SINGLE PREMIERE: Gooseberry Brings the Swagger on "D.B. Cooper"

Brooklyn alt-rock trio Gooseberry are preparing to release their sophomore album, Simple Sucker, on September 25, but first we are premiering their newest single, “D.B. Cooper,” ahead of its official August 21 release.

If you aren't familiar, Gooseberry is made up of of Asa Daniels, Evin Rossington and Will Hammond.  They blend alternative rock, blues and plenty of guitar-driven grit into a sound that feels both current and rooted in the louder side of ‘90s rock.

“D.B. Cooper” is their signature blend at its peak.

There’s swagger in the guitar work, a loose bluesy groove underneath it all and enough distortion to give the track real weight. The obvious comparisons are bands like Queens of the Stone Age, Soundgarden and The White Stripes, but I also hear some of the restless, riff-driven energy of Austin’s White Denim which is amazing. 

What keeps it from feeling like a throwback is the personality Gooseberry bring to it. The influences are there, but “D.B. Cooper” still sounds like a band pushing their own version of modern rock forward, and it is one I would really like to hear live.

“D.B. Cooper” is the fourth song released from the upcoming Simple Sucker album. There is already a solid showing with “Fault Lines,” “Go Fish” and “Durak.” Together, the singles are beginning to show the range of the new record which includes the heavier Soundgarden-influenced attack of “Fault Lines” and "Go Fish" to the bluesy, unpredictable energy pulsing throughout "Durak". 

For now, “D.B. Cooper” is the newest piece of the puzzle.

Here is a little explanation from Daniels himself on both "D.B. Cooper" & Simple Sucker: 

    "D.B. Cooper celebrates the key skill that the Baby Boomer generation excels at more than any other generation," Daniels explains. "That skill is not wealth accumulation (though, they did that well too!), but rather self-mythologizing. Everything, from the Summer of Love, to The Beatles, to Vietnam, seemingly every major cultural tenet of import revolves around this one generation. The story of D.B. Cooper falls squarely into that ilk. Folks who know the name will get a kick out of it, but ultimately this song is about the stories we tell ourselves. With enough repetition, we internalize and believe these lies, which in turn become the truths that we tell others. In time, these fabrications suddenly become the basis for an entire life."

    "I only hope that Millennials & Zoomers are half as successful at this art when it comes time for us to dominate the media landscape," he continues. "This song’s main verse melody spans three measures as a complete phrase, rather than two, which creates the off-kilter feeling, letting us know that something isn’t quite right about what we’re being told."

    On Simple Sucker, Gooseberry explores what it means to be the perfect fool in today's world. As Daniels explains, "there are songs where we’re poking fun at people for being fools; fools in love; fools who think they can impart wisdom for change; fools ourselves, longing to return to days gone by."

We also have a great Q&A from the band: 

WMB: There’s a lot of ’90s alt-rock and grunge in this record, but I also hear some of the loose, bluesy, riff-driven energy of Austin’s White Denim. What bands (past or present) were you pulling from creatively while making Simple Sucker?

GB: We were very intentional about pulling from that fertile 90s rock soil, so bands like Soundgarden, The Jesus Lizard, and Nirvana led the way for us. That's all stuff we grew up on so to some extent those influences are baked into everything that we do. We would listen to records from that period with our producer, Colin Bryson, and actively try to find instruments, amps, mics, anything that might have been used at that time. However, we were also cognizant of not making this just a copy of a copy. Any chance to modernize in a way that doesn't feel like a jumpscare was a chance we took. Artists like Fontaines, Courtney Barnett, and Wunderhorse do a great job with this.

WMB: “D.B. Cooper” is one of the tracks that immediately stood out to me and I'm stoked to share it. Throughout this new material I hear flashes of the kind of gritty ’90s alternative rock I grew up with as it was evolving. Since you’ve specifically cited Soundgarden as an influence on this era, if Gooseberry could go back in time and join the tour of any ’90s band, who are you picking? What would you hope to steal from watching them every night?

GB: Oh man, that's a great question. I (Asa) love watching old concerts on YouTube. I've watched a whole host of the Soundgarden shows from the Badmotorfinger and Superunknown tours, including those legendary Lollapalooza shows. That would be pretty incredible, not just for Chris Cornell's presence but also to learn how Kim and Matt and Ben mold their sound together. Especially with all the different tunings and tempos. In many ways, that's the blueprint. I would be remiss if I didn't throw my usual curveball: Dave Matthews Band. Especially to have been on shows with them in either 93-94 (right before everything exploded) or in 98 when they had fully arrived and were touring Before These Crowded Streets. In both instances, you have bands renowned for their live shows and elite musicianship. That decade is when both bands mastered the magic trick of playing songs in seven or in crazy drop tunings and still having a wider audience bop along. Would love to know the secret...

WMB: The idea of the “perfect fool” runs through the entire album, but where did that theme actually begin for you? Was there a specific personal experience, relationship or moment that made you start thinking about the ways we judge foolishness in others but many times ignore it in ourselves?

GB: No specific moment, per se. The "fool" theme wasn't even the initial concept we started with! I love card games. We play all the time on the road. I grew up playing all kinds of cards with my family. My grandfather was a shark. In the beginning, I just had these titles of different card games I loved (Gin Rummy, Egyptian Rat Screw, etc.) and wanted to see how I could connect them to song ideas we had. As we developed them further and as I was piecing together lyrics, suddenly this throughline of the "fool" started to poke out until it became undeniable. Once we had that, the whole thing came into focus.

WMB: You made it down to Austin last year, so I have to ask the hometown question: how did Austin treat Gooseberry? And now that you’ve experienced the town, is playing ACL Music Festival somewhere on the band’s wish list? 

GB:  We did play Austin last year for the first time last September and we had a good time, would definitely come back! I mean, Spoon's from here. We love Spoon. They're one of the biggest inspirations for this band. And they've had some awesome ACL performances. So you put it all together and it seems like we gotta make this ACL thing happen. We'll settle for Spoon taking us on tour with them. Who do we gotta call?

Watch “D.B. Cooper” below before its official release on August 21.

Upcoming Tour Dates: 
8.31.26 | Bethel, NY | Bethel Woods Center
9.17.26 | South Burlington, VT | Higher Ground

9.20.26 | Montreal, QC | Turbo Haus
10.2.26 | Amarillo, TX | Golden Light Cantina
10.3.26 | Dallas, TX | TX Tea Room

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