Upset, August 2023

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Let’s be honest - over the eight and a bit years Upset has been going, there are some bands who have very much laid the foundations. You could nod at Waterparks or Creeper, as acts who have resonated to create their own brilliant, wonderful worlds, but you’d be folly to leave out PVRIS from the conversation. New album ‘Evergreen’ is a remarkable work of bright, bold invention. Lynn Gunn belongs on the biggest stages. May those green shoots grow ever taller.

Stephen Ackroyd @stephenackroyd Editor

August 2023 RIOT! 4. Download 2023 12. Scene Queen 14. Vukovi 18. Static Dress 22. Sad Park ABOUT TO BREAK 24. Naked Lungs FEATURES 26. PVRIS 36. As December Falls 40. Zand 44. Mutoid Man TEENAGE KICKS 50. Palehound

UPSET Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler

Scribblers Alex Ingle, Dan Harrison, Kelsey McClure, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin Snappers Alice Baxley, Frances Beach, Nicholas O’Donnell, Olli Appleyard, Sarah Louise Bennett, Tonje Thilesen PUBLISHED FROM WELCOMETOTHEBUNKER.COM PO BOX 420, HASTINGS, TN34 9LZ

All material copyright (c). All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of The Bunker Publishing Ltd. Disclaimer: While every effort is made to ensure the information in this magazine is correct, changes can occur which affect the accuracy of copy, for which The Bunker Publishing Ltd holds no responsibility.

The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of Dork or its staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally.

THE MONTH IN ROCK

DOWN -LOAD DOWNLOAD may be home to some iconic legends of heavy music’s past, but 2023’s edition proves there’s plenty of forward thinking new music to light the way.

Words: Ali Shutler.

Photos: Frances Beach.

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→ DOWNLOAD 2023 SEES THE HEAVY METAL FESTIVAL CELEBRATE ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY, but for an event so often concerned with heritage, this year’s gathering was more a celebration of the present and future of heavy music. And that’s fine by us; Upset has never been much concerned with legacy.

From Bambie Thug’s industrial rave through Nova Twins’ absolutely mammoth main stage debut to Bring Me The Horizon’s overdue and ambitious Friday night headline set, Download 2023 feels like the arrival of the new generation.

And the regulars seem to know it. Closing out the Sunday night, Slipknot’s ferocious headline set feels more feral than usual, with the band out to prove it isn’t the end following the sudden and mysterious departure of founding member Craig Jones just days before the event while Metallica’s two-night takeover gives the thrash icons more space to explore the breadth of their back catalogue. Crossover anthems like ‘Enter Sandman’ and ‘Master Of Puppets’ hit as hard as ever, but there’s also room for the tightly wound ‘Lux Æterna’ and the sprawling ‘Call Of Ktulu’. Reworking their in-the-round stage show from their current M72 stadium tour, the two shows allow die-hard fans to get up close and personal with Metallica, but it leaves those towards the edges of the 80,000 crowd out in the cold at times. The same can’t be said for Ghost, whose gloriously theatrical Sunday evening set all but guarantees them a headline slot the next time they visit.

Evanescence played the very first Download in 2001 and haven’t been back since 2007, so it’s no surprise that their second stage headline slot on the Saturday night demands one of the biggest crowds of the weekend.

Pulling equally from iconic breakout album ‘Fallen’ and 2021’s glorious ‘The Bitter Truth’, their set masterfully weaves between then and now with vocalist Amy Lee a commanding presence and her vocals still mesmerisingly brilliant. Alexisonfire walk a similar path with vintage emo anthems from ‘Crisis’ as intense as the tracks from post-reunion album

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‘Otherness’ while Ice Nine Kills’ gleeful crossover between horror and metal is ridiculously entertaining.

Vocalist Spencer Charnas even murders Download’s mascot during the pointed ‘Stabbing In The Dark’, but all the theatrics only enhance the band’s thunderous tracks.

Similarly, cult punk rockers GWAR manage to do away with King Charles III, President Biden and Putin during a gore-fuelled rampage that leaves the front rows of the Dogtooth stage covered in fake blood. From the pantomime antics to the scrappy sci-fi rock songs, the entire set is wonderfully over-the-top but never loses its bite.

Ten years in the making, Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil’s new side-project Empire State Bastard may sound a million miles away from the radiofriendly pop-rock that has seen him headline Download twice in the past seven years, but there’s always been a hint of unhinged metal to The Biff. Teaming up with touring guitarist/Oceansize

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mastermind Mike Vennart and backed by Slayer’s Dave Lombardo alongside Bitch Falcon’s Naomi Macleoud, Empire State Bastard is as uncompromising as the name suggests. Their 40-minute set is brutal, aggressive and gloriously intense.

Download 2023 belongs to the future stars of the scene, though. While 2021’s Download Pilot acted as a showcase for the wealth of brilliant newness in the metal community and last year’s first proper post-pandemic event saw young, inventive, inspiring new groups stealing the headlines from the fringes of the festival, Download 2023 gives them permission to play.

