Dirty Heads

Dirty Heads – Since 2001, Dirty Heads have mixed hip-hop, reggae, and rock to create a unique sound that both fully embodies their Southern California roots and resonates with audiences around the globe.
Dirty Heads are currently out-streaming some of the biggest alternative acts in the U.S., with
over 1.34 MILLION digital track sales and over 3.2 BILLION global streams. Dirty Heads also
have over 2.4 million unique monthly listeners on Spotify.

 

The band’s global appeal reached new heights in 2021, when their hit “Vacation” (originally
released in 2017) garnered over 6 billion views and streams across social media via the
ubiquitous #VacationTransition challenge that originated organically with users on TikTok.
The group formed when punk rocker Dustin Bushnell (aka Duddy B) asked his friend, rapper
Jared Watson (aka Dirty J), to collaborate on a project that would focus on positive vibes and
infectious grooves. Watson added singing to his vocal skills, and later with percussionist Jon
Olazabal, drummer Matt Ochoa, and bassist Dave Foral, Dirty Heads began building an immense
audience.

 

In 2008, Dirty Heads released their acclaimed album Any Port in a Storm, with a deluxe edition
following in 2010. The deluxe version featured the track “Lay Me Down” with special guest
Rome Ramirez of Sublime with Rome. The song reached number one on Billboard’s Alternative
Songs in May 2010, and nine weeks later it established a record as the song with the longest stint
atop the chart for an independently released title.

 

They followed up two years later with Cabin by the Sea and later recorded an acoustic version of
the title track. This, in turn, led to an entire acoustic album in 2013 called Home: Phantoms of
Summer. Dirty Heads’ next album, Sound of Change, proved to be a breakthrough for the now-
veteran band, debuting at number eight on the Billboard Top 200 while topping the Independent
and Alternative Albums charts upon its May 2014 release.

 

Building on their renewed success, Dirty Heads enlisted a bevy of industry hitmakers to work on
their self-titled 2016 follow-up, which — thanks to its mainstream appeal — again charted high
on the Billboard Top 200. The following year saw the band drop its sixth studio album, Swim
Team, featuring the singles “Vacation” and “Staloney.”

 

Inspired by current events and the fan interpretations of their music in the #VacationTransition
challenge, the band went into the studio to work on new music. In 2021, Dirty Heads released
The Best Of Dirty Heads compilation, which included a new collaboration, single “Rage,” with
Travis Barker and Aimee Interrupter of The Interrupters. The band also released their highly
anticipated 8th studio album, Midnight Control, in August 2022, which featured 10 all-new
songs, including their take on Joe Walsh’s 1978 hit “Life’s Been Good.”

 

In 2023, Dirty Heads released the digital deluxe version of their album Midnight Control,
featuring 23 tracks, including acoustic versions of hit songs “Rescue Me,” “Life’s Been Good,”and “Island Glow,” lo-fi versions of 3 album tracks, 3 unreleased songs, and more in addition to
all 10 tracks from the original album.

 

Before performing their Top 5 hits “Life’s Been Good” and “Rescue Me” on The Today Show in
2023, hosts Hoda & Jenna presented the band with a RIAA platinum plaque for their hit
“Vacation,” acknowledging sales of more than 1 million digital downloads since its release by
Better Noise Music. The band’s take on “Life’s Been Good” has been streamed over 34 million
times since its release and climbed to the Top 5 on the Mediabase Alternative chart. Dirty Heads
also completed 29 dates on their Slightly Dirty Summer Tour across the U.S. with co-headliners
Slightly Stoopid.