We at Sub Pop are thrilled to now release Cost of Living by Downtown Boys. Get thee to yr local record store and grip that stunning Loser Edition LP!

Purchase Cost of Living | Stream Cost of Living 

Downtown Boys use their ferocious energy and powerhouse live shows to unite crowds in the struggle to smash racism, queerphobia, capitalism, fascism, boredom, and all things people use to try to close our minds, eyes and hearts. Today, the band has released their highly anticipated and critically acclaimed third album, Cost of Living, on Sub Pop. Produced by Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto, one of indie-rock’s most mythological figures (he also produced Blonde Redhead, The Gossip, and others), Cost of Living shows a sense of maturity without compromising the band’s righteous assault and captivating presence.

The position of Downtown Boys has been clear since they started storming through basements and DIY spaces with their radically-minded, indefatigable rock music: they are here to topple the white-cis-het hegemony and draft a new history. This is how Downtown Boys began, and their resolve has only strengthened as both their sound and audience have grown. Like the socially conscious groups of years past, from Public Enemy to Rage Against the Machine, Downtown Boys harness powerful sloganeering, repetitive grooves, and earworm hooks to create one of the most necessary musical statements of today.

In addition to festival appearances at Riot Fest, London Calling, and Made In America, Downtown Boys are about to kick off an international tour, starting today in the band’s hometown of Providence, RI. Full list of dates are HERE.

What have “The People” said about Downtown Boys? Well, since you asked…

“Accompanied by production from Greg Norman and Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto, Downtown Boys sound sharper than ever, their urgency tightened into a raging storm.” – Pitchfork, Best New Track

“America’s Most Exciting Punk Band” – Rolling Stone

“[A Wall] feels powerful enough to break down any physical boundary.” – FADER

“Downtown Boys’ mission: to reject boundaries that separate our humanity.” – NPR

“Listening to [A Wall] feels like being seen, recognized—the head-nod—and the power in both the delivery and the words bring solace and strength.” – Jezebel

“There are serious grooves on Cost Of Living, chugging basslines that propel one song into the next, mood pieces that are thick and urgent and tightly controlled. […] They make music that aims to inspire some spark of radical progress in this country, and the torch is all of ours to bear.” – Stereogum

“For five years, the Providence-born punk collective Downtown Boys have been one of America’s most incendiary bands, their no-nonsense political stances and chaotic songs coming together in messages of personal and societal liberation.”  – Boston Globe

“In their best moments … Ruiz and company solidify their status as the most vital band in the scene right now.” – Afropunk

“Downtown Boys are one of the most exciting bands around.“ – Salon