They may be the first band to grace Download’s mammoth main stage on Friday lunchtime, but Stand Atlantic don’t spend a second getting lost in the sheer scale of the occasion. The Aussie group started out making bubbly pop-punk, but they’ve rapidly evolved to take on glitching alt-rock, meaning today’s set is dynamic,

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fearless and a whole bunch of fun. From the sugary ‘Jurassic Park’ through the expansive ‘Pity Party’ to the urgent ‘Deathwise’, Stand Atlantic’s set is big on swaggering energy while a lush ‘Hate Me (Sometimes)’ brings things to a beautiful close.

Later on in the day, Hot Milk continue the main stage invasion with the sort of high-octane set that proves why they’ve been chosen to support Foo Fighters on an Australian stadium tour later this year. Hectic new single ‘Party On My Deathbed’ kicks things off in a suitably chaotic fashion and sets the tone for the rest of the electrifying set. The rampaging ‘I Just Want To Know What Happens When I Die’ leads perfectly into the snooty angst of ‘Wide Awake’, with these songs clearly made for huge stages while the vulnerable ‘Glass Spiders’ unites the sprawling masses, finding beauty in the pandemonium.

Fever 333 have always been a powerful live force, but following some time away and a line-up refresh, they seem like a band reborn onstage at Download. The set starts with vocalist Jason Aalon Butler standing at the end of Metallica’s semicircular runway with a fist in the air, quietly taking in the moment before he and the rest of the band erupt with ‘Burn It’. It isn’t long before he’s in the crowd for the hammering ‘We’re Coming In’ while ‘Made An America’ starts with Jason calling out Britain’s history of exploiting people of colour and immigrants.

More direct than ever, Jason also makes space to call out misogyny in the scene (“there’s no room for making women uncomfortable in this space”) before a sleek ‘One Of Us’ while ‘Hunting Season’ begins with him explaining how people of colour are still underrepresented in punk, hardcore, metal and rock. The

band have clearly lost none of their fire, but the expanded four-piece are far more playful than what’s come before. Guitarist Brandon Davis dances about the stage while bassist April Kae is an absolute star, with that joyful energy driving comeback single ‘Swing’ as well as a

reworked take on Blur’s ‘Song 2’. The set ends with Jason scaling a massive video tower in the centre of the arena, in case anybody was worried Fever 333 had lost any of their unpredictability.

It’s Nova Twins who really dominate Download’s main stage, though. The two-piece

have always written music for huge spaces, so today is a giddy run-around of their absolutely enormous sound.

Backed by their name in light, it’s a sleek, stunning set that’s heavy on guitar-fuelled chaos.

Despite their crushing sound, there’s plenty of room for dynamics in their 30-minute set with the rapid rife ‘Cleopatra’, the twitching ‘Taxi’ and the otherworldly ‘Sleep Paralysis’ all showing off Nova Twins’ vibrant rock’n’roll. ‘Antagonist’ pulls from the world of dancepunk, self-love anthem ‘Puzzles’ is playful and poppy while the closing hammer of ‘Choose Your Fighter’ is viciously unruly. Nova Twins have been compared to any number of rock gods that have come before them, but today at Download, the band cement their own legacy.

Static Dress’ glitching take on post-hardcore, emo, and punk have been causing chaos at countless festivals over the past few years, with their intensity perfectly suited for dark tents. Today though, they’re tasked with opening Download’s huge, outdoor second stage. Rather than getting lost in the space, though, Static Dress proves just how ambitious and expansive this project is.

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After a horror-inspired intro video, the band stormed onto the stage and launched into ‘Di-sinTer’, while a crucified figure twitches along in the background. The likes of ‘Disposable Rope’, ‘Push Rope’ and ‘Courtney, Just Relax’ come thick and fast, as a live feed on two huge video screens is interspersed with the band’s own visuals. A huge amount of care has been poured into every second of Static Dress’ live show, but that doesn’t stop the band from having fun with it, either.

Fresh from a tour supporting Bring Me The Horizon around Europe, vocalist Olli Appleyard has learnt a thing or two about commanding thousands of people, with today’s set a far more outward assault than we’ve previously seen from the band. “Be kind, go stupid and have as much fun as possible – this isn’t going to happen again,” Olli instructs the crowd before the fiery one-two of ‘Sweet.’

And ‘Clean.’ As they walk 10 Upset

offstage, their upcoming tour dates are displayed on the video screens; Static Dress clearly aware that people are going to want more after that impressive showing.

It’s just as exciting away from the main stages as well. Crawlers liken their appearance at Download to Katy Perry playing Warped Tour but cathartic emo anthems like ‘Fuck Me’, ‘I Don’t Want It’ and ‘Come Over (Again)’ remain instant and undeniable, swiftly uniting the entire tent while Witch Fever’s savage punk rock offers empowerment at every turn. Bounding confidently between menace, defiance and joy, it’s an emotionally charged set with the lush ‘Congregation’ proving there’s so much more to the band than doom.

