Legendary power poppers THE SPONGETONES return to continue their ongoing series of standalone singles with the all-new track “(I Really Need) To Kiss You,” a pitch-perfect swinging chamber pop mini-masterpiece that's sure to follow their recent hit “So Long” onto the indie airwaves and into their longtime fans' hearts. The single is out June 5 and is up for pre-order and pre-save now:

https://orcd.co/spongetones-irntky

It's been less than a year since Power Pop Hall Of Famers THE SPONGETONES – singer-songwriters JAMIE HOOVER (guitar), STEVE STOECKEL (bass), PAT WALTERS (guitar) and recently-inducted drummer ERIC WILLHELM – released their milestone live album THE 40th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT... AND BEYOND. Joyously embraced by fans as an essential document of the band's onstage prowess and decades-deep catalog of modern guitar pop classics, it's perhaps most relevant here for its sly inclusion of three brand new studio bonus tracks (“Lulu's In Love,” “Help Me Janie” and “Honest Work”) which not only became solid hits on global indie radio in their own right but also set the stage for more to come. Earlier this year, the new single “So Long” became the fourth new composition and recording to prove that THE SPONGETONES, in their fifth decade as a band, are in no way resting on their laurels, but instead entering a new era... one that shows every sign of being a true renaissance for the group, and for faithful and new fans of hook-heavy harmonizing rock and roll worldwide.

That brings us to gorgeous new single “(I Really Need) To Kiss You,” resplendent with chamber pop arrangement touches evoking the likes of Pet Sounds, Sgt. Peppers and Odessey and Oracle while rocking out like only THE SPONGETONES can. Its natural fit within the band's oeuvre makes it a delightful surprise that, after the recent songs showing off the undimmed songwriting chops of founders HOOVER, STOECKEL and WALTERS, it's the newest member of the band who provided the melodic framework for “To Kiss You.” As drummer-vocalist ERIC WILLHELM tells it, “I’ve had this melody knocking around in my head for quite some time. Over the years it’s had placeholder lyrics with subjects ranging from a girl dressed as a fish stick to the agony of misinterpreting a person’s body language. I decided to see what The Spongetones' brains trust could do with it, and Jamie came up with some great lyrics that capture the optimistic nature of the melody. From there everything else fell into place, with Steve and Pat adding their own delicious talents. So finally, after years of bouncing around my head, the song is ready to leave the nest.”

Hoover picks up the tale: “Eric sent me a copy of a demo he had put together of what we now call '(I Really Need) To Kiss You.' Great sounding thing, and I immediately said Hell yeah! Let me at it! All I needed was lyrics, and they streamed to me from 'above.' It was almost like taking dictation. It happens like that every so often, and this was such a time. I really just got the lyrics from how the music made me feel. They fell right into the track very quickly. It’s always a joy when this happens! It was given to me.” It's also Hoover's ace production the blends the sophistication of the arrangement with the expected drive of the band, making it clear that THE SPONGETONES are on a roll. They tell us there are two more tracks already set to follow this one, raising the tantalizing prospect of not only a new album, but one of their best. Stand by!

Expected release: June 5, 2026

Power Pop Hall Of Fame inductees THE SPONGETONES, fresh off the success of their acclaimed live album THE 40th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT... AND BEYOND, return to make good on the promise of that album's trio of new studio bonus tracks by kicking off an ongoing series of standalone singles with “So Long,” an all-new track featuring all three founding members and showcasing the songcraft and pitch-perfect retro stylings that have made them mainstays on the indie pop and power pop scene for decades. The single is out March 13 and is up for pre-order and pre-save now:

https://orcd.co/spongetones-solong

THE SPONGETONES – singer-songwriters JAMIE HOOVER (guitar), STEVE STOECKEL (bass) and PAT WALTERS (guitar), joined in recent years by full-time drummer/vocalist ERIC WILLHELM – have been crafting, recording and performing neo-classics in the British Invasion mold together since well before their iconic 1982 debut album BEAT MUSIC. They've maintained that legacy across the decades on a series of well-received studio albums (nearly ten, depending on how you count them, the most recent being 2009's SCRAMBLED EGGS) and built a catalog of new pop rock classics brilliantly captured with all the band's esteemed onstage prowess and energy on the live album released last year. The real treasure for longtime fans was the inclusion of three brand new studio tracks, also released as singles: “Lulu's In Love,” “Help Me Janie” and “Honest Work,” all hits on global indie radio and tantalizing signs that the album was not just a career summary but a step forward for THE SPONGETONES as well.

