Born in the dying ashes of one of Nashville’s last independent rock clubs, Upset Boy and the Queens started as a joke. In 2022 Nashville’s iconic Exit/In threw one final concert before closing its doors indefinitely.

Somewhere in the crowd singer/guitarist Chris Watts (Dirt Reynolds) and guitarist Lulu Jones (Thelma and the Sleaze) cackled on the ground in a pool of their own cocktails. “We should start a dumb rock band one day because the world is ending and all the rock clubs are closing anyway!”

On August 16, 2024, The Queens released their debut singles “Trying To Get To You” and “Think Too Much” (Sweet Cheetah Records). On the morning of the release party Watts was diagnosed with nodules and hemorrhaging on his vocal cords, and the band was sidelined for seven months.

Now The Queens are back with their debut EP Silver Dreamer, released July 25, 2025, on Sweet Cheetah Records.

Watts describes Silver Dreamer as a snapshot of desperation, burnout, and starting over, both thematically and literally. “We weren’t chasing a sound, we were just trying to survive long enough to make one.”

The Queens will release their next EP Hissy Fit of Destruction (Sweet Cheetah Records) in late 2025 or early 2026.

Photo courtesy of Chad Crawford.