Creeper’s rebirth continues during a lastminute headline set on Download’s smallest stage on Saturday night, with the band gnashing and snarling their way through an impressive set. Sexy sew

single ‘Cry To Haeven’ kicks things off with that big, joyful chorus, the first of many communal singalongs before a giddy ‘Down Below’ keeps the flamboyant energy up.

Through a sneering ‘Born Cold’, a vicious ‘Poison Pens’ and the gorgeous ‘Cyanide, Creeper show there’s more to the goth punks than black, white and blood red while new song ‘Secret Blasphemy’ harks back to their snotty early days, but comes with more purpose and more control. The band may talk about aggressive progression, but their live show remains as wonderfully theatrical and life-affirming as ever.

Pupil Slicer’s second album ‘Blossom’ came out the week before Download and proved why the London-

based trio are such an exciting force in the world of metal, blending everything from mathcore to jazz and pop-punk. We promise it’s much more cohesive than it might sound on screen, and the band’s Friday afternoon set is an all-out celebration of their scrappy genius. “We’re Pupil Slicer; we play rock and fucking roll,” screams vocalist Katie Davies at the very start of a gig, with mosh pits erupting from that moment on. It’s brutal one moment, beautiful the next and Pupil Slicer are never anything but phenom With their giddy take on industrial pop, Bambie Thug would probably have never found a home at the Download of old, but this year, they’re welcomed with open arms. Taking to

the stage, Bambie asks for “some motherfucking love” before kicking into the chaotic ‘Tsunami 11:11’ as their two dancers use water cannons to send the packed crowd into a frenzy. From the poptastic ‘Kawasaki (I Love It) to the big, anthemic ‘P.M.P.’, Bambie delivers a confident, comfortable set that turns Download’s Dogtooth stage into a sweaty rave. ‘Egregore’ is an ode to radical self-love while Mimi Barks joins in the fun for the electroclash of ‘Headbang’.

“Trans rights now,” they declare before leaving the stage.

At the forefront of Download’s future-facing shift is Architects and Bring Me The Horizon at the top of the bill on the Friday night.

“This is an amazing moment in the scene,” says Architects vocalist Sam Carter during their impressive sunset slot.

Fresh from playing stadiums with Metallica, the band’s self-assurance couldn’t be higher and their 70-minute set struts between crushing riffs, fiery breakdowns and soaring choruses. It sets a bar few acts would be able to top.

Luckily Bring Me The Horizon aren’t most bands.

Last year’s headline set at Reading Festival was a hardfought victory lap, with the

group wanting to prove their worth after climbing the line-up over the years.

Tonight though, Bring Me return to Download for the first time in 9 years with absolutely nothing to prove.

A gloriously extravagant video introduces 80,000 people to the cult of Genxsis and an A.I. hellbent on the destruction of humanity.

Enter Bring Me The Horizon to lead the fight back.

This wild, theatrical start sets the tone for a 90-minute performance that’s constantly outstanding.

Recent singles ‘AmEN!’, ‘LosT’ and ‘DiE4u’ are big, bombastic and emotionally charged, while ‘Sempiternal’cuts ‘Shadow Moses’ and ‘The House Of Wolves’ cause all-out chaos, with vocalist Oli Sykes, the smirking ringleader. Nova Twins return to the mainstage for an astonishing ‘1X1’ while Evanescence’s Amy Lee delivers a stunning rendition of ‘One Day the Only Butterflies Left Will Be in Your Chest as You March Towards Your Death’ before the progressive rave of ‘Nihilist Blues’. With an onstage cameraman giving fans at the back a front-row seat to the onstage carnage alongside an impressive onslaught of fire and lasers, Bring Me’s set is a ridiculous spectacle that focuses on mass involvement. Despite the technological wizardry, the heart, soul and guts of the band is still plain to see on tracks like ‘Can You Feel My Heart’ and ‘Drown’.

Bring Me have been at home on big stages for close to a decade now, but they’ve always found a way to push things forward. Tonight is another bold leap forward for the Sheffield mob as they claim their place among rock royalty in their own inventive, unique way. However, their set also proves that Download is safe to focus on the future, not the past, of heavy music. ■ Upset 11

ANYTHING WORTH DOIN IS GOING TO COME WITH CONTROVER SCENE QUEEN is leaving her mark with a fearless attitude and a mission to create a safe space at every show she plays.

Words: Ali Shutler. Photos: Frances Beach.

SCENE QUEEN WRAPPED UP A HEFTY TOURING STINT BY PULLING ONE OF THE BIGGEST CROWDS OF THE WEEKEND AT SLAM DUNK NORTH. “The show was just what I needed,” she grins backstage shortly afterwards. Playing live is so much fun that she doesn’t feel like she’s got to prove anything at festivals like this, despite her rapidly rising stock. She’s also pretty chill about going home to finish writing her debut album in the coming days. “Pressure? No. Tired?

