Hot Chelle Rae Are Back With A Sunny, Conflicted 'I Hate LA' Lyric Video

Turns out people don't like Los Angeles! Last year, Alec Benjamin sang that "you won't find Jesus in L.A.," And even nearly 20 years back, Ben Gibbard wrote a whole Death Cab for Cutie song about how the City of Angels "smells like an airport runway" and why "you can't swim in a town this shallow." What a drag.


Nevertheless maybe folks that don't quite vibe with the city at first eventually come around — or maybe the negativity is really a projection based on someone who lives there? Someone who let them down? That's the premise beyond Hot Chelle Rae's "I Hate LA," a beach bummer that's more about heartbreak than geography. The sort — perhaps best known for its No. 1 hit "Tonight Tonight" — dropped the lyric video on Wednesday (January 15).


In it, the trio venture to the Santa Monica Pier to soak up the rays, put cash into expired parking meters to spread some cheer, and more. It's nice, and it's exactly the sort of positivity that might just make doubters come around on L.A. Immediately considering that. The onscreen lyrics, though, tell a more sinister story: "Love the weather and pot however hate this chick."


HCR will have plenty of time to test out the song on a L.A. Audience as they venture out on tour this year. The 30-date Tangerine Tour is due to kick off March 12 in Santa Ana, California and wrap up back in the Golden State on April 30 in San Francisco. Between, they'll traverse the nation and even play L.A.'S Regent, giving fans plenty to think about in terms of their own relationship to the city.


Catch the whole tour dates and watch the "I Hate LA" lyric video above.