And indeed, after the album's release, the band went back into the studio for more. “It made perfect sense,” Jamie Hoover says. “We have the ability to record new material together, and with four songwriters in the band, we felt energized. After such a long period between previous releases, it was time.” And so, like many of the British Invasion and pop-rock legends who inspired them (you can hear strains of both the tender side of Beatles-era McCartney and the primal drive of the early Who on “So Long”) THE SPONGETONES return to taking it one song at a time, with brilliantly radio-ready results.

“The song 'So Long' is about a failed relationship, a tune that starts wistfully but quickly changes in tempo and tone to a rocker, then gently descends into a final goodbye,” says STOECKEL, who sings the lead vocal here and co-wrote the song with HOOVER. “Driven by the vocal harmonies, guitars, and keyboards that are Spongetones hallmarks, the song’s irony is that it’s not so much 'so long' but rather 'welcome back' from us, as a band that’s been writing and recording for decades.” With all hands on board and Hoover's deft production (not to mention a double turn on piano and organ from WALTERS), it's an emotive mini-epic with plaintive acoustic passages framing a surging rock core, still barely clearing the three-minute mark in classic SPONGETONES style. And it's the first of many new singles on the way as the band enters an all-new era of Beat Music. Stay tuned!

BIG STIR RECORDS presents a very special new album from power pop legends THE SPONGETONES, celebrating the band's illustrious past, their live onstage present, and the promise of future recordings yet to come: THE 40th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT... AND BEYOND. Featuring 18 live tracks from the band's rapturously-received 2021 homestate gig, drawing from all four decades of the Power Pop Hall Of Famers' catalog, as well as three brand new studio tracks released as singles this year, it's a comprehensive look at what makes THE SPONGETONES so beloved... and a cornucopia of hooks and harmonies for the ages. The album is out August 15 on CD and Streaming worldwide, and is up for pre-order and pre-save now:

https://orcd.co/spongetones-40beyond

THE SPONGETONES likely need no introduction to our audience: singer-songwriters JAMIE HOOVER (guitar), STEVE STOECKEL (bass) and PAT WALTERS (guitar) have been crafting, recording and performing neo-classics in the British Invasion mold together since well before their iconic 1982 debut album BEAT MUSIC. Their induction into the Power Pop Hall Of Fame might have been assured by that album, ranked as the #13 genre album of all in John M. Borack's authoritative guidebook Shake Some Action, and the equally-beloved TORN APART EP (1984), between them featuring the essential oft-anthologized classics like “She Goes Out With Everybody,” “My Girl Maryanne,” and “Have You Ever Been Torn Apart?” – just to cite a song apiece from the band's three world-class creative forces. But the band's catalog extends well into the '90s and 2000s, with a series of terrific albums and frequent live shows in their native North Carolina and beyond cementing their reputation not only as guitar pop progenitors, but some of its finest present day practitioners as well.

All of which brings us to August 14, 2021, at Charlotte’s McGlohon Theatre and the band, by then including longtime drummer CHRIS GARGES, taking the stage for a pandemic-delayed sold-out show drawing from their entire four-decade career, and offering definitive proof for those in attendance that the band belongs among the greats. Fans in the audience – and perhaps even more so, those who couldn't attend – began asking two questions in equal measure: might the show materialize as the long-awaited career-spanning live album? And, inevitably, would there be new music from The Spongetones, or was this a farewell performance?

The new album answers both those questions with a resounding and appropriate “Oh Yeah!” – and it's all here on one disc. The surprise rollout began in May with the announcement, release, and embrace on global indie radio of the first new Spongetones studio track since 2009's Scramble Eggs album: the Stoeckel-penned “Lulu's In Love,” a fresh update of the band's signature sound and a joy to hear on the airwaves. It was followed in recent weeks by the equally pure pop perfection of “Help Me Janie” with the spotlight on Hoover. And before the new album hits record stores, Walters will get his turn on lead vocals with the absolutely delightful “Honest Work”, completing a trilogy of singles that point to way toward a bright future for The Spongetones in their fifth decade as a band, with new drummer ERIC WILLHELM providing the beat for this new harvest of beat music.

The three new studio tracks shine at the end of the main event showcased on THE 40th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT... AND BEYOND. Anyone concerned that this crucial live performance might be lost to history need not have worried: captured from the soundboard by Daniel Hodges and personally mixed by the band's Jamie Hoover, the tracks here sparkle with clarity and capture the energy of a band firing on all cylinders. Longtime drummer CHRIS GARGES positively shines bringing so much of the Spongetones songbook to life in one of his final performances – he would pass away just months after the show, and the album is lovingly dedicated to his memory.

