Following an April Fools’ Day prank, hardcore supergroup Off! have genuinely announced plans for an upcoming new album/mockumentary dubbed Watermelon. The Keith Morris-led punk act have launched a Kickstarter to make both projects a reality, with fans who contribute to the campaign receiving perks ranging from limited edition merch designed by artist Raymond Pettibone and a spot in the crowd during Watermelon‘s final in-concert scene.
Off! described the “science fiction punk mockumentary” as “a modern day Repo Man.” The film project has been in the works since 2016, with the band sharing a four-minute trailer showcasing the more mockumentary aspects of the sci-fi film. The film will also reportedly feature cameos by Jack Black, Jesus Lizard’s David Yow, Dave Foley and Brian Posehn.
As for the band’s grand vision, Off! elaborated in an ambitious synopsis as part of the $175,000 Kickstarter:
Five years after breaking up, OFF! are home in Los Angeles. Keith starts a romantic relationship with a girl who has just moved to town. They fail to have sex because of Keith’s erectile dysfunction caused by diabetes. An infomercial promising powerful long-lasting erections lures Keith down a strange path to an eccentric doctor running a Brain Development Agency. An alternative Viagra made from mind-altering watermelons not only restores Keith’s manhood, but also gives him the ability to travel through space and time.
Keith offers the drug to the rest of the band as a solution to their problems. As they teleport through strange alternate realities, each member develops his own unique superpower. OFF! become hardcore heroes who can sense and stop unjust wrongdoings. On his podcast, Keith and the band become clairvoyants who are able to see and predict horrific events before they happen. When they turn to music, the group discovers a new experimental approach which not only redefines punk, but also becomes an underground movement. OFF!’s revolutionary sound attracts more than a new audience of fanatic human followers.
Watermelon was announced two hours after Morris staged a April Fools’ prank where he announced his new role as president of Kickstarter Music; the prank was, obviously, a ruse that paved the way for Off!’s Watermelon campaign.
Off! last released their third LP Wasted Years in 2014. The hardcore supergroup will also embark on a string of U.S. festival gigs this summer.