Smoking Popes to Tour in Celebration of 'Born to Quit' 30th Anniversary
They will also play songs from their upcoming album, coming in March.
By: Josh Sharpe Jan. 03, 2025
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of their album Born To Quit, Chicago punk legends Smoking Popes will tour the U.S. playing the album in its entirety along with songs from their upcoming new album Lovely Stuff and favorites from their catalog.
Lovely Stuff is the band’s first full-length release of new material since 2018’s Into The Agony. The album will be released in March 2025 by the Anxious & Angry label, available on 12” LP vinyl, digital download, and streaming platforms. This new self-produced album was recorded at Bombsight Studio, Bloomington IL, and Million Yen Studio, Chicago IL with David Rossi and Andy Gerber engineering.
“It took us about two years to make this record,” says lead singer and songwriter Josh Caterer. “We went into the studio with just two songs in the summer of 2022, then I kept writing and we'd go back every few months and record another couple songs. It was a long process because we were doing it all piecemeal, but I think the final product has a cohesive energy. The songs all feel connected.” Two tracks from the album, “Madison” and “Golden Moment,” have already been released as singles and two more are on the way, “Racine” in February and “Fox River Dream” just before the album drops in March. These two tracks will be preceded by a non-album single called “Allegiance,” an incendiary protest song with guest vocals from Scott Lucas of Local H to be released January 6.
The title Lovely Stuff was inspired by the band’s recent tour of the UK. “We played a small club in Northwich called the Salty Dog,” Caterer explains, “and at one point the audience started chanting, ‘Lovely stuff! Lovely stuff!’ It was really a beautiful moment and so ridiculously British. I mean, where else in the world would an audience chant that?” The title also signals a departure from the band’s notoriously negative album titles, such as Born to Quit, Destination Failure, and Into the Agony. “Calling this album Lovely Stuff felt right because it says something about where our heads are at right now. I wouldn’t exactly say we’re optimistic, but we’re at least determined to keep moving forward, to keep finding what is lovely in an unlovely world.”
From their early indie releases to their critically acclaimed major label albums, Smoking Popes developed a unique blend of buzzsaw guitars, caffeinated rhythms and heartfelt crooning vocals, combining the angst of punk with the smooth sophistication of Frank Sinatra, creating music both urgent and timeless, and influencing a generation of musicians in their wake. The Los Angeles Times said, “Ever wonder what a traditional lounge singer would sound like backed up by a punk band? The Smoking Popes take that concept one step further: They’ve created a unique kind of music that some listeners are describing as ‘hyperkinetic tear-jerkers’.”
Smoking Popes began in 1991 in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, infusing romantic melancholy and angst-ridden introspection into a truly midwestern style of pop-punk. Since then, they have grown into the very definition of a cult classic band, touring with such bands as Descendents, Dinosaur Jr, Jawbreaker and Jimmy Eat World. Throughout the 90’s and 2000’s, they released a series of critically acclaimed studio albums, landing their songs in movies like Clueless and Tommy Boy, all the while maintaining the edgy and earnest sound that helped earn them their status as emo pioneers.
Smoking Popes Tour Dates
Friday, Feb 28 – Off Broadway, St. Louis MO
Saturday, March 1 – Growlers, Memphis TN
Sunday, March 2 – The Earl, Atlanta GA
Tuesday, March 4 – Handlebar, Pensacola FL
Wednesday, March 5 – Loosey’s, Gainesville FL
Thursday, March 6 – Conduit, Orlando FL
Friday, March 7 – Orpheum, Tampa FL
Saturday, March 8 – Gramps, Miami FL
Tuesday, April 22 – Turf Club, Minneapolis MN
Wednesday, April 23 – High Noon Saloon, Madison WI
Thursday, April 24 – X-Ray Arcade, Milwaukee WI
Friday, April 25 – Castle Theatre, Bloomington IL
Saturday, April 26 – The Space, Champaign IL
Sunday, April 27 – Hi-Fi, Indianapolis IN
Wednesday, May 14 – Madison Live, Covington KY
Thursday, May 15 – Ace Of Cups, Columbus OH
Friday, May 16 – Bottlerocket, Pittsburgh PA
Saturday, May 17 – Ukie Club, Philadelphia PA
Sunday, May 18 – Songbyrd, Washington DC
Tuesday, May 20 – TV Eye Queens, NY
Wednesday, May 21 – The Space, Hamden CT
Thursday, May 22 – Arts At The Armory, Somerville MA
Friday, May 23 – Rec Room, Buffalo NY
Saturday, May 24 – Mahall’s, Lakewood OH
Sunday, May 25 – The Sanctuary, Hamtramck MI
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