Do you hear that? No, it ain‘t Santa! It is celebrated Brooklyn duo Sleigh Bells, back with a new album. Following 2021’s Texis, Bunky Becky Birthday Boy will arrive on April 4 via Mom+Pop. The title pays tribute to Alexis Krauss’ dearly departed dog. No dog should ever die. I’m glad Riz is being immortalized.
Following the late-January release of “Wanna Start a Band?,” the album’s second single, the synth-pop banger “Bunky Pop,” is a cheer squad routine masquerading as a pop-punk anthem, charged up with metal double bass drum blasts and chunky guitar riffs. Imagine Sleigh Bells remixed by 100 gecs and you’re getting close to what, exactly, “Bunky Pop” is.
“‘Bunky Becky’ was a nickname for Alexis’ dog Riz, who passed away in December 2023,” the band’s Derek Miller shared. “When she passed away, Alexis and I had been talking about writing an anthem for her. And then Alexis’ son Wilder was born, and he’s the birthday boy. Even though the title sounds a little ridiculous—and it’s totally OK to laugh at it—with a little bit of context, it’s actually life and death. We lost somebody that we love, and we gained somebody that we love.”
Check out the video for “Bunky Pop” below, and pre-order Bunky Becky Birthday Boy here.
