23 October 2026
Spike and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Punk Up Pop Classics on 'Shit the Bed'
The Gimme Gimmes universe just got a little more crowded. Spike and the Gimme Gimmes have joined forces with Me First and the Gimme Gimmes for Shit the Bed, an 11-track covers album released on 23 October 2026 through Fat Wreck Chords. Every track on the Bandcamp page is credited to both acts together, so this is a proper team-up rather than a split.
The formula is the one fans know and love: take a well-worn pop or rock favourite, speed it up and run it through a punk blender. Most of the picks come from the 80s and thereabouts, and a few are so cheesy they loop back to being fun again. The full tracklist reads: It's Raining Men, Rhinestone Cowboy, Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Hey Ya!, I Want It That Way, Rio, Kokomo, Fame, Think I'm In Love, I'll Make Love To You and We Are the World.
Why it works
Covers albums live or die on commitment, and the Gimme Gimmes brand has always been about playing the joke dead straight while the arrangements get faster and rougher. Hearing "Hey Ya!" and "I Want It That Way" treated like Ramones songs is the sort of thing that goes down well at a barbecue, a basement show or a long drive. Several songs here come in under two and a half minutes, so the album moves quickly.
The Bandcamp page does not list individual personnel or production credits, so we will leave the who-played-what question for the liner notes. For now, the album is out on Fat Wreck Chords and sits on the label's Bandcamp page, ready for anyone who needs a sing-along punk fix.