THE CASUALTIES Politics. Hatred. Endless war. We doomscroll as our rights are stripped away. Bombings. Kidnappings. Mass shootings. The nightly news is a litany of brutality. Assassination. Subjugation. Deportation. We argue with each other while the rich get richer and cruelty is normalized. These are just a few of the reasons why the title of The Casualties’ new album is Detonate.  “It stems from being overloaded,” drummer Marc “Meggers” Eggers says. “You feel like your head is about to explode, which I think is what everybody is feeling these days. You’re pounced on day by day with terrible news and social media, and you just feel like you’re going to snap.”  “Not too long ago, we were stuck in COVID,” guitarist Jake Kolatis adds. “Now we're trying to get back to normal life, and the world has gone crazy. There are continuous wars and internal political battles here. Everybody's tearing each other apart. Detonate is saying we’re tired of all this division. With this record, we have a chance to say something and promote some type of unity.”  Detonate is the second chapter in a new epoch for The Casualties. As their second album with David Rodriguez at the mic, it solidifies the vocalist’s partnership with Meggers and Kolatis. “It’s like a new era for the band,” Meggers says. “It solidifies that Dave is here to stay.” With the unblinking eyes of the punk world on them, The Casualties pulled the blinds and did what they do best. “There was a degree of pressure, but not from outside sources,” Rodriguez says. “We just wanted to do the best record that we could that honors The Casualties name and history without playing the same song over and over. But it wasn’t that we even had to go out of our way. It felt natural to write this new music.” Ultimately, Detonate amplifies the punk ethos that The Casualties have embodied since 1990: A raised fist in the face of oppression. “I want people to feel empowered when they hear this record,” Rodriguez says. “I want them to feel like they have a voice. I want them to feel like they’re with like-minded people when they come to a Casualties show. They can be themselves and not watch the show but be part of the show—scream with us, jump off the stage. We want them to feel like they’re part of something.” Bullshit Detector will be direct support. Local support announcing soon.