The Penguin Rocks logo
The Penguin Rocks Menu




Spin Doctors Announce First New Studio Album in 12 Years

originally published: 01/17/2025

Spin Doctors Announce First New Studio Album in 12 Years

photo by Chris Barron

90s alt-rock icons the Spin Doctors announced their first studio LP in 12 years: Face Full of Cake, out April 11, 2025 via Capitol Records. They also released the album's first single "Still A Gorilla" and its accompanying music video. The track finds the band showcasing a noisier, heavier sound but with the same sense of humor they've come to be known for. Inspired by the hard-hitting energy of Robyn's "Konichiwa Bitches," the track finds the long-running group exploring new territory after 35+ years.

“‘Still A Gorilla’ is a heavy-duty track about what it is to be human,” shares vocalist Chris Barron. “[Drummer] Aaron [Comess] had that piece of music around for quite a long time, and whenever he and I sat down to try and write some lyrics to it, it just never quite came together.” But then Comess sent Barron the Swede’s aforementioned 2005 song as a reference point and things came together. “Aaron was like, ‘A vibe like this would be cool,’ and the humor of that song gave me the entree into the song, so I just sat down and wrote that in an hour.”

The followup to 2013’s If the River Was Whiskey, the upcoming LP marks their debut on Capitol Records and the first Spin Doctors record with new bassist Jack Daley who joined the band full-time in 2021. Face Full of Cake can trace its origins back to the early days of the pandemic, but after several writing sessions – including time spent at the Vermont studio space of Phish’s Mike Gordon – and intimate hangs between guitarist Eric Schenkman and Barron, the album began to fully take shape. Recorded at Daley’s Asbury Park, NJ studio, the project has an exploratory and easy energy that came from a laidback and low-pressure recording process.

“We weren't really thinking of it as a record,” shares Comess. “We've gone through a lot of phases in our 35 years, and sometimes things really gel and sometimes they're just extremely difficult. When we made this record, we captured a moment where it felt effortless. There's a really fresh energy in the tracks — a sense of us discovering the songs as we played them.”

That energy is evident on the new LP, which features a combination of the easy-going hook-forward songs that made them so popular and the freewheeling jam sensibilities they’ve always exhibited with bluesy funk flavor and straightforward rock’n’roll. It’s not so much a reinvention of the wheel but a fusion of everything they’ve done up to this point with an added fearlessness that comes from knowledge and practice.



 
Advertise with The Penguin Rocks for $50-$100 per month, click here for info



“Spin Doctors fans are going to be knocked out by this new record,” shares Barron. “It’s got that vintage Spin Doctors sound of ear candy and denser material that harkens back to Pocket Full Of Kryptonite but with years of experience under our belts.”

Formed in 1988 in New York City, Spin Doctors’ full-length 1991 debut Pocket Full of Kryptonite sold over ten million copies across the world and spawned two massive singles: “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong,” which reached number two on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, and the now ubiquitous Billboard Hot 100 Top Ten hit “Two Princes,” which was the No. 1 Rock radio hit of 1993 and was nominated for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group at the GRAMMYs. They’ve appeared on SNL, played major festivals like Glastonbury and opened for The Rolling Stones. And after three decades and nearly two thousand shows, Spin Doctors remain as committed as ever.

To celebrate the record, the band will play an album release show at New York’s Brooklyn Bowl on April 12. Presales begin on Monday January 20, and tickets go on sale on Friday January 24. To buy tickets and to see a full list of upcoming shows, please visit spindoctors.com.

Spin Doctors Announce First New Studio Album in 12 Years

Tour Dates:

February 22 – Saint Paul, MN – Rock From The Heart

March 1 – Suquamish, WA – Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort

April 12 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl

May 25 – Allston, MA – Boston Calling Festival

June 5 – Park City, UT – Egyptian Theatre

June 6 – Park City, UT – Egyptian Theatre

June 7 – Park City, UT – Egyptian Theatre

June 8 – Park City, UT – Egyptian Theatre


 

COLUMNS


Makin Waves Song of the Week: "We're in This Together" by The New Bardots

With the first single off their new LP, "Endless Drool," The NEW Bardots deviate just a bit to bring us a message with a rock bottom line.




Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...2/13/25




This Week in Music: Previews for Concerts from February 11-17, 2025




Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Slight Return (Run That Shit Back)" by Chris Rockwell feat. Chill Smith and Izzy Miz





 
Advertise with The Penguin Rocks for $50-$100 per month, click here for info




 

MORE NEWS

After Southside Johnny announced he was retiring from touring in December, we reached out to some SSJ fans to pay tribute to Johnny.  Responses kept coming in after the first tribute, so here are a few more tributes.


The Newton Theatre presents Home Again - A Tribute to Carole King




Jonas Brothers to Celebrate 20th Anniversary with JONASCON




State Theatre New Jersey presents Peter Frampton




Katchats with John Harris and other artists regarding sscapemay 2025






 

UPCOMING SHOWS


Subaru Announces 2025 Subaru Winterfest Locations and Music Lineup led by Headliner Grace Potter

(CAMDEN, NJ) --/PRNewswire/ -- Subaru of America, Inc., and its WinterFest partner, POWDR, announced the return of the automaker's annual mountain tour, Subaru WinterFest, the premier winter playground for music fans, skiers, snowboarders, and dog lovers alike. WinterFest will be arriving at six mountain destinations across the U.S. this winter.


Makin Waves with Tusk: Chemistry, Synergy, Intuition




NJPAC presents Latin Star Natalia Lafourcade




Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory Charm and Rock The Stone Pony!






Advertise with The Penguin Rocks for $50-$100 per month, click here for info


The Penguin Rocks

© 2025 by Wine Time Media, LLC
PO Box 811, Belmar, NJ 07719
info@newjerseystage.com

Presented by New Jersey Stage

Images used on this site have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and PR firms. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us and we will look into the matter.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and our NJ Stage accounts on Instagram, and Threads


News | Features | Radio Shows | Penguin's Hall of Fame | Song of the Week | BlowUpRadio column

Contact Us | About Us | Submit Music | Ad Rates