Pet Needs drop new single "Tour Worn"
Today sees Colchester four-piece Pet Needs share a final look into their upcoming fourth studio album “Elbows Out! This Is Capitalism” out on 27th March via Xtra Mile Recordings, with gritty, animated punk rock anthem Tour Worn.
In addition to this new album, the band is celebrating ten years of their career with the exclusive Decade Series. 12 CDs each include the full album plus a bonus demo version of one of the tracks, giving fans a glimpse into the early creative process. The record has hit great heights thus far, with Hey You Hey You (Are You Are You OK? hitting Kerrang Radio’s A-List, and further support seen from BBC 6Music’s Steve Lamacq, Radio X Xposure, BBC Introducing Essex & Cambridgeshire and Total Rock.
Tour Worn details the feeling of loving life on the road, whilst simultaneously how much of a toll it can take on one’s mental and physical being.
“After weeks or months away from home with creaking bodies and depleted serotonin, sometimes you’re not ill, or sad, just absolutely done in.” PET NEEDS explains. “This is the most fun job in the world, but also massively taxing when you’re away from home cramming five people into a two person hotel for the thirtieth night in a row.” It’s a reflection on life in the industry - the highs, the lows, the exhaustion, the exhilaration. “Life is expensive. The industry is against the independents. If you want this job, kid, it’s the greatest in the world. You just have to become well versed at being tour worn. It’s a hazard of the trip. The hardest way to make an easy living, right?”
They continue, sharing that the song holds a double meaning: “This song joins a version of me, after he mistakenly bought a second hand punk rock career at auction and is desperately trying to make things work. The pendulum is swinging, between trying to be nonchalant and pretend that all of this doesn’t matter, to worrying that people prefer our old albums.”
You can watch the official video for Tour Worn on YouTube below:
PET NEEDS regrets to announce that their upcoming tour and scheduled in-store appearances will no longer go ahead due to a family matter. The band sincerely apologises to fans who were planning to attend and appreciates everyone’s understanding as they prioritise family at this time.
Refunds for all affected shows will be available via the original point of purchase. For fans who purchased album bundles connected to the in-store appearances, those orders will still be fulfilled as planned ahead of the album’s release; the shows will take place at a later date, after the fans have had time to sit with the music. Fans who choose to keep their orders are hugely appreciated. This support means a great deal to the band during release week, and they look forward to returning to the stage when circumstances allow.
Pre-order the new album “Elbows Out! This Is Capitalism” HERE
Purchase “The Decade Series” CD HERE
The album was written throughout 2025 in a busy year that saw them zig zag across the UK, US and Europe in a relentless schedule of headline tours, support tours and festivals. Pet Needs never stay still for long, driven by their enduring pursuit of being creative, the pull of playing music and connecting with fans. But touring is also a financial necessity. Being a punk band building things up from the bottom is hard graft in an industry dominated by streaming, social media saturation and big marketing budgets.
It is fitting then that their new album tackles some of these themes head-on - a satirical look at the pitfalls of trying to make it as a DIY punk band. The album charts the exploits of the band buying a second-hand punk rock career at auction and trying (and failing) to make it work. Over the course of the genre-spanning 12 tracks, the story unfolds with a mix of frenetic punk rock defiance; reflective melodic introspection and beat heavy party anthems alongside guest appearances by CJ Ramone, legendary auctioneer Erik Olson and friends The Whops and Jess Guise whose interludes help the story develop.
Johnny Marriott (vocalist) explains further: “There has to be a reason why people continue to pursue creative careers when on paper the industry is built to break them. The power of the present - the writing, the shows, and the human connection - supersedes it all. Being a musician right now is an act of defiance. Even with artificial intelligence and late capitalism doing everything they can to force our hands, we won't stop. We wanted to make an album that people would love to listen to all the way through, so we decided to tell a story. Each member brought their own flair to this record. It feels vital. We're really proud of it.”
It is their most creative and bold album so far. Recorded by George Perks (Enter Shikari, You Me At Six, Mogwai, Skindred) it follows the release of their Top 20 album ‘Intermittent Fast Living’ in February 2024. The band will be giving fans a chance to hear some of the album’s tracks after release, in a now postponed album tour (dates yet to be confirmed).
“Elbows Out! This Is Capitalism” marks a decade in the life of the band. The first 5 years were more a part-time affair, with a handful of single releases and gigs in the back rooms of pubs and clubs as well as house shows and anywhere else that they could play. They signed to Xtra Mile Recordings to release their debut album “Fractured Party Music” in 2021 and were catapulted into a dizzying touring schedule that took them across the UK, Europe and United States. And their feet haven’t touched the ground since. Second album “Primetime Entertainment” quickly followed in 2022 and third album “Intermittent Fast Living” in 2024 which entered the UK Official Album Chart at Number 17. They’ve garnered plays from Steve Lamacq on 6Music, John Kennedy on Radio X, Kerrang! Radio A-List, BBC Introducing Essex and Total Rock as well as performing live on The Chris McCausland Show on ITV.
Having attracted attention with their relentless live shows, Pet Needs have toured extensively supporting Frank Turner, The Lottery Winners, The Bouncing Souls, Flogging Molly, Skinny Lister, The Hives, Art Brut, NOFX, The Levellers, Spike & The Gimmie and Gimmies and Laura Jane Grace. Their own headline tours in the UK have previously sold out including their annual Fractured Party Festival which took place in May 2025 at The Garage in London and The Old Church in Stoke Newington. They’ve played the Main Stage at Beautiful Days and Bearded Theory Festivals and won over fans at 2000Trees, Dot To Dot, The Salty Dog Cruise and many more.
