The Briefs “Hospital Elevator” 7-inch Out Now on TKO Records
Punk rockers don’t age, they just get weirder, baby. Seattle punk rock mainstays The Briefs have a brand new 7-inch that casts an examination upon the darker corners of life. Sharing their thoughts about the A-side “Hospital Elevator,” guitarist/vocalist Steve E. Nix considers, “There’s nicer hospital visits and then there’s seedier ones, like where there’s cops and people withdrawing and sketchy guys in handcuffs and all that. And you’re trying to find your girlfriend and it’s 4am and you’re in an elevator. The song is along those lines. With a cool beat.”
“Mary Ann,” the B-side of the release, is much more straightforward, summed up as, “Gidget gone wrong.” Back to basics raw and real! Recorded in one day with the same producer/engineer who The Briefs made their beloved debut 7” with: Seattle legend Kurt Bloch (member of The Fastbacks and The Young Fresh Fellows with production credits for releases by The Presidents of The United States of America, Tokyo Dragons, Robyn Hitchock, Nashville Pussy, and many more).
Hitting their 25 year anniversary, the band insists on bashing out songs the same way as in their first year of existence. Nix shares, “Recording with Kurt seemed immediately the proper thing to do. He knows how to make a punk single. These songs are exactly the material we want to be releasing. Short, good, and to the point. And if you’re familiar with us, you fucking know it’s us right away. Music for people with pet rats.”
The Briefs Terrible Vibes 2025 Tour Dates:
5/22/25: Olympia WA @ Mortuary
5/23/25: Seattle WA @ Lucky Liquor
5/24/25: Seattle WA @ Lucky Liquor
5/25/25: Las Vegas NV @ Punk Rock Bowling (Sold Out)
5/25/25: Las Vegas NV @ Punk Rock Bowling (Pool Party)
About The Briefs:
Forever moving forward, The Briefs are injecting fresh blood into their lineup. Ian Ferocious takes over drumming duties while longtime drummer Chris Brief steps away for the time being. Adding to the party, original bassist Lance Romance recently returned to the fold, bringing the band’s sonic assault full circle.
The Briefs live shows continue to ignite crowds, reaffirming their status as punk rock stalwarts. Their relentless touring and dynamic performances have garnered the band a fierce following that spans decades — and fads.
This quarter-century of mayhem traces back to the band’s unlikely start: Like a scud missile from outer space, their debut album, Hit After Hit, set out to destroy the new Millennium’s flaccid alt-rock scene in 2000 — and, in turn —inspired two decades of raucous radioactive fallout. Sewing together a tattered tapestry of ’70s-style punk — with a nod toward Dangerhouse Records, DEVO, Thrasher Magazine, and ABBA —they’ve urged countless kids to grab a junk guitar, a pair of second-hand sunglasses, and a bottle of peroxide.
What started with four idiot savants in a downtown Seattle basement has led to a remarkable ride, spawning some of the catchiest anti-hits this side of Y2K. “Off the Charts,” “Sex Objects,” and “Steal Yer Heart” are more than essential punk classics — they may have aided in reversing punk’s once terminal diagnosis.
What’s next? The Briefs legacy has proven to be as sticky as industrial hold hairspray. A mid-2000s hiatus saw members forming side projects like Sharp Objects, The Cute Lepers, and Suspect Parts, but all roads led back to The Briefs. Following their “Singles Only” box set and “Odd Numbers,” demos and rarities release, 2018 album Platinum Rats proved the band to be as vital as ever (a US tour with the legendary Dead Boys followed). For this unstoppable force, the radiation is still in the water and — good news for our species — the punk rock mutations are alive and kicking. After 25 years, The Briefs are still weird, still wired.
