Al Denté, Hunny, Icky Radneck and Edley O’Dowd talk about the record and what led to it
Transmission 401: Interview with Problem Addict
Philadelphia’s Problem Addict sound like they were assembled from spare car parts and bad decisions, which tracks given how they describe their own lives. The noise-rock quartet arrive with Live From The Emergency Room, a debut long-player out June 25.
Artist: Problem Addict
Release Date: 2026-06-25
Genres: Garage Rock, Noise Rock, Punk Rock
Label: self-release
Description: Problem Addict talk about their debut LP Live From The Emergency Room, out June 25, and the real stories behind the songs.
Al Denté (vocals, guitar) and Hunny (drums, backing vocals) round out the lineup with Icky Radneck (bass) and Edley O’Dowd, whose résumé runs through Psychic TV, Toilet Boys and Scorpion Tea, credited here under the fittingly blunt title “The Problem.” heir sound splits the difference between ’60s pop melodicism and scorched-earth punk.
Featured image: © Cecilia Orlando
Which records first showed you that ‘60s pop and overdriven punk could coexist?
Al Denté: Aren’t Blondie and the Ramones just overdriven 60s pop? The Monkees had some quite overdriven 60s pop. My parents had a few monkees 45’s propping up our broken couch.
How did a Psychic TV, Toilet Boys, and Scorpion Tea alum end up in the same band?
Edley: All those alums are one person, no they’re not, yes they are, no they’re….
Was there a specific moment that pushed you to start this project?
Hunny: I got kicked off my 7th and final couch, and was ultimately denied access to every scrap metal yard in the tri state area .
Edley: Last August I woke up on a basement floor somewhere in Delco dressed as a wizard in drag…
What changed between your first EP and this debut LP?
Hunny: We had even less money.
Is there a band or artist the rest of the world wouldn’t expect to hear named as an influence on this record?
Icky: Kate Bush!
Edley: Yma Sumac!
Al: The Monkees…of course!
What does “the emergency room” represent beyond the literal image?
Hunny: It’s our second home, where “everyone knows our names”.
How do you decide which real experiences become songs?
Edley: Seems like Al has “real life experiences” everyday, so no shortage there…we put them all in a hat and randomly pick the most awful ones. Al may be a failed used car salesman, but he can write a kick-ass song or two.
Does writing actually exorcise the negative feelings, or does it come back?
Hunny: The negative feelings never really leave to be honest.
Icky: We all try to exorcise regularly.
Is there an intentional arc to the tracklist?
Edley: More like a downward spiral.
What about “the current state of the world” were you reacting to most?
Al: Waking up and my catalytic converter being stolen…again.
Why introduce a debut LP as a live recording instead of a studio record?
Icky: Better than a dead record!
Edley: We wanted to tap into the chaos of our live shows.
Where did the four of you disagree most, and how’d you resolve it?
Hunny: We pretty much disagree on everything and none of it has been resolved.
Icky: We have a fajita cooking contest and see who loses.
What’s shaping your worldview right now outside of music?
Icky: Mostly fortune cookies.
Al: Driving around in my car without a catalytic converter.
What’s next after this release?
Hunny: Hopefully not jail….again.
Edley: After we bail Al out, we will be doing more touring to bring this beautiful mess of ugliness to the rest of the world.
Photos courtesy of © Problem Addict
Matteo Damiani is an Italian photographer and author. Curator of the sites Retrofuturista.com; weirditaly.com; china-underground.com and others
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