The setlist includes the evergreen early classics mentioned earlier along with the 1980 debut single “Better Take It Easy” and four more gems from the first album: “Here I Go Again,” “Every Night Is A Holiday,” “Where Were You Last Night?” and “Don't You Know?” There are also rousing renditions of “Must Be Lust” from 2008's Too Clever By Half and “She'll Be Gone” from 2009's Scrambled Eggs, both released since the then-career-summarizing “Best Of” collection Always Carry On in 2005. Together, the new singles and a clutch of '90s and early-21st century gems like “Not So,” “The One That Gets You” and the perhaps-definitively-anthemic “Oh Yeah!” combine to make a solid argument that THE 40th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT... AND BEYOND just might be the definitive document of THE SPONGETONES both onstage and as a songwriting collective.

It also explicitly points the way forward for these North Carolina champions of the power pop sound. After all, what better way to celebrate the release of a live album than with another concert? And what can one do after a trio of super-strong and successful new singles but begin writing and recording more? The band is now a fixture on a combined roster that included fellow Power Pop Hall Of Famers The Flashcubes, Splitsville, and 20/20, and like those genre titans, THE SPONGETONES clearly have more music to share. The best part is, we can guarantee you'll hear it before too long.

Big Stir Records is delighted to bring you a new single featuring the third of three new 2025 studio recording from power pop legends THE SPONGETONES: “Honest Work”. Following the band's recent indie hits “Help Me Janie” and “Lulu's In Love”, it will join them alongside new live versions of the band's classics on the new collection THE 40th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT... AND BEYOND, triumphantly completing the “Beyond” part of the track list. The new single is out August 8 on all digital platforms, just one week before the new album, and it's up for pre-order and pre-save now:

https://orcd.co/spongetones-honestwork

Well into their fifth decade as a band and card-carrying members of the Power Pop Hall Of Fame, THE SPONGETONES have always been remarkable for counting three world-class singer-songwriters as their core members, each having penned beloved, oft-anthologized classics with the band. Naturally, many were performed at the concert from which the new album takes its title; to name but a few, there's guitarist JAMIE HOOVER's “She Goes Out With Everybody”, bassist STEVE STOECKEL's “My Girl Maryanne”, and guitarist PAT WALTERS' “Have You Ever Been Torn Apart?” (recently covered, with Spongetones participation, by the band's fellow Hall Of Famers The Flashcubes). As the album version of the Anniversary Concert took shape and the band elected to round it out with a forward-looking handful of new studio tracks, it was decided that each of the longtime creative leads would take the spotlight on one of the trilogy of new singles.

It's WALTERS who delivers the lead vocal on “Honest Work” (Hoover, who co-wrote the song, having delivered the recent “Help Me Janie,” with Stoeckel kicking thing off back in May with “Lulu's In Love”, although all the fresh indie radio hits feature the full band including new drummer ERIC WILLHELM). It's another clear winner, too, a muscular shuffle with a touch of Merseybeat stirred in, and a wonderful dollop of the humor that's always set THE SPONGETONES apart. Homestate fans – many of whom were surely in attendance at the anniversary show – are certain to appreciate the callout to North Carolina on the Pet Sounds-like coda.

“The title says it all,” says Steve on Pat's behalf . “Just trying to do a good job whether digging a ditch or writing and recording music (which can sometimes be as hard mentally as the other is physically). The longer you write songs, the odds improve that you’ll find a few that seem easy, almost like taking dictation. Most, however, are hard work, and honest work only if they come out of your own head instead of a program.” That might be a surprising take, considering that Pat (and Jamie and Steve) were penning some of the timeless music they performed at THE 40th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT as far back as the late '70s, but soon fans will be able to hear THE SPONGETONES hard at work on the album drawn from that show... and they'll be able to hear the band moving BEYOND, too, on the trio of singles that “Honest Work” concludes on a very high note indeed.

