Brisbane trio Bugs have announced they’ll release their third studio album, ‘Cooties’, on March 25, with a national tour kicking off a month later.
To coincide with the announcement, the band have shared latest single ‘In the Middle (Of It)’ – a punchy burst of fuzzed-out guitar-pop that sees frontman Connor Brooker meditate on “feeling like youʼre always the second option for someone”.
“The to and fro internally while trying to figure out where you stand with someone can be so confusing,” Brooker explained in a statement. “Itʼs kind of just an internal dialogue I had while being effectively lead on by someone already in a relationship.”
Listen to ‘In the Middle (Of It)’ below:
‘In the Middle (Of It)’ is the fourth single to be lifted from ‘Cooties’, following on from ‘Old Youth Feeling’ in 2020, and last year’s ‘Diamond’ and ‘Decisions, Commitments & Plans’.
The majority of the album was recorded at drummer Brock Weston’s home studio, with Weston engineering and producing much of the record’s final tracks. “I wrote most of the songs between 2019-2020 and as the obvious gems worked their way onto the final track listing the theme of the album came together,” Brooker says.
“It’s all about coexisting realities, relationships in your twenties, finding your place in the world. I’ve gone through pretty drastic and destabilising change at times and I guess it’s representative of a lot of personal experiences over the last few years.
“Some of the songs are pretty sad, some are full of angst, others unbridled joy. It’s a polarising mix of music because life isn’t as linear as we’d often like it to be.”
Bugs will kick off a national tour in support of ‘Cooties’ in April. Kicking off April 22 at the Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle, the 17-date run will take in a slew of metro and regional shows, wrapping up at the end of May in WA. Support for the tour will come from LOSER and VOIID. See tour dates, along with the album art and tracklist for ‘Cooties’, below.
🦠 ‘COOTIES’ is out MARCH 25 🦠
You can stream our new song ‘In The Middle (Of It)’ here 👉 https://t.co/hGFGZqP5kS 👈 TEXT 0439 757 555 to let triple j know you’re into it 💕 pre-orders go live TOMORROW 9AM so keep your eyes peeled 👀 ❤️🔥
🎨 Art by Aidan Ryan 🎨 pic.twitter.com/dyLm67avWw— Bugs (@BUGS_band) February 3, 2022
The tracklist for ‘Cooties’ by Bugs is:
1. ‘Old Youth Feeling’
2. ‘Diamond’
3. ‘In the Middle (Of It)’
4. ‘Coming to Get Me’
5. ‘Alone Again’
6. ‘Decisions, Commitments & Plans’
7. ‘What Goes On (In Your Head)’
8. ‘Mars & Venus’
9. ‘Bridge’
10. ‘Microwaver’
Bugs’ 2022 national tour dates are:
APRIL
Friday 22 – Newcastle, The Cambridge
Saturday 23 – Sydney, Crowbar
Sunday 24 – Wollongong, La La La’s
Thursday 28 – Gold Coast, Vinnie’s Dive
Friday 29 – Maroochydore, Solbar
Saturday 30 – Brisbane, The Tivoli
MAY
Wednesday 4 – Rockhampton, Leichhardt Hotel
Thursday 5 – Mackay, Metropolitan Hotel
Friday 6 – Townsville, Dalrymple Hotel
Saturday 7 – Cairns, Edge Hill Tavern
Thursday 12 – Launceston, Royal Oak Hotel
Friday 13 – Hobart, Altar Bar
Friday 20 – Geelong, Barwon Club
Saturday 21 – Melbourne, Croxton
Friday 27 – Adelaide, Fat Controller
Saturday 28 – Perth, Jack Rabbit Slims
Sunday 29 – Scarborough, Indian Ocean Hotel