Jakob Nowell on Sublime's Future: ‘It's Truly Never Over'
Jakob Nowell knows the mythology around Sublime is bigger than any one album cycle, reunion set or headline. He also knows the band's latest run has moved past curiosity and into something sturdier: chart traction, multigenerational crowds and a growing sense, inside the band, of real momentum.
In his earlier interview with Newsweek, Nowell summed up the challenge in a line that still defines this phase of the band: "You can't out-myth the original myth." Sublime, now featuring Nowell alongside original members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh, has leaned into that reality while rolling out new material, including "Ensenada" and Until The Sun Explodes.
"It's crazy looking back on everything that's happened," he says. "’Ensenada’ had overwhelming support from old fans and new fans, and brought in a big wave of young listeners, too. It's truly a dream come true for someone in a position like the one I find myself in."
Finding His Footing
Nowell says reception to the latest single and the album’s title track, Until the Sun Explodes, gave the band another signal they were connecting with audiences.
"Even just knowing it got there on the radio, on the alternative airplay charts, it means a lot," he says. "We're getting a lot of love from all the old channels and from the fans as well. So I'm really excited for this record to come out."
Two years into the role, he sounds more settled inside it.
"Leading into all this, it was a huge adjustment period," he says. "I just wanted to be respectful and do the right thing and have it make sense. Now, two years into singing for this project, I feel a lot more comfortable."
Comfort, he says, came through repetition.
"The more you play together with musicians, the more you understand their specific cues, and you just get more comfortable," he says. "I've really been able to conquer a lot of fears doing this."
Meaning of Until The Sun Explodes
For Nowell, Until The Sun Explodes carries the emotional center of the project.
"The whole record became like an epilogue to the entire history of Sublime," he says.
Nowell holds the familial connection close, adding, "and my victory lap, or like a thank you letter, a love letter to my dad and all of his friends and the family and everybody in the scene and all the fans as well."
He describes the title phrase as both promise and perspective.
"I love you till the sun explodes. It's a way to put things into perspective," he says. "Like, man, am I really going to be upset about something, or agonizing over something, or tripping just because I feel any certain type of way about stuff. It’s like, ‘no, the sun’s gonna explode someday,'" he explains.
"At the end of the day, the sun’s gonna explode someday, so you kind of have to smile and just say thank you to everything that came before you, and it really all culminated in that title track."
The album deftly blends modern sensibilities with the staple Sublime sound, effortlessly slotting into the group’s catalog. Over the album’s runtime, the group showcases the array of soundscapes that made the group popular in the first place, creating a sound that feels intentional rather than derivative.
Living Inside the Legacy
The album arrives alongside the 30th anniversary of Sublime's self-titled release, a milestone tied to one of alternative music's most durable legacies. Nowell knows he couldn't attempt to rewrite that history, but instead, he’s used the time to absorb and appreciate the legacy fully.
"I kind of have to take a step back and reanalyze what exactly it is that I'm doing," he says. "I'm appreciating, and I'm growing as a person, and trying to have fun with my friends and family and make music."
He says the process clarified the kind of artist he wants to be.
"I learned a lot about the type of music that I like to make, and how I like to create, and how I like to blend different genres."
His description of Sublime's sound remains rooted in range and instinct.
"First and foremost, Sublime was and is a punk rock band," he says. "They loved so many different albums and so many different kinds of music, and they really respected and revered it all."
In his view, the band's identity came from mixing influences without sanding off the edge.
"We tried to carry that forward," he says. "We wanted to explore all of it."
Audience response has helped answer some of the biggest questions around the band's return. In his previous Newsweek interview, Nowell pointed to the multigenerational makeup of Sublime's crowds and tied the band's staying power to something "genuine and authentic." He hears the same validation now in live settings, where younger listeners show up alongside fans who have been with the music for decades.
Setting Sights for Sublime
Nowell is confident that the endearing spirit of Sublime lives on through him and the burgeoning scene of musicians on the Pacific.
"The big takeaway I want to say is that it's not over," the 30-year-old says. "It's never truly over, not if I have anything to say about it." He hopes the record feels like "the beginning of a thank you and the closing of one chapter, but a beginning of a whole new era.
"I hope that the sounds that we experimented with in this Sublime record will go on to inspire many more in the future; 2027, I think, will be a really big year for a big new scene of West Coast alternative music. I’m so excited, man."
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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 9:09 AM.