Big Stir Records proudly continues to roll out new music in a banner year for THE SPONGETONES with the announcement of “Help Me Janie”, the second in a trilogy of all-new singles from the Power Pop Hall Of Famers set to appear on a soon-to-be-announced album celebrating the band's past, present and future. The followup to their recent indie hit “Lulu's In Love”, the new single is out July 11 on all digital platforms, and it's up for pre-order and pre-save now:

https://orcd.co/spongetones-janie

Having only just returned to the airwaves with new music for the first time in sixteen years, THE SPONGETONES are wasting no time in adding to their illustrious songbook of power pop classics. Each of the band's celebrated core singer-songwriters – JAMIE HOOVER (guitar), STEVE STOECKEL (bass) and PAT WALTERS (guitar) – take center stage on one of the three new tunes, and while Stoeckel provided the recent hit “Lulu's In Love”, it's Hoover stepping to the fore on “Janie's In Love,” co-written with pop tunesmith and noted solo artist MICHAEL SLAWTER. Jamie tells the tale of the collaboration's origin:

“One day I got an MP3 from my good friend Michael, and the only thing it said on it was 'Help me, Jamie!' I listened to it, and it was the bed of a track with no lyrics, and he wanted me to help him finish it up. The more I thought about the title 'Help Me Jamie,' the more I thought it sounded great with the exception of changing Jamie to Janie instead. As I fooled with the idea, it became a story about two best girlfriends – Janie and an unnamed friend. Both knew everything about each other. I decided to go after the second girl by using Janie to get to her friend! 'If I kiss her on your lips, would you tell her what I say?' A twist on the classic pop music relationship song.”

It's brilliantly performed by the band (including new drummer ERIC WILLHELM) with chiming guitars, soaring harmonies and an ebullient energy well beyond what most groups in their fifth decade of recording could dream of achieving. It's practically the definition of “radio ready” and set to be another hit on the global indie airwaves for a band that's long deserved to be more widely heard. Soon to be followed by a single showcasing PAT WALTERS, “Help Me Janie” is also set for inclusion on an album documenting THE SPONGETONES' rapturously-received 40th Anniversary concert in their home state of North Carolina. Details on the collection are forthcoming from Big Stir Records, but the broad strokes are already a power pop fan's dream: all the should've-been-hits from the band performed with all the energy for which they're renowned, plus three new studio tracks demonstrating that THE SPONGETONES still have more to sing about. “Help Me Janie” is a standout even in a catalog as strong as the one on display on the new album, and it won't be long until you can have them all on one platter. Stand by for more news!

Ladies and gentleman, connoisseurs of hooks and harmonies, and keepers of the power pop flame: Big Stir Records is very happy to bring you the welcome news that THE SPONGETONES are back. The beloved Power Pop Hall Of Famers kick off a year that will celebrate their past, present and future – all on one very special album – with the first new music of their fifth decade as a band. The new single “Lulu's In Love” sees release on all digital platforms May 30, and is up for pre-order and pre-save now:

https://orcd.co/spongetones-lulu

THE SPONGETONES likely need no introduction to our audience: singer-songwriters JAMIE HOOVER (guitar), STEVE STOECKEL (bass) and PAT WALTERS (guitar) have been crafting, recording and performing neo-classics in the British Invasion mold together since well before their acclaimed 1982 debut album BEAT MUSIC. And while they've been active in recent years onstage, most notably at their rapturously-received 40th Anniversary concert in their home state of North Carolina, and on recordings like Stoeckel's 2023 solo debut album THE POWER OF AND and together in collaboration with their fellow Hall Of Famers The Flashcubes, there hasn't been a proper new Spongetones studio track since 2009's SCRAMBLED EGGS album.

That changes now, with “Lulu's In Love” – the first of three fresh singles to herald their new album, which will bundle them together with the widely-requested highlights of the Anniversary show. Each single features the full current lineup of the band including new full-time drummer ERIC WILLHELM, and each one spotlights the talents of one of the three longtime Spongetones. Steve Stoeckel is first up with “Lulu”, a brand new tune that takes the band's Merseybeat roots to heart, and in surprising directions, too, as the band's fans have come to expect: a timeless melody, ringing guitars, sophisticated harmonies, unexpected chord changes and a bit of sly lyrical humor.

“Musically, it's a tune that recalls a bit of the band’s early days. And the lyrical approach is familiar, too, albeit with a twist,” says Stoeckel. “I started out with a girl’s name – one you don’t hear much anymore. Lulu began as a sweet young thing, but before the first verse was done, she had turned into a monster heartbreaker whom guys fell in line to fall over. The singer was one of them, and the song is a warning.”

If that sounds like the stuff of classic power pop, it most certainly is... and there's more where it came from. In a year that's already seen the return of genre legends like 20/20 and Sorrows, the re-emergence of THE SPONGETONES in all their glory feels only natural. The music they have in store for you stands with their very best, and at the pinnacle of the guitar pop form itself. Stand by!