The Cocker Spaniels - "Cops Don't Care About the Drip"

Another week, another new single from The Cocker Spaniels. The musical project of North Carolina dad and booker Sean Padilla has released "Cops Don't Care About the Drip," a song about it not mattering how black people are dressed, they can still be killed for being black. Being white and middle aged, I'll let Padilla explain the song:

“This song was inspired by a march that took place last year in Omaha against racial injustice. It was led by a group of Black men that made a point of dressing up in suits, in an attempt to ‘change the narrative’—it struck me as an appeal to respectability politics, which I abhor. I have no interest in making myself more palatable or less threatening to racists, racism is illogical by nature—anyone who wants to hate me because I’m Black will do so regardless of any other situational variables that may exist.”

Musically, it's the funkiest we've heard so far from The Cocker Spaniels' upcoming album. Instead of the normal Prince meets Guided By Voices sound we're used to from Padilla, this one is more Prince meets Ben Folds. Despite the ultra serious nature of "Cops Don't Care About the Drip," the song is unmistakably fun sounding.

You can listen to "Cops Don't Care About the Drip" below. The Cocker Spaniels Are Still Alive, and So Are You will be out August 13 on Evil Island Fortress. You can pre-order the album via Bandcamp. For more on The Cocker Spaniels, check them out on Facebook.

The Cocker Spaniels - "Family Narc"

Aside from The Cocker Spaniels' (aka forty year old dad, show booker, and multi-instrumentalist Sean Padilla) Prince meets Guided By Voices sound, one of our favorite things he brings to music is a sense of humor. Artists that can have funny songs without being novelty acts are few and far between, but The Cocker Spaniels adds humor into his inventive sound. His latest single, "Family Narc," exemplifies that. It reminds me a lot of someone like Ben Folds who can release funny songs while still being a respected musician. "Family Narc" keeps the groove and funk of Prince with the bouncy noise of Guided By Voices.

Sean Padilla tells the story behind the new song:

"This song was inspired by an inside joke from the 'Cousin Chat Room' about a cousin of mine who has a reputation for snitching on other cousins to our older relatives. This cousin is nicknamed The Feds'; when she enters the chat room, everyone says time to be quiet - here come the Feds.'"

You can listen to "Family Narc" below. The Cocker Spaniels Are Still Alive, and So Are You is due out August 13 on Evil Island Fortress. You can pre-order a copy over at Bandcamp. For more on The Cocker Spaniels, check out the band's Facebook.

The Cocker Spaniels - "Nobody Wants to Play Last"

The Cocker Spaniels, aka Sean Padilla (our favorite booking agent, dad, and multi-instrument musician), has released a new single, and it may be the greatest song about booking agent problems ever recorded. "Nobody Wants to Play Last" is mostly about... nobody wants to play last at a gig. It brings in Padilla's trademark Prince meets Guided By Voices sound. This one leans a little bit more toward Prince in his more winking/humorous type of songs, but a lo-fi indie rock version. Which is just as bad ass at it sounds.

In a press release, Sean Padilla says of the new song:

"From the spring of 2014 to the beginning of the pandemic, I supplemented my household's income by working as a booking agent for touring artists of various genres. This song was directly inspired by my experiences as a booking agent, and the lyrics summarize most of my grievances about the live music industry.
This was one of the last songs that I recorded for the album. The drums were recorded in one take, while my toddlers were in the room with me. I sat them on the opposite side of the music room, then gave them art supplies to occupy themselves with while I played.
"While I was practicing the lead guitar part, Layne texted me the news that Derek Chauvin had been found guilty of murdering George Floyd. I took a few minutes to cry, then recorded the part in two takes."

You can listen to "Nobody Wants to Play Last" below. The Cocker Spaniels Are Still Alive, and So Are You is due out August 13. You can pre-order the album over at Bandcamp. For more on The Cocker Spaniels, check out the artist's Facebook.

The Cocker Spaniels - "Racism Priest"

The Cocker Spaniels is the musical project of North Carolina's Sean Padilla, "... a 40 year old black dad who likes Prince and Guided By Voices a lot," and reflects those two artists in his music. I know you're thinking that mixing Prince and Guided By Voices sounds like a horrible idea, but now you've thought about it for a few more seconds and love the idea. And you're right to love it. On his new single, "Racism Priest," Padilla takes the smooth soul side of Prince and mixes it with the frenetic indie rock of Guided By Voices. Yeah... it's fantastic, even with the less than fantastic story behind it.

Sean Padilla explains the story behind the song:

"This song was inspired by a White person with whom I attended middle school, who privately messaged my spouse on Instagram last year to apologize for having called Black people the N-word when she was younger (when she and I were classmates). I had no idea that the slur had ever been in her vocabulary but, then again, that may be why she apologized to my spouse, whom she only knows through the internet, instead of to me. It was an awkward situation that instantly killed our friendship."

You can listen to "Racism Priest" below. The Cocker Spaniels Are Still Alive, and So Are You (which sees Sean Padilla playing almost all the instruments on) is due out August 13. You can pre-order a copy through Bandcamp. For more on The Cocker Spaniels, check out the artist's Facebook.