Butthole Surfers To Release Long Lost “After The Astronaut” Album

In 1998, when Butthole Surfers followed up their 1996 mainstream breakthrough, Electric Larryland, with their next record, After The Astronaut, the major label they were signed to at the time pulled it from their release schedule at the last minute. Their reasoning? They wanted a more “commercial” record. Had that label known Butthole Surfers‘ oeuvre better, they probably shouldn’t have expected another Pepper. Now, almost three decades later, Sunset Blvd. Records have announced they will releases that mythic and much-discussed album on June 26th. The lead single, Jet Fighter, finds the band in a surf-punk mood, exploring lo-fi dadaist psych rock filtered through a thrift store PA system. The track is an anti-war protest song that, while originally written decades ago, echoes a sentiment that can be applied today.

“We were pretty stoked to make another album after the success of our previous album and its single ‘Pepper’. Capitol Records was stoked to get that next record until our relationship soured. Hollywood Records bought the album but wanted to make changes to it which was an uncomfortable experience for us. Now we have the right to release the original recording the way we intended it to be with its original title, After The Astronaut.” (guitarist Paul Leary)