Chicago rock band Ax and the Hatchetmen share their single, 'Loser', a self-aware, fist-pumping ode to falling short.
Out now via Arista Records, the summer single arrives amid the continued breakout of fan-favourite ‘Hotel Room’, which has surpassed 150 million views across TikTok and jumped from 50,000 daily streams to over 540,000 daily streams in just two months.
‘Loser’ taps into frontman Axel Ellis’s ability to wear his flaws on his sleeve, turning self-doubt and messy relationships into an unapologetic summer rock anthem. An ode to every poor decision he’s made in relationships: “Won’t jump your car, but I can break your heart … I’m a loser, bet I’ll lose ya / Kick me out before I break your walls / Won’t pay for dinner, sometimes I lie just to get your heart.”
Listen to ‘Loser’ on Sport Playlists New Releases.
Ax and the Hatchetmen spoke on the inspiration behind the song, “‘Loser’ can’t keep it together. It’s been at the bar since 4pm. It’s waiting for the world to bend to its liking instead of looking inward to fix its problems. More than often, it doesn’t make it out of bed till afternoon and has no idea how to fix a flat tire. Sometimes it might lie or steal to get what it wants, but it can’t wait for a shower beer later. Worse off, it’ll break your heart for no good reason. Somewhere way down there might be a glimmer of remorse – hard to say. Hopefully someday it’ll learn, but that’s tomorrow’s problem.”
Formed in 2018, Ax and the Hatchetmen came roaring out of Chicago with feel-great, crowd-pleasing shows, tight-knit musical camaraderie, and a wide range of influences spanning generations and genres. Led by guitarist/singer Axel Ellis, the band also features Sal Defilippis on guitar, Hunter Olshefke on bass, Chaandmon Crofton drums, Phil Pistone on trumpet, and Quinn Dolan on saxophone. Along with Ellis, the road-tripping sextet originally met in music school, where they were studying jazz. Though each band member has a formal music education, together Ax and the Hatchetmen have a loose, organic, rollicking vibe, channeling everyone from the Strokes to the Specials to the Rolling Stones, the Black Keys, Pink Floyd, ELO, Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Cage The Elephant, and Hippo Campus.
The track serves as the latest glimpse into the band’s next chapter as they continue building on a breakout year of live momentum and growing fan demand. Other highlights from the past year include last July’s filler-free Constant Change EP; in-depth interviews with The Luna Collective, Melodic Mag, and the Music Mukbang podcast; a summer run supporting Fitz and the Tantrums; and a US headliner that saw fervent crowds matching the band’s famously freewheeling energy — and their infectious lyrics, line for line.
