Pocket Bandits - Nine by Pocket Bandits (2025)

The crack of a snare drum. The ring of an electric guitar. The wail of a Hammond organ. Like an electrified fanfare, the opening notes of Nine by Pocket Bandits herald the arrival of a trio to be reckoned with. Calculated composition, daring improvisation, an aura of fun, of risk, of joy… that’s Pocket Bandits.

“We’re here to play the music we want, the way we want,” says drummer Simon Bjarning. “There’s something about this particular lineup . . . we’re here to entertain, and bring the good vibes, but we’re pretty adamant about ‘this is the way we do it.’” The three-piece’s stylistic adventurousness comes through in the nine-track collection, demonstrated in the odd-time funk opus “Second Drink,” the hypnotic riffs of lead single “The Pocket Bandit,” the sweet, simmering ballad “The Bridesmaid’s Heart,” and the jazzy, bombastic closer, “The Sidler.”