Bass Drum of Death

Mississippi’s Bass Drum of Death are known for their rambunctious, bluesy garage punk and lo-fi rock. Centered on singer/multi-instrumentalist John Barrett, the band emerged to wider buzz with 2011′s GB City and 2013′s Bass Drum of Death. While the lineup has changed, Barrett has continually pushed the group forward, balancing sonic forays into Love-style psychedelia and power-chord, Stooges-esque punk on albums like 2014′s Rip This, 2018′s Just Business, and 2023′s Say I Won't.
Hailing from Oxford, Mississippi, Bass Drum of Death initially started out in 2007 as the one-man-band solo project of singer/guitarist/bassist/drummer John Barrett. Recording on his own, he released the EP Stain Stick Skin on Fat Possum in 2008. The project’s full-length debut album, GB City, featuring the single “Young Pros,” followed in 2011. He also began touring, working with a varied lineup of musicians for live shows. Barrett moved to Innovative Leisure for 2013′s sophomore set, Bass Drum of Death. Released in 2014, Rip This marked the studio debut of drummer Len Clark, but the following year saw Barrett announce that the group would be going on hiatus due to “personal issues.”
Bass Drum of Death returned in 2018 with Just Business, which was released via Century Media. By 2020, Barrett had put together another lineup, collaborating with his younger brother, guitarist Jim Barrett, and drummer Eric Parisi. Together they released the 7” single “Too Cold to Hold”/“Wait” and spent much of the lockdown for the COVID-19 pandemic working on more material. In 2023, they delivered the group’s fifth full-length and Fat Possum debut, the Patrick Carney-produced Say I Won't. ~ Matt Collar