Scowl is Kat Moss (vocals), Malachi Greene (guitar), Bailey Lupo (bass), Cole Gilbert (drums), and Mikey Bifolco (guitar).

Scowl has quickly made a name for themselves as one of the most vivid and hard-working acts in the rock world. Since the release of their debut album, How Flowers Grow in late 2021, the band has become a powerful force to be reckoned with. Lauded for its reality-driven, aggressive blend of hardcore-punk, the critically-acclaimed album opened up new doors for the band, including a non-stop touring schedule. As new music began to take shape, it was no surprise that experiencing most of their lives on the road would greatly influence the next phase of Scowl.

Enter Psychic Dance Routine.

Since forming in 2019, the band has consistently eschewed being pigeon-holed, moving far beyond the confines of what a typical “hardcore” band is considered. Floral motifs lace their artwork and merchandise, they’ve notably toured with diverse acts like Limp Bizkit and Destroy Boys, and one of the most talked about tracks on How Flowers Grow was a melodic number with a saxophone solo. On Psychic Dance Routine, Scowl continue to push the boundaries of their sound and artistic presence, now laying somewhere between hardcore and alternative. As the band puts it, “it’s like Negative Approach meets The Breeders.”

In September 2022, the Santa Cruz, California band traveled to Pennsylvania to seclude themselves in the studio for a week, recording with Grammy-nominated producer Will Yip at Studio 4. Working with Yip was a completely collaborative experience as he not only brought life to these songs, but greatly encouraged Kat Moss as she worked on her elevated vocal style found across the record. The highlights and challenges of performing, whether in the studio, on tour, or in the act that is life, became a recurring notion on the five track EP.

As Moss states; “I chose to revolve the main theme around performance. This is both literal and figurative, as the band has been on tour practically all of 2022. My perspective of being consumed as the version of myself that is ‘performing’ has shifted dramatically, while simultaneously grappling with the experience of being a feminine artist in a world that doesn’t always take you seriously.”

Lead single “Opening Night” sets the stage marrying edgy melodies with dynamic riffs. Stylistically, Scowl evokes the same feeling as first hearing bands like Sonic Youth and The Strokes, making sounding cool seem almost effortless. “Shot Down” encompasses the battle of fear versus confidence in both lyrical and sonic form, as the band teeters between circle-pit ready moments and sugary hooks. The most vulnerable and pivotal moment of the EP comes in the title track “Psychic Dance Routine.” Moss and the band emphasize their capability of writing a striking indie-alternative song filled with breathy vocals, lush melodies, and a fundamental introspective for the entire release.

“​​The best way I can define Psychic Dance Routine is that it represents the mental gymnastics or ‘dance routine’ one might have to participate in order to telepathically project their feelings or emotions to another person because they no longer have the ability to express themselves with words” comments Moss on where the title derives. She concludes, “The overarching theme of this EP lies heavily in the definition of the name— I wanted to lyrically express feelings of alienation and loneliness as well as questioning my own reality. I made an effort to speak more with metaphors as I wanted these topics to be relevant to other people.”

On Psychic Dance Routine Scowl has exemplified their ethos of being true to themselves through creating innovative song structures and personable lyrics. Their ability to be genre fluid intersects with their up for anything attitude, whether that means playing in a fast food drive-in parking lot or hitting the stage at Coachella. It’s all just part of the plan for the ever-evolving band that is Scowl.

Over the past few years, Ian Shelton has made a name for himself as one of the most prolific and unique minds in aggressive music, and now as the mastermind behind Militarie Gun, he’s pushing himself further than ever before. The band’s new dual EPs, All Roads Lead To The Gun and All Roads Lead To The Gun II, shed all sonic constraints for a menacing-yet-melodic exploration of obsessive creativity that’s impossible to ignore.

Shelton first started turning heads as the leader of acclaimed hardcore band Regional Justice Center, quickly establishing a relentlessly productive musical identity that’s equal parts vitriol and empathy. But when RJC’s extensive tour plans were put on hold at the start of 2020, Shelton’s restlessness led to the unexpected start of Militarie Gun that same day. “I’ve always been the kind of person who’s very compelled to do things,” he explains. “Everything suddenly becomes urgent, and that’s how I feel about songwriting—it’s just something I have to do when the inspiration comes.” The band’s debut EP, My Life Is Over, loudly announced Militarie Gun’s arrival and made it clear that this was much more than a side project: this was a whole new aspect of Shelton’s songwriting, one with a drastically more melodic but still fiery approach.

