About

Since 2001, Dirty Heads have mixed hip-hop, reggae, and rock to create a unique sound that both fully embodies their Southern California roots and resonates with audiences around the globe. 

Dirty Heads are currently out streaming some of the biggest alternative acts in the U.S., with over 1.29 MILLION digital track sales and 2.7 BILLION on-demand streams since 2018. Dirty Heads also have over 3.1 million unique monthly listeners on Spotify.

The band’s global appeal reached new heights in 2021, when their hit “Vacation” (originally released in 2017) garnered over six billion views and streams across social media via the ubiquitous #VacationTransition challenge that originated organically with users on TikTok. The song, with an increase of 850% in consumption on Spotify in the past year, took on a new life in many ways, introducing Dirty Heads to new international fans by the millions. 

The group formed when punk rocker Dustin Bushnell (aka Duddy B) asked his friend, rapper Jared Watson (aka Dirty J), to collaborate on a project that would focus on positive vibes and infectious grooves. Watson added singing to his vocal skills, and later with percussionist Jon Olazabal, drummer Matt Ochoa, and bassist Dave Foral, Dirty Heads began building an immense audience. 

In 2008, Dirty Heads released their acclaimed album Any Port in a Storm, with a deluxe edition following in 2010. The deluxe version featured the track "Lay Me Down" with special guest Rome Ramirez of Sublime with Rome. The song reached number one on Billboard's Alternative Songs in May 2010, and nine weeks later it established a record as the song with the longest stint atop the chart for an independently released title.

They followed up two years later with Cabin by the Sea and later recorded an acoustic version of the title track. This, in turn, led to an entire acoustic album in 2013 called Home: Phantoms of Summer. Dirty Heads' next album, Sound of Change, would prove to be a breakthrough for the now-veteran band, debuting at number eight on the Billboard Top 200 while topping the Independent and Alternative Albums charts upon its May 2014 release. 

Building on their renewed success, Dirty Heads enlisted a bevy of industry hitmakers to work on their self-titled 2016 follow-up, which -- thanks to its mainstream appeal -- again charted high on the Billboard Top 200. The following year saw the band drop its sixth studio album, Swim Team, featuring the singles "Vacation," in its original form, and "Staloney."

Inspired by current events and the fan interpretations of their music in the #VacationTransition challenge, the band went into the studio to work on new music. In 2021 Dirty Heads released The Best Of Dirty Heads compilation, which included a new collaboration with Travis Barker and Aimee Interrupter of The Interrupters. Dirty Heads recently wrapped their “Let’s Get It Kraken Tour” Summer tour with SOJA, with multiple sold-out dates. The band also released their highly anticipated 8th studio album Midnight Control in August 2022 which features 10 all-new songs including their take on Joe Walsh’s 1978 hit “Life’s Been Good.” “Life’s Been Good” proved to be another quick hit as it remained #3 on BDS for multiple weeks in a row and has already amassed over 7.4 million global streams across all platforms. In addition, the entire Midnight Control album has over 29 million streams. (Statistics via U.S. and Global Music Connect).