Yes,” she adds.

After releasing two editions of her ‘Bimbocore’ EPs back in 2022, Scene Queen (real name Hannah Collins) established herself as a giddy force that wasn’t to be messed with. 2023 single ‘18+’ only underlined that fearsome attitude. A ferocious call-out of the predatory behaviour of men in bands, the track continues to cause waves.

Her label, Hopeless Records, did warn Hannah that the track was going to cause backlash and people were going to get mean. “Anything worth doing is going to come with controversy,” she explains, with the label backing her whole-heartedly.

Inspired by the awful things she witnessed as a teenager in the Midwest 12 Upset

scene, ‘18+’ sees Scene Queen carry out her mission to make any show she plays feel like a safe space. Clocking up over 3 million streams, it’s clearly resonating with people. “I left it broad enough that it could apply to any number of bands,” explains Hannah. “The unfortunate fact it’s connecting is proof there’s clearly an epidemic within the scene.”

The track will feature on Scene Queen’s upcoming debut album, which will be released as soon as she’s able to. “I hate waiting to put out music,” she says. It’s not finished, but she has a vision. “’Bimbocore’ is always going to be the vibe musically,” she explains. “I love the contrast between super girls vocals with heavy guitars or screaming over a twinkling track. My whole thing with the hyper-femininity is to show the strength and power within femininity.

It’s also a fuck you to misogynists, so I’m keeping that attitude, but not every song will be called ‘Pink something’.

It’s more of a concept album,” she promises, with ‘18+’ fitting into the “theme”.

Hannah goes on to explain that humour is everything when it comes to delivering the message of Scene Queen. “The easiest way for me to digest things and process them is to

have them delivered in a jokey way.” It’s why songs like ‘18+’ and ‘Pink Rover’ (“a song written to explain the rage I feel towards a society that allows women to be treated the way that they are”) are full of so many smirking one-liners. “If you come into something too seriously, people will back away and miss the message.”

“When I started this project, I never knew it was going to reach the scale that it’s got to, but I always knew I wanted to shift the scene a little bit,” she continues, with her debut featuring a variety of collabs with female artists.

“I just try to be as loud and out of the box as possible because somewhere down the line, there’s going to be a girl that does the type of in-thebox metalcore that people think is acceptable, but it’ll be that much easier for her. I’m cool with taking the hate,” she adds with a smirk.

But more than hate, Scene Queen is inspiring a whole lot of love. “The thing I’m most proud of is feeling like I’ve been able to foster this little community within my music,” she beams, already looking forward to a return to the UK for her biggest-ever headline shows in October. “Every time I come here, I have an exceptional time.” ■

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ASK YOURSELF, COULD YOU BE HAPPIER? Fresh from a slew of nominations at this year’s Heavy Music Awards, Glasgow’s VUKOVI are a band on a roll. So what’s next?

Words: Ali Shutler. Photos: Frances Beach.

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WE WANT TO GET A BIT HEAVIER AS WELL”

H A M I S H R E I L LY

Fresh from an almighty showing at Slam Dunk, we sat down with Vukovi to chat sci-fi concept album ‘NULA’, self-belief and where things go from here.

What was the vision for ‘NULA’?

Janine Shilstone: Sci fi, space cadet, aliens. We’d been watching a lot of sci-fi over lockdown, and Hamish was dabbling with a lot of video game soundtracks. We came up with the concept one night, and it felt right.

We went more cinematic with the record, but we were taking inspiration from everything, really. I immersed myself in so much music and really discovered a new love for it. All of that poured out when it came to making that album.

Hamish Reilly: There’s a lot of content in that album. There’s a lot going on. We were talking about this earlier today, and it’s only recently we’ve known what we want to do as VUKOVI. Has the positive reaction to the album helped with that?

Janine: We feel more confident in ourselves and our abilities. We know what we’re doing is good. We don’t need to overthink things. It confirmed a lot and released a bit of anxiety. It’s taught us to not question ourselves so much.

Hamish: It’s nice to be validated on what we’re doing, but we’re trying 16 Upset

not to outsource the validation. We need to be happy with whatever we’re making first, and that album was the beginning of that.

It’s an album driven by escapism. Was that important to you?

Janine: 100%. TV, music, art – it’s all a way of taking time to forget the everyday. I really learned how vital that was for your mental health during COVID. At the same time, there are uplifting songs like ‘QUENCH’ that talk about female sexual empowerment. How does that real-world message fit into ‘NULA’s extra-terrestrial concept?

Janine: It’s a safe space to connect to those lyrics, away from feelings of shame or judgement.

So, why are people connecting with ‘NULA’ in the way they are?

Hamish: People might forget that this is our third album – we’ve written a lot of music, and I think we’ve really honed our craft. It’s been a real learning process. It’s funny looking back at older songs and some of the decisions we made.

Janine: It’s all part of growing up, though. And you need that time.