Drawing on a wide range of influences—from the unhinged guitarwork of Born Against, to the propulsive, present bass of Fugazi, to the kinds of hooks that would make Robert Pollard proud—Militarie Gun’s sound is as combative as it is accessible. All Roads Lead To The Gun finds Shelton ambitiously broadening these dynamics. “After recording the first EP, I just felt like I could do whatever I wanted,” Shelton explains. “I felt like I could see the limitations lifting off. I love the tension between aggression, melody, and strangeness.”

With the creative doors flung wide open, Shelton threw himself into a period of intense output that not only yielded the music on the All Roads Lead To The Gun EPs, but also a personal interrogation of his bordering-compulsive drive to make things. “A day without a goal is impossible for me, I can’t have that happen,” Shelton says. “Sometimes it’s really hard to turn off and it can be a burden to start feeling spazzy if I’m not being productive. I have a hard time finding a balance, it’s either full throttle up or full throttle down.”

With the band’s lineup expanded to include guitarists Nick Cogan and William Acuña, drummer Vince Nguyen, and bassist Max Epstein, Militarie Gun entered The Pit Recording Studio in Van Nuys, California with producer/engineer Taylor Young (Nails, Twitching Tongues, God’s Hate), and set to work capturing the manic spirit of Shelton’s writing process. “I’m not a perfectionist,” he explains. “I tend to like first drafts, it just fits my personality. Everyone is imperfect, so if a song is too, that just reflects life more.” Militarie Gun steers directly into those flaws and contradictions, twisting them into a sound where sharp guitars and heavily distorted bass tangle with dulcet mellotron and massive hooks—courtesy of Shelton’s caustic-yet-tuneful vocals—all with no song crossing the three-minute threshold.

Throughout each EP’s four songs, Shelton takes a skeptical look at modern life, and Militarie Gun’s vicious hooks offer the perfect delivery system for his in-the-moment lyrics. “Ain’t No Flowers” and “Fell On My Head” have a sardonic chip-on-the-shoulder bite that’s countered by big, shout-along choruses, while elsewhere songs like “Background Kids,” “Big Disappointment,” and “Disposable Plastic Trash” highlight Shelton’s ability to look unflinchingly into faults and still find humanity. “I try really hard not to write people off,” he says. “A lot of art is about coming from somewhere bad and trying to create something good.” Shelton’s reverence to the limitless capacity of art and the impact it can have on your life is palpable, and Militarie Gun’s strength lies in the tightrope walk between being devoted and being consumed. But over top of the sunny instrumentation of “Stuck In A Spin,” Shelton doesn’t shy away from examining his own struggle to maintain equilibrium . “When I go down, I go to the bottom,” he says.

The de facto title track of both EPs frames Shelton’s relationship to songwriting as an unpredictable but unbreakable bond. “It’s about inevitability, just giving yourself over to something,” he explains. “It can be really hard to navigate life when you do that.” The song builds to an exhilarating conclusion as Militarie Gun drives harder and harder, like a hurtling train defying physics to stay on the tracks. “Sometimes you need to pull back, you need to adjust,” Shelton admits. “But I just can’t quit doing this, even when it’s frustrating. I don’t want to walk away from it, I just want to keep making things.”

Even if you don’t have your finger on the pulse of contemporary hardcore, you’ve likely heard of Milwaukee’s reigning champs, Big Laugh. After a self-released demo in 2019 and a 2020 7” (Manic Revision) on 11 PM Records, 2023 saw the release of their debut LP Consume Me via the legendary Revelation Records. While the isolation of 2020 and 2021 washed out the weak, Big Laugh returned to the fold like a honed blade, sharper than ever.

Landing somewhere between the untethered mania of first wave hardcore freaks like United Mutation and YDI, the floorpunching fury of late 80s NYHC luminaries like Breakdown and Rest In Pieces, and even the odd burst of patented D.C. melody a la Rites of Spring, Big Laugh are one part combat boot and one part Air Jordan. As self-professed “punks who listen to Judge”, the band manages a tight rope act that lesser groups would never even attempt. Underpinning these sensibilities is a masterful ear for hardcore songcraft that translates just as well to the car stereo as it does to a basement full of rabid mutants tearing each other apart. But, like all quality hardcore acts, Big Laugh is best experienced live—As exemplified by the crushing, razor sharp performances on their winter 2023 run with fellow up and comers Gel.

In a sea of pale imitations and trend hopping opportunists, identity is a precious commodity, and Big Laugh has it in excess. Whether you’re a sentient studded bracelet or a semi-conscious embodiment of a Lockin’ Out hoodie, Big Laugh’s got the goods.