Jakob Nowell, Bradley Nowell’s son, is taking over as a lead singer.

Sublime is a band that was founded in Long Beach, CA in 1988. They play a mixture of reggae, ska, and punk, with the band’s original members being Bradley Nowell, Bud Gaugh, and Eric Wilson. In 1996, the band broke up following lead singer Bradley Nowell’s death. 

During 1988-1996 Sublime released 3 studio albums: 40 oz To Freedom, Robbin’ The Hood, and a self-titled album. Nowell died before the self-titled album was released, and wasn’t alive to see Sublime’s major success.

In 2009, Gaugh and Wilson started playing with Rome Ramirez under the name Sublime. Eventually, the trio started playing under the name Sublime with Rome, where they made new music and toured until Gaugh left and was replaced by Josh Freece. On Feb. 26, 2024, Wilson left Sublime with Rome and the band decided to disband in late 2024. The band is now currently on a Farewell Tour.

Shortly after Sublime with Rome disbanded, Wilson and Gaugh agreed to bring back Sublime with the son of their old bandmate and friend, Jakob Nowell. Bradley Nowell passed away when Jakob was 11 months old, and as he grew older he became interested in music like his father.

Jakob struggled with addiction, as his drug use and alcoholism were fueled by wanting to understand his dad’s experiences. He became sober in 2017 due to the help of a man named Todd Zalkins (a former childhood friend of Bradley). Eventually, with the help of his aunt and grandfather, he started the Nowell Family Foundation. The Nowell Family Foundation is an addiction recovery service for musicians.

On Jan. 1, 2024, Sublime was revealed to be a part of Coachella’s 2024 set, with Jakob Nowell singing. It was also revealed that Sublime would have more festival performances. Since Coachella, Sublime has played 20 shows, with more to come.