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| Ballyhoo! Photo: Dennis Pike |
For more than two decades, Ballyhoo! have been turning the restless energy of the Chesapeake coast into one of alternative music’s most feel-good and enduring success stories. The Maryland band’s "beach pop-punk" sound — a sun-soaked collision of pop punk, alt-rock, and massive singalong hooks — has carried them from clubs and festival stages across the U.S., Japan, and Canada to a fiercely loyal fanbase that keeps growing with every record and every tour. On August 28, Ballyhoo! will release their tenth studio album, Bad Summer, via Right Coast Records — a vibrant, hook-packed record that finds the band sounding bigger, sharper, and more confident than ever.
Produced by John Feldmann (Blink-182, Goldfinger, Avril Lavigne), Bad Summer represents a full-circle moment for Ballyhoo!, pairing the band with one of their earliest influences for what may be their most ambitious and accessible album to date. Across the album, Ballyhoo! double down on the punchy melodies, high-energy choruses, and undeniable melodic instincts that have defined their catalog from the start, while pushing their sound into a brighter, broader, and more explosive space.
“Ballyhoo! were a joy to work with,” says Feldmann. “They are all such incredible musicians and super open-minded, and we made an awesome album. I can’t wait for everyone to hear it. So stoked to be included in this musical masterpiece.”
That sense of excitement runs through every part of Bad Summer. While Ballyhoo! have always carved out their own lane, this record feels especially built to connect with fans of hook-heavy, feel-good alternative music — the kind of album that can sit comfortably alongside the pop-punk energy of Bowling for Soup, the ska-punk spirit of Less Than Jake, and the big-chorus summer immediacy of bands that know exactly how to turn catharsis into a party. It’s still unmistakably Ballyhoo!: loud, breezy, emotionally direct, and impossible not to move to. But there’s also a fresh immediacy here that makes the album feel like a genuine leap forward rather than simply a continuation of what came before.
The album release follows a string of standout singles that have already offered fans a taste of what’s ahead, including the title track “Bad Summer,” “Cali Girl II,” and the gloriously unfiltered “I Guess I’ll Go Fuck Myself.” The next preview, “Thunderstorms,” arrives July 31, further building momentum toward the full-length’s release.
Pre-save Bad Summer and stream the singles here:
badsummer.ballyhoorocks.com
If Ballyhoo!’s studio records capture the band’s charm, their live show is where that chemistry truly explodes. Their concerts are sweaty, celebratory, and relentlessly fun — the kind of sets that turn casual listeners into diehards by the final chorus. That reputation has earned them appearances on the Vans Warped Tour, Oceans Calling, and Punk Rock Holiday, along with support slots for 311, Reel Big Fish, Dirty Heads, and Less Than Jake.
This summer, Ballyhoo! will take that live energy overseas for the first time with performances at BrakRock and Punk Rock Holiday in Europe, before returning stateside for a fall tour with Bowling for Soup. The band is also set to appear on the 311 Caribbean Cruise, sailing March 10–15, 2027 from Miami to Jamaica and Grand Cayman.
For a band ten albums deep, Ballyhoo! sound anything but complacent. Bad Summer captures a group still pushing, still growing, and still chasing the kind of songs that can soundtrack both the best nights and the messiest mornings of summer. It’s a record built on everything Ballyhoo! have always done well — huge choruses, easy chemistry, and a sense of joy that never feels forced — but delivered with a renewed sense of purpose that makes this chapter feel especially significant.
Bad Summer arrives August 28 via Right Coast Records.
