Chicago-based Ax And The Hatchetmen released “Blurry Lights on May 20th. The song features Albert Hammond Jr. Of The Strokes. Ax And The Hatchetmen’s guitarist/singer Axel Ellis says, “‘Blurry Lights’ is a dizzy song about trying to maintain composure while freaking out on psychedelics. It’s mostly about the time I took mushrooms before going to the Van Gogh exhibit in Chicago — an experience I would not recommend, as the room was way too brightly lit to not notice and feel the presence of the hundred-or-so other people at the exhibit who, at the time, I was certain were all staring at me and knew I was on drugs. On top of that, the walls were swirling around with Starry Night and Van Gogh’s various works, creating the perfect mix of dizziness, nausea, and overstimulation while coming up on shrooms. The lights were blurry as hell, and I wanted to go home.” The road-tripping sextet originally met in music school, where they were studying jazz. Ax And The Hatchetmen have a wide range of influences spanning generations, channeling everyone from The Strokes to the Specials to the Rolling Stones, the Black Keys, Pink Floyd, ELO, Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Cage The Elephant, and Hippo Campus. The band released their first EP, Bear On The Roof in 2020 and headlined a sold-out 30 date 2023 tour along with Lollapalooza before inking a record deal with Arista Records. The Ax And The Hatchetmen will play Hinterland Festival in Green Bay on May 24th and Do Division Festival in Chicago on May 30th before heading out on tour in July. Find the tour dates HERE.