Sublime's Renaissance: Jakob Nowell Forges a New Legacy with 'Until the Sun Explodes'
As the son of the legendary Bradley Nowell, Jakob Nowell steps into the frontman role for Sublime, ushering in what he calls the band's 'fourth era.' With their new album, Until the Sun Explodes, set for release, this incarnation aims to deliver a...
The legacy of Sublime is a complex tapestry, and no one understands its weave better than Jakob Nowell. As the son of the late Bradley Nowell and the current frontman of the genre-blending band since 2023, he considers their upcoming album, Until the Sun Explodes (releasing Friday, June 12), the dawn of "the fourth era of Sublime."
Speaking from his Long Beach, California home, Nowell outlined these distinct periods. The "classic" Sublime, formed in 1988 by his father, drummer Bud Gaugh, and bassist Eric Wilson, lasted until Bradley Nowell's tragic death in 1996. This era produced three albums, including the five-times platinum self-titled effort, and timeless hits like "What I Got" and "Santeria."
Sublime band photo
Following this, Gaugh and Wilson launched Long Beach Dub Allstars in 1997, which Nowell identifies as Sublime's second incarnation. The third era was Sublime With Rome, active from 2009-2024, fronted by Rome Ramirez and featuring Wilson for most of its run, with Gaugh contributing for the initial two years.
"So I consider us, like V4 of Sublime," explains Nowell, now 30, who was just 11 months old when his father passed. "I hope people consider it a renaissance. That's definitely the goal with this record and all the sounds we're trying to do."
He describes the current band as "a fun, messy, chaotic punk band that your parents used to love and showed you, or that you just discovered two years ago and you love it for your own reasons now."
Bud Gaugh, 58, echoes this sentiment. "It just seems like a natural progression," he says. "Wouldn’t it be cool if we could bring something new to the fans who haven’t seen Sublime before and give them their Sublime?"
He adds, "We’re giving something to the new fans and the old fans alike, and giving (new fans) something for their very own — ‘This is my Sublime. This isn’t just my parents’, grandparents’, aunts’ and uncles’. This is my band, too.’"
The return of Sublime with a new album wasn't always a foregone conclusion. Jakob Nowell, with Gaugh, Wilson, and other figures from his father’s circle serving as godfathers, developed an early passion for music, teaching himself guitar.
Despite this innate talent, he confessed to struggling with "imposter syndrome" and a period of drug and alcohol abuse as a teenager. He achieved sobriety at 17 with the help of interventionist Todd Zalkins, a childhood friend of his father’s. Nowell and his family later established the non-profit Nowell Family Foundation to support musicians in addiction recovery.
He pursued a degree in creative writing from Long Beach State College but ultimately dedicated himself to music, fronting bands like LAW and Jakobs Castle. The latter released its debut album, Enter: The Castle, in 2024 and has another planned for next year.
Gaugh admired Nowell's independent spirit. "I was super-stoked," he says, "because (Nowell) was staying true to himself and he was doing his own thing. It was important for him to set himself aside from (Sublime)."
Gaugh respected that Nowell "wasn’t going the ‘nepo route’ and glom off our success. He really was a musician in his own right, so it was like, ‘OK, he’s into this kind of music and that’s just how it’s gonna be. No pressure from Uncle Bud or Uncle Eric.’"
For Nowell, joining the Sublime universe felt "inappropriate" for years. "Even if I did, would I even be good enough, or would I be capable?" he pondered. "So I spent a good 10 years in my own projects, just trying to cut my teeth."
A pivotal moment arrived in December 2023 when Nowell agreed to perform with Gaugh and Wilson at a benefit concert for Bad Brains’ Paul “H.R.” Hudson in Los Angeles.
"I was 28, the age my father died," Nowell recounted. "I’d taken this trip to the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma (Calif.), the last venue he played. And then I got the call to do (the benefit). There were just so many coinciding factors.”
Gaugh vividly recalls the rehearsal: “hearing his voice sounding identical to Brad’s, it gave me chills. I haven’t experienced that since Brad left, and feeling it once again was confirmation that we were doing the right thing.”
The success of that show led to Gaugh and Wilson inviting Nowell "to play together again and use the name Sublime." Nowell felt ready. "I’ve built up my chops enough to do this part justice. It definitely came with a certain sense of paranoia and dread and uncertainty. But now, with two years under my belt as the frontman for the project, I’m feeling pretty confident — obviously.”