There’s so much pressure on blowing up straight away and figuring

everything out instantly, but I don’t know how much longevity there is with what mindset.

Do you know what’s next?

Hamish: We definitely want to go more mature, real and grounded with the visuals. Right now, a lot of our artwork is very vibrant. Musically, I think we want to get a bit heavier as well. I feel like VUKOVI has gotten 10% heavier with every album, but we want to push that even further. They’ll definitely be new music later this year because that’s our job, but it’s a bit sad to be leaving ‘NULA’ behind so soon.

Janine: I’d love to do a full-production tour and play the album in full, just to give that record what I think it deserves.

You mentioned you finally figured out what VUKOVI could be. What do you want this band to represent to others?

Hamish: Obviously, there’s a lot of purpose in the lyrics, but I always remember how I felt listening to music when I was growing up. I want our music to do that for others. I want to inspire others to pick up an instrument. As simple as that sounds, I know how life-changing that can be.

Janine: And do what you want, rather than settle for something and regret it. You only have one life, and it’s so short. Ask yourself, could you be happier? ■

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Fresh from a European tour with Bring Me The Horizon and with another pencilled in for early next year, STATIC DRESS’ Olli Appleyard and Sam Kay speak to Upset about being lame onstage and their exciting Redux version of debut album, ‘Rouge Carpet Disaster’.

Words: Ali Shutler. Photos: Olli Appleyard.

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→ In the midst of a whirlwind of success and anticipation, Static Dress have quickly become known as one of Britain’s best new bands, making waves with their electrifying performances and their upcoming Redux version of their brilliant debut album, ‘Rouge Carpet Disaster’. Fresh from an exhilarating European tour alongside Bring Me The Horizon, and with another tour already on the horizon, Olli Appleyard and Sam Kay sit down to discuss their onstage antics, the creative process behind the Redux, and their ambitious aspirations. With their new home at Roadrunner Records, Static Dress are only set to level up their campaign to captivate their growing fanbase and push boundaries with their unique sound and captivating visuals. As they reflect on their journey and the incredible opportunities that have come their way, it’s clear that Static Dress are poised to inspire a new generation.

Talk to us about the Redux.

Olli: Essentially, we are completely redoing the record. The first single ‘Courtney Just Relax’ is the closest of all the tracks to the original; all we did was re-record the drums, add some more layers and remix it ourselves. We just polished it and made it heavier, but it should still be familiar to people. The other Redux versions are completely off the wall. I don’t think anyone is expecting what happens.

It’s the first thing you’re putting out on your new home of Roadrunner Records. Was it important you shared something meaningful?

Olli: 100%. It was a chance to get in all the people we’ve wanted to work with over the years and push the boat out and go stupid with it. There are Redux versions of songs that don’t sound like anything this band has ever done

before. There’s no fear either because the album’s already out. If people don’t like it, they can just listen to the original, but there’s a lot for fans to dig into.

You’ve just got back from Europe, and you’ve smashed sets at Slam Dunk and Download; how is everything in Static Dress’ world?

Olli: The speed everything is happening is crazy, and we’re just trying to find someplace to land on our feet. The noise is a bit difficult sometimes, but it’s been great. I can’t even begin to describe how grateful or amazed by everything we are. It gets to the point now where something else is confirmed, and it just feels like a massive joke. I know it’s imposter syndrome talking, but it’s so much, and it’s so funny because I never thought it would happen with this band.

Sam: We’ve done things in the last year that we’ve dreamed of since we first picked up instruments as kids.

Why is it going so well?

Normally a band pops off because they tap into a wider scene or a song blows up, but people seem to be invested in Static Dress as a whole.

Olli: Because we care about the small numbers rather than reaching for lofty goals.

We care about every show and every person who turns up. We’re really fixated on creating a small community.

It’s not about ego, but we encourage people to get involved in every aspect of this band. We want to make a home for people. It helps that we’re not shit live, and we provide exciting visuals that have heart and depth.

We’re getting to the point where we’re able to bring all the different aspects of Static Dress together as well.

And what do you want to do with the

WE ARE COMPLETELY REDOING THE RECORD; I DON’T THINK ANYONE IS EXPECTING WHAT HAPPENS”

O L L I A P P L E YA R D platform?

Olli: This project is designed to just inspire people to try harder. There is so much mediocrity in music nowadays. We look around at other rock bands, and so much of it feels temporary.

What I want to do is get this band to a point where we inspire the next generation.

You’ve got the Bring Me The Horizon tour in January and have already toured Europe with them. How comfortable were you on those big stages?

Sam: I didn’t feel out of my depth at all. Obviously, it’s so much easier commanding a small room, and on the first show with Bring Me, there were definitely some nerves. But there wasn’t one gig where people weren’t moshing, which was great because we were expecting everyone to just be standing still, especially because it was our first time in Europe.

