THE VICIOUS CYCLES

Full throttle from Vancouver to wherever the open road takes them, The Vicious Cycles are BACK with their new LP Get Wrecked on Pirates Press Records!

The album is available for pre-order now on 12” Colored Vinyl. The band revved the engine on the new record at the end of January with the high-octane lead single, “Hold On Tight” and its incredible video. Most recently, they’ve followed that up by running amok in Las Vegas in the video for the album’s second single, “Daddy Was a Gambler.”

Stream here: https://vyd.co/DaddyWasAGambler

“Daddy Was a Gambler” references Vicious Cycles lead singer Billy Bones‘s father – an ex-preacher who regularly hauled his kids to Circus Circus in his ’57 Chevy – and his mother, a nurse and, as Billy puts it, “as close to an actual saint as anyone in the world. The song is an appreciation for the two of them, and how their differences made me who I am.” The single is available on all major streaming platforms.

As for the video, did the garage punkers line up all proper documentation with the locations they shot the video? “They say it’s sometimes better to ask for forgiveness than permission,” says the band. “So we send our most sincere apologies to The Silver Stamp, Dino’s Lounge, Koolsville, The D Hotel & Casino, Plaza Hotel & Casino, and Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino for filming in and around your fine establishments.”

“Daddy Was a Gambler” follows the lead single, “Hold On Tight,” released along with its video at the end of January.

“Hold On Tight,” is about, as Cycles head honcho Billy Bones puts it, “the physical feeling of riding with your favorite person on the back of your motorcycle – easily one of the best feelings a human can have.” So, a classic biker anthem? “But also,” he’s quick to add, “a metaphor for life and relationships. We’re gonna make it.” Waxing philosophical with motorcycles as allegory over chrome-plated punk rock ’n roll? That’s The Vicious Cycles’ songwriting in a nutshell. The single is now available on all major streaming platforms.

Before you even get the shrink wrap off the gatefold jacket of Get Wrecked, you can guess what kind of party you’re in for. “Our pal Shakey Deal is the cover model,” says Cycles head honcho Billy Bones. “A tuff looking scrub on a minibike says a lot about who we are.” And who is that exactly? “We play garage/punk rock and roll songs about motorcycles. We like to have a good time.”

The promise of debauchery carries over into song titles like “Naked On a Beach,” and “On Fire in the Hot Tub.” As rip-roaring, danceable party music goes, it’s second to none, and rest assured there’s plenty of bike-enthusiast inside baseball, but as is the case with “Daddy Was a Gambler” & “Hold On Tight,” the lyrics often go deeper than a superficial glance might indicate.

“Naked On A Beach” sounds like a party, but Billy explains it’s “a critique of capitalism and the tiny lives we’re expected – and sometimes content – to live.” Even the title track, “Get Wrecked,” is more than just a statement of defiance; it’s a message to Billy‘s son about dealing with the conformist naysayers of the world.

Longtime fans & newcomers alike will be stoked for the straightaways, but stick around for the
twists and turns, just like any good ride. The band brings in pals on strings & saxophone for a 60s Wall of Sound-inspired production on “Black Boots, Black Leather Jacket,” and try their hands at their first murder ballad on “Pretty Hands.” There’s an instrumental tune (“Blowing Smoke“) and hell, there’s even a deep cut cover of “Trouble Again” – originally performed by Stewart Copeland of The Police – which only the biggest nerds of a certain age will recall as the theme song to the 80s Star Wars animated series Droids!

In the end, no matter the detours, the band – along with Jesse Gander (Territories, Comeback Kid), & Mariessa McLeod at Rain City Recorders – kept their eyes on the prize: sing-along choruses, handclaps, and short songs that get the job done and don’t overstay their welcome. “I didn’t want us to write a record that you could dance to.” quips Billy. “I wanted us to write a record that you couldn’t not dance to.”

Get Wrecked by The Vicious Cycles is available for pre-order on 12″ Bleach Marble Vinyl & 12” Black Ice & Orange Crush Pinwheel Vinyl with Neon Orange Splatter from the Pirates Press Records webstore, and will be available wherever fine gas guzzlin’ punk records are sold on April 25th!

Tracklist:
SIDE A
01. I’m Alive
02. Hold On Tight
03. Daddy Was A Gambler
04. M.I.A.
05. Pull Start My Heart
06. Blowin’ Smoke
SIDE B
07. Lift As You Climb
08, Naked On A Beach
09. Black Boots, Black Leather Jacket 10. On Fire In the Hot Tub
11. Trouble Again
12. Get Wrecked
13. Pretty Hands
14. Smoke Em If You Got Em

The Vicious Cycles recently opened multiple dates for punk rock legends FEAR, and they are eagerly anticipating their upcoming record release show!