New Jersey punk legends, The Bouncing Souls, have announced “Volume 2”, a cheekily titled album of reimagined songs from across their catalog. Due out October 23rd from Pure Noise Records, “Volume 2” was produced by Will Yip (The Menzingers, Title Fight, Tigers Jaw) and offers a new take on the timeless songwriting at the heart of the band’s three decade career. The album features different versions of ten classic Souls songs as well as one brand new track, “World On Fire”.
To mark the announcement the band have shared their update on “Ghosts On The Boardwalk” a perfect example of the fresh light that “Volume 2” shines on The Bouncing Souls‘ music. The song opens with sparse guitar and vocals before slowly blooming into a soaring arrangement that peels back the distortion while maintaining the heart-lifting elements that make The Bouncing Souls so enduring.
The initial spark for “Volume 2” came from the acoustic sets The Bouncing Souls were playing before the shows on their 30th anniversary tour in 2019, but the idea quickly expanded once they got in the studio with Yip. “We initially wanted to recreate some of the stripped-down vibe of the acoustic sets, but if anything, these versions are much more involved than the original versions” guitarist Pete Steinkopf says. “The first day we got to the studio Will said something like ‘we’re not gonna just make an acoustic record, right guys?’ We were like ‘hell no’ and then we were off to the races.” The process provided a unique opportunity for the band to recast some of their most cherished music. “Many of the songs we recorded have been around for twenty years or more and we’ve played them thousands of times” vocalist Greg Attonito says “It was really satisfying to bring 30 years of experience to these recordings. We knew the songs inside and out so it was fun to stretch them out a bit and see what happened”.
