South Wales hard-rockers James Kennedy and The Underdogs will release their brand new album ‘Rebel’ on November 30th through Konic Records. It follows their powerful debut album ‘Make Anger Great Again’ and includes the singles ‘Us and Them’, ‘Shadows’, ‘Kill the Machines’ and ‘Revolution’ which features guest vocals from Skindred’s Benji Webbe.
Much like the bands’ live shows, the album is a high energy, punky, rip-roaring rebellious rally against the state of the world right now with abrasive riffs, street chants, pounding drums and songs about pirates, police, billionaires and psychopaths.
Singer James Kennedy says that the whole album was inspired by the writings of the famous French writer and existentialist thinker, Albert Camus. “I’m a huge Camus nerd and his philosophy of rebellion both politically and against the absurdity of the human condition speaks to me on every level. Mixing the message of a high-culture figure like Camus with the gritty urgency of punk rock makes me happy”
The literary interest makes sense as Kennedy is also a 2x published author, including his #1 best selling autobiography ‘Noise Damage’ which Sirius XM host Eric Alper described as “easily one of the greatest books ever written about music and being in a band”.
Musically, ‘Rebel’ takes the hard rock swagger of its predecessor and dials it up another ten notches. It’s faster, more urgent and rougher around the edges. Guitarist Jack Davies adds: “It was recorded the old-school way. Battered guitar pedals scattered everywhere, straight into an old beaten up amp, gear you can actually get your hands on, two takes and onto the next. No scrolling through digital menus and absolutely NO AI”
The album was mixed and mastered by long time Kennedy collaborator, Jeff Rose who has also worked with Bullet for My Valentine and Kennedy’s former band, Kyshera.
Tracklist:
System Breakdown
Skulls and Bones
Revolution featuring Benji Webbe
Shadows
Us and Them
The Rebel
Bad Apples
Kill the Machines
She’s a Riot
Preorder the album here: https://www.jameskennedyofficial.com/rebel
James Kennedy and The Underdogs are an alternative rock / punk band from Newport, South Wales, formed in 2023 by singer, author, podcaster and former Kyshera frontman, James Kennedy. The band includes Jack Davies on guitar, Elliot Blake on bass, and Aggy Nowicka on drums, all former and current members of the bands Kane’d, Catalysts, and Ravenbreed.
In their mere three years as a band they have already earned a reputation for their anarchic and high-energy live shows, described by the Moshville Times as “pure rock ‘n’ roll energy” and as “Wales’ most vital live act” by Uber Rock.
‘Rebel’ is set for release in November 2026 via Konic Records and will be available on all streaming platforms with vinyl and CD editions available from the band’s online store at: https://jameskennedystuff.bandcamp.com / https://www.jameskennedyofficial.com/rebel
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