Nashville-Based Rock Artist Cook Allender Releases Debut Album Music Your Parents Hate Today, May 15
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 15, 2026) — New Orleans-born, Nashville-based rock artist, filmmaker, and visual director Cook Allender officially releases his debut album, Music Your Parents Hate, today, Friday, May 15 on VibraHive Records. The unapologetic, guitar-driven collection fueled by massive riffs, cinematic storytelling, emotional honesty, a love of 90’s era Alt Rock, and the rebellious spirit that once defined rock & roll.
The nine-track album arrives alongside the official music video for new single “Sometimes I Miss You,” premiering on YouTube at 11 a.m. CT today. Shot at The Basement East in Nashville, directed by Allender and with Yaron Levy (whose credits include Saw and the Scream tv series) as Director of Photography, the video captures the song’s playful chaos and self-aware humor, following the aftermath of a boys’ night out gone too far. Watch the video, HERE.
Long before the release of Music Your Parents Hate, Allender was a 7-year-old kid in New Orleans pulling a baritone ukulele from his parents’ garage and instinctively writing original songs instead of learning covers.
“I just started creating from day one,” he says. “It was instinctive. It felt like my thing.”
Still, music was never viewed as a practical career path. Encouraged toward stability instead, Allender built careers in finance, the military, and eventually the film industry, where he worked as a still photographer on major productions including Mr. Right starring Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick and LBJ starring Woody Harrelson and directed by Rob Riener (2018).
Though successful in those worlds, music remained what he calls “the undertow” — quietly pulling him back toward the thing he was meant to do.
“I’ve always been a guitar player. I’ve always written riffs,” Allender says. “But I never considered myself a singer. That was the piece I didn’t think I had.”
Everything shifted after a friend encouraged him to stop doubting himself and after watching a documentary about Metallica’s songwriting process.
“It clicked,” he says. “I thought, ‘Wait — that’s what I do. I can do this.’ And so I did. I just didn’t stop.”
What followed became six years of relentless writing, experimentation, and sonic exploration that ultimately shaped Music Your Parents Hate into a fierce, melodic, and unapologetically rock-forward debut.
“If Led Zeppelin and Stone Temple Pilots had a Foo Fighters baby — that’s my music,” Allender says with a laugh.
Across the album, Allender blends swagger, humor, vulnerability, and cinematic depth. Opening track “Wild Side” delivers a sexy, high-energy rocker about hidden identities and unexpected freedom, while “I’m Your OCD” twists modern dating culture into a dark comedy involving obsession, therapy, and paranoia.
If the album has a true emotional center, it may be “Climb,” a song about fear, perseverance, and learning to lean on others.
“That song is everything I talked about in the bio — getting out of your comfort zone, facing fear, and realizing you can’t do everything alone,” Allender says. “Every trial is a forging of the soul.”
Elsewhere, “My Angel” explores addiction, isolation, and redemption through some of the album’s most emotionally complex storytelling, while “Sapphire Sky” serves as an anti-party anthem inspired by the Florida Panhandle and the healing power of nature.
One of the album’s most ambitious tracks, “Pride,” examines humanity’s instinct to dominate and divide, while closing anthem “Free” ties the project together with a soaring message about autonomy and self-determination.
“This song is about throwing off the shackles,” Allender says of “Free.” “No rules, no lanes, no stop signs — just water and wind.”
The album title itself reflects Allender’s mission to bring back the excitement, release, and fun that once lived at the center of rock music culture.
“Rebellion used to be fun,” he says. “It used to mean blasting music, driving too fast, singing at the top of your lungs. The world is so serious now. I wanted to bring back the fun side of rebellion.”
Years spent behind the camera continue to shape Allender’s creative perspective today, influencing not only his visuals but his songwriting itself.
“Learning how to capture art on film made me a better composer,” he says. “I could hear a song and immediately see the scene around it. My film and photography experience flows through how I approach my music — it’s all about the story.”
Giving Back Through Music
Beyond the album, Music Your Parents Hate carries a deeply personal mission. A portion of proceeds will support no-kill animal shelters and rescue organizations, including Nashville-based Wags & Walks, inspired by a moment that left a lasting impression on Allender.
“I sat in the waiting room next to a man quietly putting an $8,000 surgery on a credit card because he loved his dog,” Allender says. “You could tell he was horrified and relieved at the same time. That stuck with me. Every animal should get a chance. If the music can help even a little, that’s worth everything.”
Now based in Nashville, Allender is already finishing work on a second album — but for now, he’s focused on finally sharing the music he spent a lifetime building toward.
“It gives me goosebumps,” he says. “This doesn’t feel foreign to me. It feels like it was supposed to happen. If I go to my grave tomorrow, I can say I gave it everything.”
“When people hear my music,” he adds, “I want them to know I’m having a blast and I want them to have a blast. I’m doing what I love. And if that inspires one person to take a chance on their own dream — even better.”
Music Your Parents Hate and the official music video for “Sometimes I Miss You” will be available Friday, May 15, with the video premiering on YouTube at 11 a.m. CT and the album available on all major streaming platforms the same day.
Music Your Parents Hate Track listing
All songs written by Cook Allender
1. Wild Side
2. I’m Your OCD
3. Climb
4. My Angel
5. Sometimes I Miss You
6. Hold On
7. Sapphire Sky
8. Pride
9. Free
Stream Music Your Parents Hate:
https://ffm.to/musicyourparentshate
Tags: Cook Allender, Music Your Parents Hate, album release, Nashville, rock music, new single, Sometimes I Miss You, VibraHive Records, music video, alternative rock, animal shelters, giving back
