Southern California’s reggae-rock standard-bearers Dirty Heads are not waiting for anyone to catch up. The RIAA Platinum-certified band has dropped not one but two new singles today — “Better” and “Sound Boy Killa” — pulling back the curtain even further on their forthcoming ninth full-length album, 7 Seas, due June 12 via Better Noise Music.

If “Seven Seas” set the tone and “One of Those Days” (currently sitting at No. 14 at alternative radio) proved the band still knows how to write a sun-soaked anthem, this new pair of tracks shows the range Dirty Heads are bringing to this record. “Better” is the warm, communal pep talk we all could probably use right now, while “Sound Boy Killa” is the grimy, bass-forward genre experiment that signals the band’s appetite for evolution is far from satisfied.

Percussionist Jon Olazabal called “Better” one of his personal favorites on the album, noting that the song was largely tracked in Nashville and was written as a reminder that — even in chaotic times — we get through it together. Vocalist/guitarist Dustin “Duddy B” Bushnell echoed that sentiment, admitting that some songs feel like pulling teeth, but “Better” simply poured out of the band. You can hear it in the finished product: there’s no strain, just lift.

“Sound Boy Killa” tells a different story. Frontman Jared Watson built the track around his recent obsession with UK garage, layering a dirty UKG bass tone underneath Dirty Heads-style hip-hop drums and reggae phrasing, then nodding to Jamaican DJ clash culture in the chorus. The result slaps hard, leaves room for dynamics in the live show, and refuses to take itself too seriously. In other words: classic Dirty Heads, just rewired.

Stream “Better” on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6GkJh85o22LfD2vgL9DP6f

The 7 Seas tracklist also features collaborations with Sophia Lynn (“2 Young”) and IRAH (“BADMAN”), and lands alongside a meaningful off-stage move from the band. Last month, Dirty Heads teamed up with 4ocean, joining the organization for a shoreline cleanup at Key Largo’s John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The plastic collected has been recycled into a Dirty Heads x 4ocean bracelet, available on its own or bundled with a limited premium vinyl boxset edition of 7 Seas.

Then there’s the small matter of the summer. Dirty Heads will hit the road on a co-headline run with 311 starting in June, with support from Ocean Alley, Atmosphere, and ROME across various legs, plus festival stops at Reggae Rise Up Oregon, Northlands Festival, Point Break Festival, and Everwild. The trek wraps in West Palm Beach on August 30 after rolling through Red Rocks, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Pine Knob, Santa Barbara Bowl, and just about every major shed in between.

Twenty-six years deep, three billion-plus career streams in the books, and a No. 1 alternative radio hit (“Rescue Me”) already on the shelf, Dirty Heads still sound genuinely curious. 7 Seas isn’t a victory lap — it’s another departure. Pre-order or pre-save the album, grab a ticket to the tour, and let the band do what they’ve been doing better than just about anyone for a quarter-century: making summer sound like summer.