Stoner-punk band Bokassa, who kicked off a new era earlier this year with the single “Doesn’t Matter If You Love It Here,” is starting the autumn with a bang. Now, they have announced the release date for their upcoming album, Anomalies, along with a tour that kicks off on the very same day—plus a new single, “Cop Out,” as a taste of what’s to come!
The hard-hitting, straightforward track “Cop Out” is sure to please fans of the band’s heavier material; it sees Bokassa returning to their metallic hardcore roots, seasoned with a dash of thrash metal. The song draws inspiration from sources such as protest songs with vague, “one-size-fits-all” lyrics, as well as bands that should have called it quits years ago but continue to squeeze money out of their fans.
“It’s about knowing when to quit while you’re still on top—before you turn into something you actually despise. Before you start charging for expensive VIP Meet & Greets, before you write lyrics that are nothing but empty buzzwords, and before you start making TikTok dance videos just to sell more tickets. I don’t want to spend my time dreaming up new ways to get more social media views when I know there are still different kinds of pizza out there that I haven’t tried yet,” says vocalist Jørn Kaarstad.
This may be one of the many reasons why the power trio will release music in 2026 through their own label, Kings of Stonerpunk Records. The album Anomalies, set for release on March 12th, will also be available in limited-edition vinyl and CD formats. Serving as the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2024 album All Out Of Dreams, the new record is produced by two-time Grammy winner Adrian Bushby (Foo Fighters, Muse, The Darkness), with mastering handled by George Perks (Enter Shikari, Skindred).
Anomalies is a fitting title for a band that has never quite fit into any single box. Their signature “stonerpunk” style—which seamlessly blends various subgenres of punk, metal, and rock—has taken them on tours alongside acts such as Metallica, Clutch, Lagwagon, Therapy?, Zebrahead, and Mastodon. This very tendency to break down genre boundaries has made the band difficult to categorize. In a world where listeners often gravitate toward artists who sound similar to their other favorites, Bokassa sounds, above all else, like Bokassa.
On this upcoming fifth studio album, the power trio moves fluidly between groove metal, desert rock, Scandi-rock, death metal, hardcore punk, hard rock, and even power pop—all while maintaining the band’s distinctive sound and knack for infectious melodies.
“I don’t want to be a fast-food version of some older, better band. I see other bands that get a lot of credit for doing that—and from a commercial standpoint, it’s probably a smart move—but then again, we’ve never really been known for making particularly smart decisions. So, we just stick to what we personally find interesting,” Kaarstad says, adding:
“We’ve never really fit in with any particular scene, so we’ve sort of evolved into our own little entity. It’s become a bit of an ‘if you get it, you get it’ kind of thing; I’ve even seen fans at our shows connecting with one another simply because they share a love for the band. That’s really cool,” Kaarstad explains.
The album’s title also reflects the band’s origin story, which is anything but traditional.
“We didn’t have a booking agency, a record label, a manager, or any connections whatsoever—yet suddenly, we were playing on the world’s biggest stages. Given how the music industry operates in Norway—or, for that matter, anywhere in the world—we shouldn’t have stood a chance.” “So, in my opinion, we have always been an exception,” Kaarstad states.
With the release of their new album, the band is embarking on a tour covering Europe, the UK, and their home country of Norway:
March 12 – Kulturhuset, Bergen (NO)
March 13 – Blårock, Tromsø (NO)
March 20 – Rockefeller, Oslo (NO)
April 2 – Kafé Krank, Kristiansand (NO)
April 3 – Folken, Stavanger (NO)
April 9 – Byscenen, Trondheim (NO)
April 16 – The Cobblestones, Bridgewater (UK)
April 17 – The Black Heart, London (UK)
April 18 – The Old Salutation, Nottingham (UK)
April 19 – The Lodge, Manchester (UK)
April 20 – The Joiners, Southampton (UK)
May 6 – Monument 013, Gothenburg (SE)
May 7 – Stengade, Copenhagen (DK)
May 8 – Betty, Hamburg (DE)
May 9 – FRANNZ CLUB, Berlin (DE)
May 11 – Nachtleben, Frankfurt (DE)
May 12 – Luxor Live, Arnhem (NL)
May 13 – DB’s, Utrecht (NL)
May 15 – Antwerp Metal Fest, Antwerp (BE)