Born in the dying ashes of one of Nashville’s last independent rock clubs, Upset Boy and the Queens started as a joke.

In late 2022, Nashville’s iconic Exit/In threw one final concert before closing its doors to an uncertain future. Somewhere in the crowd singer/guitarist Chris Watts (Dirt Reynolds) and bassist Lulu Jones (Thelma and the Sleaze) stumbled into each other so hard they knocked each other to the ground.

Cackling in a pool of their own cocktails they joked about starting a dumb rock band because, “why not, the world is ending and the clubs are closing anyway?”

Upset Boy and the Queens officially got to work in late 2024. Now joined by drummer Dan Dolive, the self-proclaimed “Party Band for the Dystopia” is kicking down the doors of Nashville’s indie rock revolution.

On August 16, 2024, they released their debut singles “Trying To Get To You” and “Think Too Much,” collectively known as the Sweet Cheetah Double A-Side on Sweet Cheetah Records.

On the day of the single release show Watts was diagnosed with nodules and hemorrhaging on his vocal cords. The band was sidelined for four months.

Now Upset Boy and the Queens are back. Their next single “Amphetamine Queen” will be released March 14, 2025, on Sweet Cheetah Records.