Rome Ramirez, former frontman of Sublime with Rome, has teamed up with reggae rockers Dirty Heads for a new song, “Slow & Easy.
In a statement, Rome calls the breezy summer tune “the culmination of my mantra, my friends, and my family all wrapped into one.” The accompanying video, directed by Matt Leddo and premiering today on Rolling Stone, fully embraces that vibe, with footage of Rome spending time with his loved ones and working on “Slow & Easy” with Dirty Heads.
Rome and Dirty Heads have frequently worked together over the years, first teaming up in 2010 on Dirty Heads’ hit, “Lay Me Down.” (Rome also has a project, Rome and Duddy, with Dirty Heads’ Dustin “Duddy B” Bushnell.)
Rome said getting to collaborate with the duo again on “Slow & Easy” made the song “even more special,” adding, “We helped each other launch our careers back when ‘Lay Me Down’ became a summer anthem, and now, all these years later, we’re bringing that feeling back! This one’s the soundtrack to the summer. All over again!”
“Slow & Easy” comes a few months after Rome dropped “Why Me?” He has a handful of tour dates lined up for next month, including a set at Summerfest in Milwaukee on July 5. He also has a handful of gigs scheduled for October in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, and San Diego.
Rome is kicking off this new solo phase of his career following a successful run with Sublime with Rome, the spin-off group he formed with original Sublime members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh, with Rome filling in for late frontman Bradley Nowell. (Gaugh only played with the group for a couple of years, later replaced by drummers Josh Freese and Carlos Verdug.) Between 2011 and 2014, the group toured extensively and released four albums, the last arriving in May 2024.
Around the same time, however, Sublime with Rome ended under somewhat tense circumstances. It was announced that Sublime would reunite under their original moniker with Wilson, Gaugh, and Nowell’s son Jakob as frontman. Rome, meanwhile, still had to finish out a string of contractually obligated Sublime with Rome gigs that Wilson did not participate in.
