The Format – the indie rock band featuring Nate Ruess and Sam Means that enjoyed popularity in the early 2000s – have announced their return with a new single, “Holy Roller.”
The duo recruited acclaimed producer Brendan O’Brien (Bruce Springsteen, The Killers) and drummer Matt Chamberlain (David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Soundgarden) for the song, which incorporates sonic nods to the alt-rock, grunge, and pop-punk sounds that Sam and Nate first bonded over as teenagers in the late ‘90s. There is a central theme of urgency that there is no waiting for tomorrow, starting with the first single. “Holy roller, don’t go wasting all your time, ” Ruess sings. In other words, the time for creating something more like heaven isn’t tomorrow or some other day, but today.
New music from The Format comes after the band had recently played a handful of reunion shows. The group broke up in 2008, after which Reuss went on to massive commercial success with the band Fun.
“Holy Roller” is the first taste of Boycott Heaven, The Format’s new album due out in January. Full tracklisting can be found below. The Format is set to perform on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this evening (Oct. 6).
The Format, ‘Boycott Heaven’ Tracklist
01 “There’s No Gold At The Top”
02 “Holy Roller”
03 “Shot In The Dark”
04 “Forever”
05 “Depressed”
06 “No You Don’t”
07 “Right Where I Belong”
08 “Human Nature”
09 “Leave It Alone (Till The Morning)”
10 “Boycott Heaven”
11 “Back To Life”