Olli: Every night, we’d get together and ask, ‘What the fuck are we doing here?’ and laugh. It might look like we’re super confident in everything we do but trust me, we’re

laughing at every single opportunity because it’s all so silly. We learnt a lot through touring with Bring Me, who are pretty much the pinnacle of rock and metal. At the start and end of that tour, we were a completely different band.

We came in trying to apply the things we’d learnt in small rooms and realised it just didn’t work. I had to get over this mental barrier of doing things that I thought were kind of lame and become a showman. It was everything I didn’t want this band to be, but we figured if we could reach one person, it was worth it. We played into it, we made it our own, and we tried to entertain people.

And has it changed your ambitions for the band?

Olli: We still just want to make great art, but now, I sit down and believe that if we work hard, push everything to the very best of our abilities, there’s no reason we can’t be one of those big bands.

Sam: Everything else has happened for us. ■ Static Dress’ album ‘Rouge Carpet Disaster (Redux)’ is out 15th September.

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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW ALBUM FROM...

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SAD PARK RIOT!

With their new album ‘No More Sound’ out now, we asked the four members of SAD PARK to tell us everything we needed to know about the record.

→ Aidan: My favourite memory from recording this album was the very last day we had in the studio; pretty much everything was wrapped up, and in the last couple hours we had left, Sean (our producer) said that he wanted to run a couple vocal takes for the last song on the album.

The last song, ‘No More Sound’, had always meant a lot to me and had been one of the songs that I really connected to since we first wrote it.

Sam and I were sitting at the computer, recording Sean doing these takes of this song, and it gave me chills; hearing someone like Sean, who I’ve looked up to and been inspired by for so long, sing one of my band’s songs was definitely one of the coolest moments I was lucky enough to be a part of.

To this day, listening to that song with Sean singing on it gives me chills.

first three days of our time in the studio. It was lots of drumming in a short amount of time, and I was also dealing with an old nerve injury that was flaring up, so I was just taking painkillers like they were candy. We still had to record the song ‘Money in the Bag’, which just has lots of really fast, demanding drum parts, and I was a little worried about recording it. But on the morning of the third day, I had just enough coffee and painkillers, and I remember coming in first thing in the morning and was like, “fuck it”, and ended up recording the song in just a couple of takes!

Photo: Alice Baxley.

→ Sam: We always knew the ending of ‘Carousel’ needed something…

It wasn’t until Sean handed me his Boss Harmonist pedal at the end of a session and said, “Do something with this”, that we figured out what it was.

In an unorganised “after hours” session with myself, Aidan and Erik Jimenez from Together Pangea, we chaotically wrote and pieced together a guitar solo. We all played a part in it, putting its pieces together like a musical Frankenstein. We halfway didn’t expect to use it… But once it was finished, we listened back, and I remember Erik saying, “Holy shit, this is actually good”. It ended up making the record and being the missing piece that the song always needed.

→ Graham: One of my favourite stories from making ‘No More Sound’ was that all the lyrics were written in the last three days of recording the album. I notoriously don’t write my lyrics down. When we were recording the album, Sean and I sat outside every day for the last three days, wrote lyrics, recorded them, went outside, wrote lyrics, came in and recorded them over and over.

Another of my favourite stories was when Sean came from his home in Tucson, Arizona, to my house in the San Fernando Valley, California, to work on the album with us. He drove for hours to stay with us for four days in my hot, un-air-conditioned garage and worked the songs out with us. We would all be in there for hours messing around and getting to know each other, and then afterwards, we got to show Sean the local food. It was fun watching him fall in love with classics I’ve grown up with.

→ Grant: So we recorded all the drum tracks for no more sound during the

Sad Park’s album ‘No More Sound’ is out now.

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N THE BEST NEW TALENT.

NAKED LUNGS Struggling to stop the late night scroll of doom? You’ll be wanting Irish punks NAKED LUNGS, then.

Words: Sam Taylor. Photo: Nicholas O’Donnell.

→ IRISH NOISE-PUNKS NAKED LUNGS ARE ABOUT TO ARRIVE WITH THEIR DEBUT ALBUM, ‘DOOMSCROLL’. Recorded and mixed by Gilla Band’s Daniel Fox at Sonic Studios in Dublin, it’s an ambitious record that sees them replicating the experience of being endlessly bombarded with negative news and general online awfulness.

Bassist Ryan Mortell tells us more about his band.

Hello Ryan! What are you up to today?

Just in the door from work - I’m working on an IrishLanguage children’s show at the minute; lots of puppets, lots of Gaeilge - lots of craic.

Your debut album, ‘Doomscroll’, is nearly here how does it feel to be finally sharing this project with the world?

The lads and I cannot wait to have the album out in the world. There are definitely nerves attached to that anticipation leading up to the release, but all in all: we couldn’t be happier with the way the album turned out, so it’s more excitement.

One of the album’s singles, ‘Pressure’ explores themes of male vulnerability and toxic masculinity. What attracted you to addressing these issues?

