Twenty years after their debut album, Simple Plan released their sixth studio album, “Harder Than It Looks.” The band decided to use this album to offer support to the ongoing Ukraine crisis. The money generated from the YouTube views for their newest single, “Wake Me Up (When This Nightmare is Over),” will go towards UNICEF Ukraine Emergency Appeal.
“We always believed in the power of music, and we hope this video can have a positive impact and raise as much money as possible for the people of Ukraine,” says Simple Plan.
The video begins with an explanation that the director is Ukrainian filmmaker Jensen Noen, and the cast and crew are also all Ukrainian. Together they paint a picture of the devastation and destruction war brings. The band also pledged to donate a portion of the ticket sales from their current tour through, The Simple Plan Foundation.
The pop punk veterans showcase why they have been around since 1999, by turning back the clocks and embracing their classic sound.
“Throughout our career, it’s taken a while to be mature enough to understand that our sound is an asset, not a liability,” vocalist Pierre Bouvier explains.
The other singles “The Antidote,” “Ruin My Life,” and “Congratulations,” brings flashbacks from their first album “No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls.” The album reminds fans where the Canadian band started but with an added twist. They bring in what they learned over the past 20 years, and successfully mix their old sound and their new maturity to create something both the fans and they love.
“On this album we said: ‘Let’s just embrace who we are and not be afraid to do what we do best,” Bouvier adds.
Along with the album, Simple Plan announced their co-headline tour with Sum 41. The two-part tour, Blame Canada, started on April 29th, and celebrates the debut records for both bands. The first part will also have “Set It Off,” while the second part will feature “Magnolia Park.”
Listen to “Harder Than It Looks” here. Buy tickets for the tour here.
Photo credit: Jordan Kelsey Knight
Blame Canada Tour Dates:
Apr 29 – Raleigh, NC @ Ritz *
Apr 30 – Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues *
May 2 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore *
May 3 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE *
May 4 – Silver Springs, MD @ The Fillmore *
May 6 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium *
May 7 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony *
May 8 – New York, NY @ Pier 17 – The Rooftop *
May 10 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore *
May 11 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues *
May 13 – Cincinnati, OH @ Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center *
May 14 – Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles *
May 15 – Chicago, IL @ Radius *
May 17 – Minneapolis, MN @ Myth *
May 18 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown *
May 20 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Harrah’s Stir Cove *
May 21 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant *
May 22 – Nashville, TN @ Marathon *
May 24 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle *
May 25 – Tampa, FL @ Seminole Hard Rock *
May 27 – New Orleans, LA @ Orpheum Theater *
May 28 – Dallas, TX @ So What?! Music Festival
Jul 29 – Tulsa, OK @ Cains Ballroom ^
Jul 30 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater ^
Jul 31 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues ^
Aug 3 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren ^
Aug 5 – San Diego, CA @ SOMA ^
Aug 6 – Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues ^
Aug 9 – San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic ^
Aug 10 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades ^
Aug 12 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
Aug 13 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo ^
Aug 14 – Spokane, WA @ The Knitting Factory ^
Aug 16 – Garden City, ID @ Revolution ^
Aug 17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
Aug 18 – Denver, CO @ The Fillmore
* – Features support from Set It Off
^ – Features support from Magnolia Park
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