Beastie Boys’ Mike D has released his first song as a solo artist, “Switch Up.” The song is the first new music from any singular Beastie Boy since 2011’s Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. Check it out below.
“Switch Up” began as an experiment in Mike D’s home studio, during sessions with his sons, Davis and Skyler Diamond, who perform as the indie-dance duo Very Nice Person. The Diamond brothers brought their dad onstage for a surprise show on April 11, delivering renditions of Beastie Boys songs like “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun” and “So What’cha Want.” Very Nice Person are credited as producers on the new track, alongside Carter Lang.
Mike D hasn’t performed with the Beastie Boys since his bandmate Adam “MCA” Yauch died in 2012. The group, however, has continued to cement their legacy with vinyl reissues, a greatest hits album, a Spike Jonze-directed documentary, and even an official square in New York, at the corner of Ludlow and Rivington where the Paul’s Boutique cover was shot.
Mike D will mark the release of his new song with a few shows later this month, including two dates at Ne York roller rink Xanadu Roller Arts on May 22 and 23. He’ll also play at Sid the Cat Auditorium in South Pasadena, California on May 10.