Members of Hootie & The Blowfish, R.E.M. & The Black Crowes team for new band
After revealing their surprise formation last month, new rock group Howl Owl Howl is giving fans the first scent of its raw, sharp-edged sound. Dropping their debut song “My Cologne,” the trio of ‘90s alternative legends unveil a punchy garage rocker with a playful core, dedicated to the act of reinvention.
Written by members Darius Rucker of Hootie & the Blowfish, Mike Mills of R.E.M., and Steve Gorman, formerly of The Black Keys, “My Cologne” features shared lead vocals from both Rucker and Mills, with a fist-pumping rhythm built on Gorman’s killer instincts.
But the new band’s lineup is not the only star-studded piece of the “My Cologne” story.
Scrappy and irreverent, the tongue-in-cheek anthem was actually inspired by Ariana Grande’s 2018 track “R.E.M.,” – which then turned into a perfume line with a familiar-feeling cassette-tape package. Mills says he found the possible connection to his iconic band too hilarious not to write about … especially since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
“I’m not dissing Ariana – in fact, I got no problem with it at all,” he says with a laugh. “I just thought it was funny that either she was completely unaware of how weird that was, or she was aware and didn’t care. Either way, I thought I’d write a little song and say I want to smell like Ariana Grande.”
Meanwhile, only a few days remain before Howl Owl Howl starts its first chapter on the road.
Showcasing the band’s longtime creative camaraderie and unique new sound, the Howl Owl Howl Tour 2025 features nine dates beginning November 3rd in Indianapolis, Indiana, with additional stops stretching across the Eastern U.S. and Midwest.
Each show will combine three distinctive, award-winning talents in new and unheard ways, as the band performs their original music live for the first time – tunes steeped in the rebellious passion and forever-young philosophy of rock…yet designed in a different phase of life.
