Smash Mouth Announces First New Music Since Death of Cofounder Steve Harwell to Mark 30th Anniversary
"We wrote it as a continuation of our 2001 hit single, 'Pacific Coast Party,' with a similar good-vibe feel," explained bassist Paul Gerald DeLisle in a statement
Smash Mouth is ready to pay tribute to Steve Harwell seven months after his untimely death at age 56.
The band will release its first single since the death of the co-founder and former frontman on Friday, April 12.
Titled "Ride On," the track marks the band's 30th anniversary since first forming in 1994 and has an infectious guitar melody previewed through a snippet shared by the band on Instagram.
"We wrote it as a continuation of our 2001 hit single, 'Pacific Coast Party,' with a similar good-vibe feel," explained bassist Paul Gerald DeLisle in a statement. "It's a very Smash Mouth-California style of rock/disco custom song made just for summer, a respectful and loving homage to Pablo Cruise."
The single was a collective written by DeLisle and vocalist Zachary Goode, guitarist Sean Hurwitz, drummer Randy Cooke, and keyboardist Michael Klooster.
The band is making it the soundtrack to their summer tour with lyrics such as "We got the wheels/We got the weather/We got the right of way together."
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The group summer shows begin on Friday, April 19, with a performance at the Island Resort & Casino in Harris, Michigan. The band will tour the United States with stops also scheduled in New York, Arizona, and California until Tuesday, Aug. 20.
When Harwell died of acute liver failure on Monday, Sept. 4, 2023, the band remembered him as a "true American Original."
"A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle. Steve should be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom," wrote the band via a joint statement on Instagram.
Earl Gibson III/WireImage
Steve Harwell performs in Los Angeles in July 2016"And the fact that he achieved this near-impossible goal with very limited musical experience makes his accomplishments all the more remarkable. His only tools were his irrepressible charm and charisma, his fearlessly reckless ambition, and his king-size cajones," the statement continued.
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The band added that Harwell "lived a 100% full-throttle life burning brightly across the universe before burning out."
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