“Guess who’s back, back again,” Sean Foreman sings as soon as the Zoom call starts. Nat Motte cracks up and just like that the tone is set: 3OH!3 are back, still trolling themselves, and still allergic to sincerity—even when they’re being sincere.
The duo have a new album, NEED, which they insist is spiritually tied to their breakthrough WANT. “We really had to hammer people over the head with that,” Foreman admits. “It’s fully connected. Mostly just the titles.” The real connection is vibe: returning to their old label Photo Finish, dusting off the manic energy that made frat parties and Warped Tours scream “Don’t Trust Me,” but also remembering they’re not 22 anymore. “I’m literally wearing Crocs right now,” Foreman deadpans. “Crocs and socks. Dad style.”
They’ve spent the downtime writing for other people, including pop stars, rappers, and even video games. But they missed their own chaos. “Sometimes our first decision is the best one,” Motte says. “Like Sean screaming into the mic until we had to transcribe what he said backwards. That’s the take that made the album.”
And while they’ll never outrun the legacy of their dirtbag hits, they’re happy to lean into them with a wink. New single “I’m So Sad” is an anthem in the lineage of “Boys Don’t Cry”—only dumber and bigger on purpose. “It’s okay to not be okay,” Foreman shrugs. “Sometimes it feels good to just announce it. Like, hey, I’m sad. Party sad. Anthem sad.” Motte calls it flipping the inspirational script: “Everything used to be fireworks and whoa-oh-ohs. We wanted an anthem for being bummed out at the bar.”
Middle age hasn’t killed their humor. “We’ve always been self-deprecating,” Foreman says. “There’s a line, ‘I’m a middle-aged cliché, we should probably have kids by now.’ Our parents did. Instead, we’re here still writing party songs.” Motte chimes in: “TikTok is the real test of aging gracefully. Do we do the dances? We just want to stay genuine. Also, Sean’s been gray for years. In L.A. the 18-year-olds think it’s cool hair dye. He’s like, nope, just stress.”
Speaking of aging badly, they also let their old website domain lapse. “Now it’s a porn site,” Motte sighs. “Don’t go to 303music unless you want an adult-only experience.” Foreman, without missing a beat: “What do you think the green screen behind us is for?”
They’re still ridiculous, still capable of writing choruses that sound like ten Red Bulls poured into an aux cord, and still the kind of band who will derail an earnest question about legacy into a joke about dad shoes. Or as Foreman sums it up: “Rock and roll, baby. Dance.”
Watch the interview above and then check out the video below.
