2014 and the crowd\u2019s ecstatic response \u2014 gave the comeback momentum.<\/p>\n
For Jakob, excitement soon outweighed a lingering case of imposter syndrome. “I still feel that in some moments,” he admits today. “But one thing that’s changed is that me and the dudes from Sublime are a lot more confident and comfortable playing altogether. It’s gotten to be much more regular, much more routine, and much more fun. Now every time we play, it becomes much easier to lose yourself and sort of disintegrate into the experience.”<\/p>\n
By most logic, Sublime shouldn\u2019t have had a second act. The band\u2019s story ended abruptly in 1996 when Bradley succumbed to addiction while on tour. It was two months before the release of their breakthrough self-titled album, sending tracks like “Santeria,” “Wrong Way” and “What I Got” into the Top 40. For decades, those songs remained frozen in time \u2014 cult classics that defined a generation of California cool.<\/p>\n
![\"Christian](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/egS1nQAL.xzh5MXTD46wkA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/9f622796f2e2048e06bbef93557642aa\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\n\nChristian R. Col\u00f3n<\/p>\n
Sublime’s self-titled album cover<\/p><\/div>\n
Though the band officially dissolved in the wake of Bradley\u2019s death, Gaugh and Wilson regrouped with singer-guitarist Rome Ramirez in 2009. Billed as Sublime with Rome, the project straddled the line between tribute act and reinvention. But the original duo made it clear that the only way Sublime could ever return under its own name was if Jakob took the mic. For years, he declined, focusing instead on his own projects \u2014 first with the band Law, and later with his current “beach-y internet music” venture, Jakobs Castle<\/a>.<\/p>\nThe turning point came in the fall of 2023, when Jakob made a visit to the Phoenix Theater<\/a> in Petaluma, California \u2014 the site of Bradley\u2019s final concert. Crowded out of his father\u2019s gravesite by fans and tourists, he had come to see the empty stage as a more private place to mourn.<\/p>\n
Jakob Nowell, son of late Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell, has stepped in to front the band he once swore he\u2019d never join, leading to their first new music in nearly 30 years<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
Inspired by a personal turning point at the Phoenix Theater \u2014 the site of his father\u2019s last show \u2014 Jakob embraced the legacy while honoring his own sobriety journey<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
The upcoming album Till the Sun Explodes blends nostalgia with fresh energy, reflecting both Sublime\u2019s iconic sound and Jakob\u2019s determination to carry the torch forward<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In April 2024, Jakob Nowell<\/a> took the stage in front of 100,000 festival-goers at Coachella to make his official debut fronting the band he once swore he\u2019d never join. For years, the son of late Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell<\/a> kept his distance, wary of being defined by the father he lost before his first birthday. But the set<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 packed with faithful renditions of the group\u2019s gloriously foul-mouthed reggae-tinged punk rock mainstays \u2014 was a triumph with critics and O.G. fans from their \u201890s heyday. The tentative reunion quickly snowballed into a full tour and, now, Sublime\u2019s first new music in nearly 30 years.<\/p>\n This was not part of the plan \u2014\u00a0so much as there was one. “This last year has been a blur,” Jakob tells PEOPLE. “So much has happened and changed. Lots of ups and downs, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”<\/p>\n When he first agreed to join surviving Sublime members Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson at a one-off charity benefit in December 2023, a few months prior to his formal coronation at Coachella, it felt like nothing more than a tribute. But the chemistry with his musical “uncles” \u2014 and the crowd\u2019s ecstatic response \u2014 gave the comeback momentum.<\/p>\n For Jakob, excitement soon outweighed a lingering case of imposter syndrome. “I still feel that in some moments,” he admits today. “But one thing that’s changed is that me and the dudes from Sublime are a lot more confident and comfortable playing altogether. It’s gotten to be much more regular, much more routine, and much more fun. Now every time we play, it becomes much easier to lose yourself and sort of disintegrate into the experience.”<\/p>\n By most logic, Sublime shouldn\u2019t have had a second act. The band\u2019s story ended abruptly in 1996 when Bradley succumbed to addiction while on tour. It was two months before the release of their breakthrough self-titled album, sending tracks like “Santeria,” “Wrong Way” and “What I Got” into the Top 40. For decades, those songs remained frozen in time \u2014 cult classics that defined a generation of California cool.<\/p>\n Christian R. Col\u00f3n<\/p>\n Sublime’s self-titled album cover<\/p><\/div>\n Though the band officially dissolved in the wake of Bradley\u2019s death, Gaugh and Wilson regrouped with singer-guitarist Rome Ramirez in 2009. Billed as Sublime with Rome, the project straddled the line between tribute act and reinvention. But the original duo made it clear that the only way Sublime could ever return under its own name was if Jakob took the mic. For years, he declined, focusing instead on his own projects \u2014 first with the band Law, and later with his current “beach-y internet music” venture, Jakobs Castle<\/a>.<\/p>\n The turning point came in the fall of 2023, when Jakob made a visit to the Phoenix Theater<\/a> in Petaluma, California \u2014 the site of Bradley\u2019s final concert. Crowded out of his father\u2019s gravesite by fans and tourists, he had come to see the empty stage as a more private place to mourn.<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n