Pop Evil
May 6, 2020

Pop Evil has had a seemingly endless stream of No. 1 Rock hits veering between fist-pumping anthems and timeless power ballads. Now they are about to deliver their most ambitious rebirth yet with a jaw-dropping sixth album, led by the twin assault of “Let the Chaos Reign” and “Work”....two of a dozen tracks each worthy of a dedicated spotlight. The new single “Work” puts its heavy guitars atop grooving rhythmic punch and EDM flourishes, as it champions the working class heroes struggling to persevere across all industries today. “We won’t bore people with the same song over and over,” says frontman/bandleader Leigh Kakaty, who co-founded the band in Michigan. Pop Evil has been a staple at major festivals and in theaters and clubs for nearly two decades led by No. 1 Rock singles like “Trenches," “Deal with the Devil," “Torn to Pieces," “Footsteps," and “Waking Lions." One listen to any of the songs from the impressive body of work laid down by the band on lps like "Lipstick on the Mirror" (2008), "War of Angels" (2011), "Onyx" (2013), "Up" (2015), and the self-titled smash " Pop Evil" in 2018 confirms exactly how Pop Evil built such a diverse fanbase. On their sixth album, the group doubles down on the yin-and-yang at the heart of their sound. How are Kakaty, longtime guitarists Dave Grahs and Nick Fuelling, bassist Matt DiRiot, and powerhouse drummer Hayley Cramer able to flip the spectrum so seamlessly? “If my voice sounds good on it, the hook is catchy and memorable with a single listen, and it will go over well live, we’re not afraid to draw from any genre that we see fit for inspiration,” says Leigh. The upcoming sixth album yielded close to 30 songs, whittled down to the most potent 12 that represent everything Pop Evil is about. The band bunkered down in Los Angeles in the winter of 2019 to put the finishing touches on the new record, working with new creative teams of producers and collaborators, each enlisted to emphasize the uniquely varied aspects of the band’s sound. “We worked with multiple producers that fit each song’s dynamic,” the band’s hardworking singer explains. Collectively, Pop Evil’s previous five albums account for over a million copies in worldwide sales and over 600 million streams, so the new LP is greatly anticipated. "With this record, we’ve taken another big step into our own definitive sound and identity and that’s our thing,” said Kakaty. “People know they’re going to get that Pop Evil."