Chubby and the Gang Take Aim at a Cruel Carceral State on ‘Coming Up Tough’

London punk outfit Chubby and the Gang have released a new song, “Coming Up Tough,” from their upcoming second album, The Mutt’s Nuts, out August 27th via Partisan Records.

With a bruising bass chug and razors edge guitar riff, “Coming Up Tough” finds Walker railing against a criminal justice system that has no interest in actual rehabilitation. The song was inspired by the experience of a family member who, at a young age, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. On the track’s sing-along hook, Walker bellows, “How can you prove them wrong/If no one even gave you a chance?”

“I wanted the song to feel like a snowball effect,” Walker said in a statement. “The character gets thrown out of his house at first and it feels almost juvenile, but then as it progresses you realize the real trouble he’s in. And too often once you’re in trouble you can’t get out.”

“Coming Up Tough” marks Chubby and the Gang’s first official single from The Mutt’s Nuts, though it follows two previously-released album cuts, “Lightning Don’t Strike Twice” and “Life’s Lemons,” which were released earlier this spring as a double A-side seven-inch. The Mutt’s Nuts is available to pre-order and follows Chubby and the Gang’s 2020 debut, Speed Kills. Both albums were produced by Fucked Up drummer Jonah Falco.

The Mutt’s Nuts Track List

1. “The Mutt’s Nuts”
2. “It’s Me Who’ll Pay”
3. “Coming Up Tough”
4. “On The Meter”
5. “Beat That Drum”
6. “Pressure”
7. “Take Me Home To London”
8. “Life On The Bayou”
9. “White Rags”
10. “Overachiever”
11. “Someone’s Gunna Die”
12. “Getting Beat Again” (Eppu Normaali cover)
13. “Life’s Lemons”
14. “Lightning Don’t Strike Twice”
15. “I Hate The Radio”