Faster and Louder: April 2026

Wednesday, April 01, 2026

The Peppermint Kicks - "Shaking Underground"

When I first heard that The Peppermint Kicks were releasing a new single on April Fool's Day, I got a little suspicious. Anything having to do with April 1st always has me on high alert. Who in the heck releases new music on a Wednesday? Was this going to be an elaborate prank? Would April 1st come and there'd be no single but maybe a triple album with all lyrics in Russian? Would it be branded as Peppermint Kicks but actually be some sort of Metal Machine Music type project? Would the new single just be a video recording announcing that the band is retiring from music to prepare for a mission to Mars? Well here we are, and it all seems legit.

Out on the one-and-only Rum Bar Records, "Shaking Underground" not only sounds like The Peppermint Kicks, but it might also be the biggest smash hit that Dan Kopko and Sal Baglio have ever crafted together in their secret headquarters. Of course it's a power poppin' garage rock 'n' roll stomper, but this is no ordinary radio hit for an alternate universe. This, my friends, is a full-blown ANTHEM and a rousing call to action. It's an unflinching commentary on technology addiction and content oversaturation — and the hapless masses who find themselves manipulated, enslaved, and zombie-fied by all those sinister little devices. The irony that this song is largely being transmitted through devices is probably not lost on the band, but sometimes you've got to wage war with the weapons you've got. "Shaking Underground" is not all gloom and doom. It's a wake-up call, and it proposes a way out of this nightmare. No more fooling around! Joined by dynamo drummer Chuck Ferreira, Kopko and Baglio are in top form on this track. Sometimes it takes an irresistible tune to ensure that the message hits hard, and no doubt "Shaking Underground" will have you shaking and grooving with all you've got. What a freaking tune! Sometimes when all else fails, rock 'n' roll is the answer. There is another way. Let's give 'em hell to pay!