As much as we all are very proud to be Irish, there is an inherent toxicity found within the male culture here at times. The song and lyrics

came about with us trying to peel back the layers of our own biases, issues and preconceptions and shine a light on something that we are not proud of but want to change.

It can be really hard to show vulnerability at times in a culture that deems that “soft”, but it is such a vital aspect that many people will repress and bury in order to fit into this macho bullshit farce until they eventually boil over.

The album’s tracklisting follows the flow of a doomsday news cycle.

Can you elaborate on the concept behind structuring the songs in this way, and how it relates to the album’s overall theme? It’s a really interesting idea.

The concept kind of came together itself as we were in the process of writing the tracks that would eventually become their album. Each of us were complaining and commenting on being inundated with these dopamine hits of sevensecond content followed by articles showing flashes of injustice, hate, homophobia at home and abroad - and how this “seesaw” of emotional reaction, that being: happiness to rage, love to hate, as we scrolled through our phones, was in turn mimicking or coinciding with the emotions we were exploring in the music. Each track is another emotion, another scroll, good or bad.

EACH TRACK IS ANOTHER EMOTION, ANOTHER SCROLL, GOOD OR BAD”

RYA N M O R T E L L

You worked on the record with Gilla Band’s Daniel Fox - how did the collaboration contribute to shaping the sound of the album?

Dan is incredible to work with - and he and Gilla Band were a huge influence on us early on in our musical careers.

He’s great to communicate with, and going in, we knew he was going to help us record the best version of this album. We had a lot of laughs, late nights and questionable nicknames along the way, too, so it was nice to have that comforting and supporting atmosphere to contrast the heavy emotions being explored through some of the tracks.

He also let us lean into the more “fun” aspects, like, really indulge in the noisiest shit we could get out of our instruments - highly recommend.

Did you come up against any unexpected challenges when putting the album together? How did you find the process?

Funnily enough, writing and recording the album was probably the easy part.

You’d think the months or years of rehearsing and deconstructing these tracks or the long hours in the studio would be bad but honestly, we loved it.

The difficult part we found was when the album was completed. Mixed, mastered, artwork signed off on and then the real challenge: waiting. Waiting, waiting, waiting for it to come out, for people to hear it. That was the most unexpected challenge. ■ Naked Lungs’ debut album ‘Doomscroll’ is out 18th August.

EVERG With a sense of optimism and a slice of ethereal escapism, Lynn Gunn is taking a bold new direction. A record of connection and catharsis in a world increasingly distant and dissonant, new album ‘Evergreen’ is PVRIS in full bloom.

Words: Ali Shutler. Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.

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GREEN

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DON’T WANT TO BE THAT VIBE KILLER,” says Lynn Gunn. “I don’t want to make people feel even more horrible about everything because the world feels very dark and scary right now.” PVRIS are midway through an acoustic tour of UK record stores that’s restored some hope and happiness in Lynn’s heart, which has only reaffirmed her decision not to make another album of gloomy, brooding rock. “At this point in my life, that just doesn’t feel good,” she admits.

Instead, fourth album ‘Evergreen’ is flecked with ethereal escapism and a resilient sense of optimism. “When PVRIS started, we obviously existed in this male-dominated world where everybody was so serious all the time, and it felt like we had to match that. It never felt completely natural,” she continues, now perfectly happy to crack jokes onstage or, in the case of Slam Dunk, launch bananas into the crowd so fans can replenish their energy. “It all feels a bit more free now,” she smirks, with goofy humour a big part of her and bassist Brian MacDonald’s longstanding friendship. “It’s how we’ve coped.”

Despite fans hankering for long-rumoured tracks like ‘MVDONNA’ or ‘Blood On My Hands’, Lynn approached PVRIS’ fourth album with a clean slate, but only after a lot of soulsearching. Instead of touring their fiery third album, ‘Use Me’,

THE WORLD FEELS VERY DARK AND SCARY RIGHT NOW”

LY N N G U N N 28 Upset

WHY ‘EVERGREEN’?

“It was actually the first song I wrote for the album. When you say something or somebody’s evergreen, it means they stand the test of time and stay pure. I feel that way about music. I feel that way about art. I feel that way about friendships and in-person connections. At the time, I was so afraid all of that was going to go away, but I wanted to remain hopeful. Art is such an important part of what we do, just as people. It’s also my favourite colour, and my favourite type of nature is being surrounded by a bunch of evergreen trees in a forest. That was actually a big escape for me during the recording process, going home to Massachusetts where I grew up, finding myself in nature and just taking a second to breathe, so I wanted to honour that.”

“Going home serves as a grounding mechanism as well as a driving force because it reminds you where you came from and not to forget your roots. It’s also a reminder of how cool and special it is to be a musician.

This job is all about making things for other people to connect to. But also, the title next to the artwork [of Lynn holding up her own severed head] is just very funny to me.”

