Clock Out

ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, ARTS & CULTURE ARTS & CULTURE CLOCK OUT

JASON SAVIO

Photo Credit: Kristi Xhelili

The members of Clock Out are, from left to right

Ryan Kruzewski - Bass Dan Tobojka - Drums Victor Nguyen - Vocals Kristi Xhelili - Guitar

Nothing beats making music with your friends, and when it’s clicking you can hear it in the songs. Worcester hardcore band Clock Out is a perfect example of this. Just listen to their latest EP, “Life’s Lie,” and you’ll instantly hear the connection the band members have with each other, especially singer Victor Nguyen and guitarist Kristi Xhelili, the two founding members of Clock Out.

“I think the way Victor’s vocals and my riffs work together is unique because it’s a clash,” says Xhelili. “We definitely have something cool. The things we talk about and the sound we want to create, it’s very abstract.”

At times Nguyen’s vocals and Xhelili’s riffs sync together, creating a type of melodic synergy, and, like Xhelili says, sometimes they don’t, leaving interesting little pockets of space that make the songs have more of an ebb and flow.

With two EPS out, Nguyen and Xhelili, along with bassist Ryan Kruzewski and drummer Dan Tobojka, are currently on a “hiatus” from playing live shows as they begin work on their next Clock Out release. The relatively new band has already caught fire on the local hardcore music scene and are looking to keep the momentum going. ‘Random and awesome’

Clock Out’s beginnings trace back to 2018 when friends Nguyen and Xhelili linked up and began playing music together, just kind of messing around, making “chill” music and not being too serious. It was when Xhelili, who had been in previous bands, played a punk song for Nguyen that he had recorded that their music began to take focus.

“Then Victor was just like ‘Yo, let’s make a hardcore song,’ and his vocals were just like extreme and it clicked really well and we loved what we were creating more than any other art we had done,” says Xhelili. “This just felt like it.”

Nguyen had never been in a band before but was familiar with the Worcester hardcore scene and was a fan. He describes the start of Clock Out as “kind of a surprise.” “I didn’t have any intention of being in a hardcore band or anything like that,” he says. “Once we did it, it was like a passion project. It was fun and we had a lot of energy for it. It was random and awesome.”

Of course, being the singer in a hardcore band comes with a whole set of unique demands. For Nguyen, it turned out he had a talent for it he didn’t know he had. “I didn’t know it was my forte,” he says. “I would scream sometimes, but once we started recording, I was like, ‘oh shit, this is what I want to do.’” The guys in Clock Out recently had their first-ever headlining show take place at Ralph’s Diner in September, which Xhelili recalls as “awesome.”

“I felt so happy,” he says. “Everyone was going nuts. We played kind of late and I was worried people weren’t going to stay, but people did and really made it quite a party. I think that’s the coolest part about this type of music: it’s really 50/50 with the crowd. In other genres you’re just watching the musicians, but (with hardcore) it’s like if people aren’t participating then it’s not the real thing. That community aspect I think means a lot to me and it was there that night.”

Clock Out have performed in numerous other places, including VFWs and Jewel Music Venue in Manchester, New Hampshire. Wherever they go, they have been welcomed with open arms by those who are already part of the scene, especially in Worcester and the central Mass hardcore bands.

“We’ve got some players out here and I think we all complement each other,” Nguyen says. “We all have our own little versions of what we think is hardcore and when we all come together it’s absolutely a show. Everyone supports each other. Being in the scene, you see how everyone is trying to contribute something and it’s cool. I think we’d all agree all the bands are friends, we’re cool.”

Plans to Kick it up a Notch

Clock Out is “taking a step back” to work on new material because, Xhelili says, “we’ve been playing a bunch of shows and playing the same stuff so we thought it was time to go back to the lab again.”

They say it’s not entirely set in stone, but Xhelili and his bandmates are hopeful they will be able to come up with enough material to release their first full-length record. Or, as Xhelili puts it, “you never know, things can happen where we might drop a single or do a split with another band.”

With some experience now under their collective belt, the members of Clock Out feel comfortable taking some time to figure out theirS next move, with an eye on returning to the stage next summer. “We’re at a point right now where we’ve already done quite a few shows so it’s like let’s kick it up another step, so we don’t want to rush that process,” Xhelili adds.

The trick is of course finding the time in between daily life and organizing all of the thoughts and excitement a young band like Clock Out has. It’s a learning process and Clock Out is getting the hang of it.

“It’s definitely a work/life balance where we’re Clock Out but we definitely have to clock in,” Nguyen says.