Back in February of last year everyone lost their collective shit when Tim Armstrong and Jesse Michaels appeared on stage together at a charity event in Los Angeles to perform their classic Operation Ivy track “Sound System.” Folx have been clamoring for ages for a reunion from the wildly influential and short-lived Bay Area ska-punk band, and it seemed the unthinkable was creeping closer to reality. But it turns out Armstrong and Michaels were already collaborating behind the scenes, forming a new band called Bad Optix nearly a year prior, rounded out by drummer Joey Castillo, of Circle Jerks and The Bronx, and bassist Spencer Pollard of Trash Talk.
Yesterday (March 29), Bad Optix was unveiled with debut single “Raid,” a Jamaican-influenced ska track that has a vintage, lived-in feel to it. The breezy song, which doubles as anti-authoritarian anthem from two dudes who gave us plenty of those in the late-’80s, kicks off Hellcat Records’ Hellcat Singles Club, which will roll out new releases by curated by Armstrong and his label.
Michaels says “Raid” is “about every person’s spiritual autonomy from the powers that be, regardless of who they are or what their particular struggle is… Like many of the tracks we have worked on, I heard the music and wrote the lyrics very quickly, almost on the spot. This was only the second song we did but it felt hot immediately and just flowed so we thought it would be a good way to introduce the new band to the world.”
Of course, the significance of this track cannot be understated, and will lead to a an uptick in speculation about the long-anticipated Operation Ivy reunion. But for now Armstrong seems content on collaborating on a new chapter with his longtime writing partner, though the past is embedded in the present.
“It came back, just like that,” Armstrong says. “Like when we were kids. There is a special chemistry between us and I don’t take it for granted.” Michaels adds: “As soon as we started writing together, we found that we had the same collaborative energy that we had in the past, so it was natural and fun just to keep going.”
Oh… “energy”, you say? Get into “Raid” below.