Hootie & The Blowfish reissue ‘Imperfect Circle’ with REM cover bonus track

Album reissued under “rock” category featuring “Losing My Religion” cover

Hootie & the Blowfish announced the reissue of their latest album, Imperfect Circle, under the rock category as further evidence of the band’s musical home in several genres. Initially released in the country space in November 2019, the re-release of the album also adds their take on the classic “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M., who the band has credited as a major inspiration since their earliest days at the University of South Carolina.

“When we were cutting our teeth as a band, almost every night fans would hear us on stage covering R.E.M.,” frontman Darius Rucker shared when the song was released as an Amazon Original in April. “‘Losing My Religion’ is a song that when you first listen to it, you can feel the struggle, the back-and-forth. Plus, Peter Buck wrote the song on mandolin, and being in the south, it’s a lot of fun to perform live. We’re releasing it as a cover with Amazon Music as I think it’s still as thrilling to people today as it was when it was first released.”

“It was so special to all be back together recording again for this album,” notes guitarist Mark Bryan. “We’re excited to reissue the album to fans with the addition of ‘Losing My Religion’ after covering the song in our sets last year night-after night.”

The album featuring single “Hold On” marked the first studio project for the Grammy Award-winning band in nearly 15 years, and came on the heels of their sold out Group Therapy Tour – their first full-time return to the road in over a decade.

With the rich, bluesy vocals of Darius Rucker and gleeful harmonies of guitarist Mark Bryan, bassist Dean Felber and drummer Jim “Soni” Sonefeld, Hootie & the Blowfish sold over 25 million records worldwide after their infectious melodies hit the airwaves in 1994 with hits such as “Hold My Hand”, “Let Her Cry” and “Only Wanna Be With You.”

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn