Aggression Pays Off for Sick Puppies

Touring can be a maddening experience for some. For its third U.S. album, 'Tri-Polar,' Sick Puppies decided to take those feelings and roll it into the aggressive rock album due out July 14.

"Before you really get put out there in the deep end, you don't realize how mad you can go at times," said bassist Emma Anzai. "Touring seems glamorous to some, but what people don't realize is it feels like you're living in a bubble, and you're living in a bubble for a few months at a time. When you only have a week off at home, it's a false sense of reality. It's hard to grasp reality when you're out there. We're all living on a bus with nine to 12 people at a time, going from one city to the next. You don't really have time to settle down or anything, which is fine, But I think that's what brought it on. You get pushed to the edge in a lot of ways--mentally, physically and emotionally. I think that's what brought on all that aggression, just that raw emotion at least."

That aggression paid off. From May 17 through today, the WWE is using the first single, "You're Going Down," in promotional spots, primarily for the Extreme Rules Pay Per View, which was held June 7.

"We were very stoked when we found out about that," Anzai said. "We actually went to a WWE match at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, (Calif.) It was the first time we had been (to a WWE event). They played our song before the last match that they did. It's a good song for it, I think."

Sick Puppies - which also includes vocalist/guitarist Shimon Moore and drummer Mark Goodwin - also contributed a track for the Street Fighter IV video campaign called "Street Fighter (WAR)," which will be featured on 'Tri-Polar' and is available on iTunes.

"We're lucky," Anzai said. "I think our manager got approached for doing 'Street Fighter IV.' We were already writing anyway for the next album and a lot of aggressive stuff had come out. That was apt for that game, too. We're pretty stoked about that."

It's been four years since Australia's Sick Puppies relocated to L.A. and scored the hit "All The Same." The video was shot in a Sydney shopping mall with their friend Juan Mann, who held up a handwritten placard offering "Free Hugs," which was seen by more than 43 million viewers on YouTube alone, spurring six-figure sales of their major label debut, "Dressed Up As Life." Moving to the U.S. has been jarring for Anzai.

"At first it was a little bit challenging to adapt," Anzai said. "It's a very different culture compared to Australia. I think I really appreciate L.A. now because you go out on tour and there's a lot of madness. When you come home, it's just sort of quiet, you get so relaxed. It's really nice to have a bathroom on hand and just to have your privacy. I really like going home."