Hed Pe

Southern California's (hed)pe have titled their new album "Back 2 Base X," for release on Suburban Noize Records on May 16th, 2006. In the meantime, the band has launched a new (hed)pe website and street-team over at www.hedshop.com.

For Back 2 Base X , (hed)pe have managed to roll retro-punk and futuristic hardcore into one powerhouse. The tracks range from soulful Cali-punk to hyper-garage-funk, "kind of like Sly and the Family Stone on steroids," says (hed)pe frontman Jared.

Taking a break from his sometimes "XXX" rhetoric, frontman Jared "the underdog" Gomes' lyrics cover everything from The New World Order to Free Masonry and Kabbalah, to give insight into what is most important to him and the band: "truth, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness," he says.

According to Jared, Back 2 Base X was recorded "old school" with drums, bass and guitars being recorded while the band performed live in the studio. The organic sound of the record shines though on tracks like "Get Ready" and "Beware Do We Go From Here."

"These days with computers and stuff, you've gotta be careful not to suck the life out of your band, by using all the 'tricks'. I've come full circle'I'm back to trying to capture the energy of the band, and not just lay down tracks, like you're building a car on an assembly line," Jared says about the recording of Back 2 Base X. "I was inspired by old recordings like The Clash, The Sex Pistols, Sabbath and Zeppelin. Think about it, when you listen to some old James Brown, that was done with everybody being in the room at the same time and you can feel it. At the same time, were it not for the advancements in technology, I would not be able to record all the vocals in my bedroom."

Back 2 Base X is (hed)pe's debut album on the lifestyle record label Suburban Noize Records. The label, which is owned and operated by the Kottonmouth Kings, has brought together thousands of free thinking individuals who exist outside of the mainstream and bonded them through the power of music. Their movement is an undeniable force in the world of underground music that has registered attention from everyone from Billboard, Mtv.com, Hustler, Sirius Satellite Radio, Campus Circle and countless others.

"It's nice to be on a record label that understands what we are about, and it'll be nice to tour with Kottonmouth Kings because they've got the best fans in the fucking world," closes Jared.