The Curse Of Public Opinion is a really, really good album title. It would be a really, really good album title even if the band in question wasn't called Public Opinion, and that might make it even better.
If you're not already familiar with Public Opinion, I would sincerely suggest that you change that. The band's members all come from the Denver hardcore scene, and they joined forces in 2020 to make something that's not quite hardcore. Their sound is raw, stomping, garage-based rock 'n' roll, though you can hear their hardcore background in everything they do. Militarie Gun's Ian Shelton and Twitching Tongues' Taylor Young co-produced Public Opinion's 2022 debut EP Modern Convenience and their 2024 full-length Painted On Smile. Last year, they released their Perpetual Motion Machine EP, and Drug Chuch's Patrick Kindlon appeared on lead single "Laughing Academy." Now, Public Opinion have another album on the way.
Public Opinion recorded their new LP The Curse Of Public Opinion with Anxious collaborator Brett Romnes, and the Movielife's Vinnie Caruna appears on one song. Album opener "Balloon Man Running" absolutely rocks. It's a big, stomping good-time garage riff-cranker that never lets up. This could've easily been a two-minute song, but Public Opinion know how to shift a track into another gear when they could end it. In a press release, frontman Kevin Hart (not the one from Jumanji) says, "There’s an art installation outside my train stop that I see on the way to work every day. It’s a guy running all the time that never gets anywhere. Hard not to relate."
In the Jarrett Barnes-directed "Balloon Man Running" video, Hart keeps getting punched out while he's going about his day. Hard not to relate! Public Opinion are about to head out on a big tour with Drug Church, White Reaper, and Spy, and they'll do some dates after that with Squint. Below, check out the "Balloon Man Running" clip, the tracklist for The Curse Of Public Opinion, and all of the band's upcoming dates.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Balloon Man Running"
02 "Flowers By Irene"
03 "I Pay Everyone I Still Talk To"
04 "Lucky Me"
05 "Closed Captioning"
06 "When Kevin Gets Free"
07 "Enhancement Talent"
08 "Epitaph"
09 "Modern Convenience" (feat. Vinnie Caruana)
10 "The Curse of Public Opinion"
TOUR DATES:
4/24 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall *
4/25 - Cleveland, OH @ The Roxy *
4/26 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Hall *
4/28 - Toronto, ON @ Opera House *
4/29 - Troy, NY @ No Fun
4/30 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw *
5/01 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club *
5/02 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *
5/06 - Richmond, VA @ The Canal Club *
5/07 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 505
5/08 - Asheville, NC @ Eulogy *
5/09 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement East *
5/11 - Jacksonville, FL @ The Albatross *
5/12 - Orlando, FL @ The Abbey *
5/13 - Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum *
5/14 - Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West *
5/16 - Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom *
6/02 - Denver, CO @ Hi Dive $
6/03 - Kansas City, MO @ recordBar ^
6/04 - Des Moines, IA @ xBk ^
6/05 - Springfield, IL @ Dumb Records ^
6/06 - Evansville, IN @ Fuschia ^
6/07 - Indianapolis, IN @ Healer ^
6/08 - Milwaukee, WI @ Anodyne Coffee Roasters ^
6/09 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean Downstairs ^
6/10 - St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway ^
* with Drug Church, White Reaper, & Spy
^ with Squint
$ with Lip Critic
The Curse Of Public Opinion is out 8/7 on SideOneDummy.
