NASHVILLE – Hanson fans awoke to quite the surprise Friday morning, with the American pop band unexpectedly releasing its 7th studio album, ‘Sunny D’, simultaneously on both Tidal and as a ‘visual album’ on HBO Go. ‘Sunny D’ explores the complexities and challenges of the band’s upbringing in and around Jenks, Oklahoma, and delves deep into issues of wealth, gender and growing up white in a city that’s only 87.4% white.
“What do you want, soda? Some purple stuff?” Hanson poses for a ‘Sunny D’ promo. (AP Photo)
The album was debuted just after 8am eastern Friday via a link on the group’s Facebook page and as part of a 9-month free trial offer at Tidal.com. By 8:15am the band’s most loyal followers, known as The Han Dynasty had erupted on Twitter, boosting the hashtag #SunnyD to a globally trending topic.
The album has also already been met with some criticism online for its aggressive imagery and violent language. Garnering the most attention by far has been the album’s first track, ‘BOPPAMOTHAF%CKA’ which leads with the lyrics “Ba du bop, ba du dop, mothaf%cka? / I grab my Glock and make you drop, mothaf%cka!” Equally striking is the video for ‘Estimation’ which opens on the band standing in an oversized crib, dressed like Cabbage Patch Dolls.
Speaking to Rolling Stone Friday afternoon, Taylor Hanson explained that ‘Sunny D’ was about digging into their past and being honest with their fans. “You listen to the last song on the record, ‘Cash, Money, Bros’, and you get a sense for what we’ve been through as a family”, said the 33-year old keyboardist. “When Zac was 7 he stole $400 playing Monopoly. It’s been 23 years and Issac and I just thought it was time to have it out, publicly.”
Hanson will hit the road this summer in support of the album with its 31 show, 4 country “Contains 5% Real Emotion Tour”.
(L&B)