Norwegian stonerpunk power trio Bokassa have announced their fifth album, Anomalies, due for release on 12 March 2027, and unleashed the new single Cop Out. The band have also confirmed headline dates across Norway, the UK and Europe for spring 2027.
Cop Out sees Bokassa leaning into their metallic hardcore roots with a ferocious, no-nonsense approach. The track takes aim at everything from protest songs with lyrics broad enough to suit every side to bands that have stayed around long past their natural end.
“It’s about quitting while you’re ahead,” Vocalist Jørn Kaarstad said, “before you become something you despise. Before you start doing expensive VIP Meet & Greets, before you write lyrics that are just empty buzz words, before you start doing Tik Tok-dance videos to sell more tickets. I don’t wanna spend my time coming up with new ways to get views on social media, when I know that there are still different pizzas out there I haven’t tried yet.”
The single arrives alongside the announcement of Anomalies, the follow-up to 2024’s All Out Of Dreams. Produced by two-time Grammy winner Adrian Bushby, whose credits include Foo Fighters, Muse and The Darkness, and mastered by George Perks, who has worked with Enter Shikari and Skindred, the album reflects Bokassa’s refusal to settle into one genre.
Across the record, the trio move through groove Metal, desert rock, scandirock, Death Metal, hardcore punk, hard rock and powerpop while keeping the sound rooted in their own brand of stonerpunk. Kaarstad also stretches his vocal range from clean singing and hardcore screams to low death Metal growls.
Kaarstad says the album title fits a band that has always existed outside the usual boxes. “We’ve never really fit in with anyone. So we kinda just evolved into our own little entity. It’s become a ‘those who get it get it’ kinda thing and I’ve seen fans bond at shows over their shared love of our band, which is really cool.”
The record’s lyrical themes range from coups and defectors to the possibility of the world ending and leprechauns. The new single follows the more mellow, stoner rock-leaning Doesn’t Matter If You Love It Here, underlining the range Bokassa are bringing to Anomalies.
Reflecting on the band’s unlikely rise, Kaarstad says, “We didn’t have a booking agency, label, manager or any contacts and suddenly we were playing the world’s biggest stages. The way the music industry works in Norway, or the rest of the world for that matter, we shouldn’t have had a chance. So as far as I’m concerned we’ve always been an anomaly.”
Bokassa release music through their own Kings of Stonerpunk Records. Since their 2017 debut Divide & Conquer, they have toured with artists including Metallica, Clutch, Lagwagon, Therapy?, Zebrahead, Mastodon, Baroness and Judas Priest. They have also appeared at festivals including Wacken, Hellfest, Download, Rockfest, Øya, Stavern and Tons of Rock.
Bokassa 2027 Norway Dates
- 12 March – Bergen, Kulturhuset I
- 13 March – Tromsø, Blårock
- 20 March – Oslo, Rockefeller
- 2 April – Kristiansand, Kafé Krank
- 3 April – Stavanger, Folken
- 9 April – Trondheim, Byscenen
Bokassa 2027 UK Dates
Bokassa 2027 European Dates
- 6 May – Gothenburg, Sweden – Monument 013
- 7 May – Copenhagen, Denmark – Stengade
- 8 May – Hamburg, Germany – Betty
- 9 May – Berlin, Germany – Frannz Club
- 11 May – Frankfurt, Germany – Nachtleben
- 12 May – Arnhem, Netherlands – Luxox Live
- 13 May – Utrecht, Netherlands – DB’S
- 15 May – Belgium – Antwerp Metal Fest
Tickets are available at bokassaband.com/tour. Anomalies is released on 12 March 2027.
