Punk-rock outfit Jools return with new single ‘Guts’ via Hassle Records, which explores themes of self definition, resilience and triumph. It’s raw, and unapologetically confrontational, reflecting an unyielding determination to rise above challenges, criticism and creative constraints. The song is a declaration of strength and survival.
With exciting things to come in 2025, the 6-piece serve as a creative confluence for inspirations that move from the punk and post-punk of Fontaines DC, Iggy Pop, Amyl & The Sniffers and PJ Harvey, through the shoegaze of My Bloody Valentine, rage of Soft Play and Kills Birds, and into territories marked metal, rap and pop.
The world of Jools is a space in which such progress and evolution can thrive. It’s there on stage, and it’s there in your headphones. Jools are a freedom of sound and freedom of self, an unfiltered expression of and search for truth, expressed with inextinguishable indignation. Be it a punch in the face or a kiss on the cheek, Jools is nothing if not a band to believe in.
Speaking of the new single they say, “Guts references a time in our life when we felt utterly despaired and stuck in a situation we were in. We were struggling with artistic freedom and creation and felt stifled by the thought that maybe the dream – being successful as a band – was over for us. We’ve always believed in ourselves, and it was so frustrating to be in a scenario where it felt like we were waiting for everybody else to catch up. Guts is the alternative option to giving up and rolling over and accepting defeat. It’s about the determination, desire and even delusion at times, that we could break through the situation because we knew in our hearts we were destined for something more.”
Explaining further, “The instrumental was written by Joe after being trapped on a packed train and desperately wanting to get off. This kind of lends itself to the lyrical themes too- being in a figurative trapped space, being forced to stay there by external forces before eventually breaking through and ending up somewhere you feel free and joyful.”
Tour Dates
APRIL 2025
03 Gullivers, Manchester, UK
04 The Exchange, Bristol, UK
05 The Hope & Ruin, Brighton, UK
MAY 2025
13 Voodoo Daddy’s, Norwich, UK (with Dead Pioneers)
14 Downstairs @ The Dome, London, UK (with Dead Pioneers & False Reality)
23 Sneister Festival, Den Haag, NL
24 Hebebühne, Hamburg, DE
26 Badehaus Szimpla, Berlin, DE
27 Blue Shell, Cologne, DE
28 Magazinkeller, Bremen, DE
30 Vestrock Festival, Hulst, NL
