Jakobs Castle (Jakob Nowell) Shares Dynamic New Single 'Lights Out'

Jakobs Castle is the eclectic passion project of 28-year-old Long Beach artist Jakob Nowell, who signed to Epitaph Records this past summer. Today he shares “Lights Out”, a song that combines ska-punk and alt-rock with hyperpop production into a sound he aptly coins “beach meets internet”. Check it out below! 

“'Lights Out' is the best example of what Jakobs Castle is all about,” Nowell explained. “I wanted to fuse together Southern California's root sounds with glitchy underground internet music. It’s a hot cyberska mess, complete with side-chained upstrokes and conspicuous anime references.

And most of all, I hope people will genuinely identify with the lyrics. 'Lights Out' is a story of things that actually happened in my life, and it’s honestly some of the most personal stuff on the entire album."

As the only son of late Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell, Jakob’s music is indeed influenced by his father’s legacy, though Jakobs Castle is anything but a nostalgic rehash. Staying cutting-edge while retaining the keen sense of melody that endeared his father’s music to millions of people all over the world, Nowell’s mission for Jakobs Castle is to “mix California’s past with the fresh mystery of internet underground culture.” 

Nowell got his start playing in the popular Southern California rock act LAW, but Jakobs Castle is an unfiltered version of his personal musical identity. As a musician born into the California punk scene, he’s been forging his own musical destiny in a way that’s relevant to today’s generation of listeners. On enlisting the help of producer and co-collaborator Jon Joseph, Jakob muses, “I think that Jon was the guy who really helped me discover my sound because I would show him the synth sounds I wanted or what I liked for vocal effects, and it became this affected cyber ska weirdness.” 

Catch Jakobs Castle on tour with Common Kings this fall with stops in Chicago, NYC, Boston and more! Tickets available Click Here.

Watch the new music video here:

Jakobs Castle On Tour 

W/ Common Kings 

Sept. 26 – Minneapolis, MN – Uptown Theater  

Sept. 27 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall  

Sept. 29 – Ithaca, NY - Deep Dive* 

Sept. 30 – Hampton Beach, NH – Wally's  

Oct. 1 – Portland, ME – Aura  

Oct. 3 – Boston, MA – Big Night Live  

Oct. 4 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl  

Oct. 7 – Orleans, MA – Outermost Roots & Blues Festival* 

Oct. 8 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia  

Oct. 11 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Stone Pony  

Oct. 12 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVA  

Oct. 13 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater  

Oct. 15 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm  

Oct. 18 – Stuart, FL – Terra Fermata  

Oct. 19 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live  

Oct. 21 – Ft. Myers, FL – The Ranch  

Oct. 22 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues  

Oct. 25 – Sacramento, CA – TBA 

Oct. 28 – Sneads Ferry, NC – Sneads Ferry Community Center*  

*no Common Kings 

Photo by Danin Jacquay