The revitalized Sublime began playing select shows and festivals, including Coachella in 2024. They collaborated with roots reggae group Stick Figure on "Feel Like That," the first new Sublime release in 27 years, which hit No. 7 on the Alternative Airplay chart.
While there was initial talk of working with Travis Barker of Blink-182 and John Feldmann of Goldfinger, the band decided to keep production closer to home. Until the Sun Explodes was recorded with Jakobs Castle producer Jon Joseph at Harbor Martyr Studios in San Pedro.
The 21-track album, complete with spoken-word skits, features an expanded Sublime lineup including guitarists Trey Pangborn and Zane “Zayno” Vandevort, and DJ Product (nee Doug Boyce). Joseph also contributed instrumentation.
A poignant appearance comes from Nowell’s grandfather, Jim Nowell, who passed away earlier this year, on “Maybe Partying Will Help…Pt. 2.” Guest spots include H.R. (“Trey’s Song”), Garrett “G. Love” Dutton (“Come Correct”), Fletcher Dragge from Pennywise (“247-369”), and bands Fidlar (“Backwards”) and Skeggs (“Favorite Song”).
Nowell admits a new Sublime album was "another big never-will" for him, but performing together changed his perspective. "Truth be told, we just kept playing together at rehearsals and soundchecks," he explained. "We’re all very jam-oriented musicians, so we’d have these little parts we’d return to that started to sound like they could be (new songs), and it seemed natural to move forward with that.”
His deep understanding of Sublime's history provided a clear vision for the album's sonic direction. "I think Sublime, at its core, is a California punk rock band that experimented with many different genres," Nowell clarifies.
He highlights their reverence for classic reggae and dub artists like Johnny Osbourne, King Tubby, and Jacob Miller, alongside their immersion in '90s hip-hop from Long Beach and L.A. "They just had to try their hand at it all, how a punk band would do it. It’s just messy and frenetic…and that’s how you get that classic sound."
"That’s what we went for on (Until the Sun Explodes), too, the same sensibility. It’s a paradox; we entirely revere the music, but the very nature of the music is (to be) super irreverent, right? It’s almost pure chaos and fun…and hopefully people get the same feeling here as they did on (1992’s) 40oz. to Freedom and the stuff they did back then.”
Until the Sun Explodes has already seen a warm reception, with both the title track and album opener "Ensenada" hitting No. 1 on Alternative Airplay.
The band has a packed schedule of upcoming shows, kicking off June 13 at San Diego’s Petco Park. This includes their own Sublime Festival on June 27 in Portland, Oregon, and appearances at Vans Warped Tour stops in Montreal and Orlando, Florida.
They are also on the bill for the Louder Than Life festival in September in Louisville, Kentucky, and the Aftershock Festival in October in Sacramento, culminating in the Sublime Reef Madness Cruise in November.
Gaugh is optimistic about the future. "We’re looking into next year already, too," he states. "I know that we are already looking to schedule some Australia/New Zealand dates next year. I can see a Pacific Rim tour happening. I can see another European vacation."
He adds, "We’re looking forward to doing some more laps around the good ol’ U.S. of A….The shows have been amazing. We’re selling out. And I think this album is going to blow the doors off people when they hear everything.”
Despite the excitement, Until the Sun Explodes is currently positioned as the "last" Sublime album, a view Nowell confirms. "Unless a child of mine wants to make another one one day, this is the last one I’m gonna make," he asserts.
"I think you have to know your goals, set out to achieve them, and if you do you must then create new goals," he continues. "I love doing this and it’s truly healed me in many ways, and allowed me to grow as an entertainer and performer. But I wish to carry the flag forward in different ways now.”
Nowell plans to "play a few Sublime shows every year and keep the faces smiling," but his main focus will shift to Jakobs Castle and SVNBVRNT Records, his label with Vandevort.
He aims to support other Southern California artists who he believes "are making local kids really excited, just like when Sublime started. This is the real renaissance that I hope my time with Sublime can clue people into. These are the true people who have inherited the mantle.”
While acknowledging that the success of Until the Sun Explodes might generate calls for more, Nowell remains firm, though open to future change. "My feeling could change in the future. But it would be enough into the future where it would be a moot point."
He concludes, "I’ve done what I thought was impossible and I’m very proud with the results. I would want Until the Sun Explodes to feel like epilogue, the victory lap, a celebration of Sublime’s history and a love letter to my father and all of his friends and the scene that raised me and touched so many people’s lives. After this I’d really like to pass that along and help the kids who want to do something similar.”
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