WHAT’S THE ALBUM ARTWORK ABOUT? It references David and Goliath [an oil painting by Italian Baroque master Caravaggio]. On the day of the shoot, we had five different concepts, and that was the very last one. It was a rushed shoot, but it just felt like it matches the energy of the record.

Nature is such a focus of ‘Evergreen’, and it’s such a brutal image, but it’s funny that that greenery is dripping out of my decapitated head, and it’s my own arm holding up my head. To me, that reflects the same things I was exploring in ‘Good Enemy’ as far as taking accountability for your own struggles and ego death. It feels like there’s two worlds happening both on the record and in the visuals, with the harsh reality of the world but also this green, softer side.”

“The throwing up started with the two videos for ‘Animal’ and ‘Anywhere But Here’ [which launched this era last summer] and it just continued from there in other videos. It feels like a rejection of everything that has happened before, but also, it’s me letting go.

The album, as a whole, feels like that. The video of Goddess has these really beautiful statues that are censored, but me throwing up isn’t, which felt fun and ironic to me. It wasn’t a conscious decision at the time, but looking back, it makes sense that this is where PVRIS is at now. Previous albums and their visuals have been really dark, but there’s a levity to things now. I’m not trying to run from the past; I’m trying to evolve from it.”

COVID forced Lynn to stay home, and it wasn’t long before she was asking questions about the world around her.

“Everything just changed so much and at such a rapid rate, which was exciting, but it also felt incredibly uncertain and scary.”

She started getting overwhelmed by the unspoken pressure to maintain a connection across a variety of social media platforms until she had a light-bulb moment of clarity. “I’m here to make music to connect to people.

If I focus on that, the rest will sort itself out.” Still, ‘Evergreen’ didn’t happen overnight, as Lynn still needed to figure out how she wanted to engage with a world that was rapidly feeling more distant.

“I just retreated from everything for a bit,” she explains, unable to write for the band or herself until she’d processed what was happening. “I did a lot of waiting, journaling and dissecting thoughts.” It’s why the lyrics of ‘Evergreen’ are far more grounded than the otherworldly musings of previous PVRIS albums.

“It definitely feels very earthly, instead of floating off somewhere,” she explains, with flowers and nature a big part of the visual world for ‘Evergreen’. “With everything that’s happened in recent years, it doesn’t feel like you can just run away to your little dream world anymore. You can’t escape the world,” she explains, instead focusing her efforts on questions about community, connection and how she relates to the world at large. “Politically, socially, environmentally, technologically, it feels like everything has changed and not for the better,” she explains. “How we consume art and how we connect with each other has changed. How are you meant to take care of yourself and others around you? How can we continue to carry on?” she asks.

“The answer is, I don’t know,” she admits. “There’s Upset 29

a lot of I don’t knows, and I think it’s okay to feel that.” It’s the launch pad for ‘Evergreen’’s furious, frustrated opening track ‘I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore’, which could easily feel like a resignation.

Still, Lynn found enough hope to continue – otherwise, there wouldn’t be a new PVRIS album – and by the end of the vibrant record, Lynn’s singing about an ever-growing legacy.

“This might be happening around us, but we’re still here, and we’re still alive, so we just have to keep going until we can’t,” she says of the album’s lust for life. “I wanted to send out a message that felt a little more pleasant, empowering and free, despite everything.”

Tracks like ‘Love Is A…’, ‘Anywhere But Here’ and ‘Headlights’ feel like a

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balm, all expansive beauty and intimate storytelling. “They felt like going home,” admits Lynn, who wanted to make something that would remind her of Massachusetts. “Whenever things feel scary, and I think about being anywhere else, I always just want to go home. I’m sure I’m not alone in that. They feel like the escapist component of the album,” she continues.

Still, ‘Evergreen’ isn’t ignorant, either. As well as beautiful, hushed songs about romance and finding peace, PVRIS’ fourth album is driven by an almighty fury. The groove-driven ‘Animal’ sees Lynn hitting back at the idea of control, a shuddering ‘Hype Zombies’ sees her striving for freedom, while the hammering ‘Take My Nirvana’ sees her with fangs bared. “That felt

freeing,” she grins.

Lynn goes on to call the creation of ‘Evergreen’ liberating. “It felt like a door-die thing. Either don’t do it, or go for it 100 per cent and not worry about the outcome.” We all know which side she came down on. “It feels like the walls are down, and now, I just want to run with it and have fun.”

For as long as PVRIS have been a band, they’ve jumped back and forth between pop and rock. In their early days, though, Lynn would argue that PVRIS made pop that sounded rock, or vice versa, depending on who she was talking to. Back in the mid-2010s, those battle lines were fiercely maintained.

“I cringe when I think about old interviews,” she laughs. “Back then, it really did feel like you could only exist

within a box, and if you strayed outside of it, you confused or angered people.

It was such a heavy and real thing at the time; I felt like any type of creative decision had to be defended, which is so silly, isn’t it?”

That defensiveness came from being a woman who came up in the pop-punk and hardcore scenes but was happy to play outside of those genre boundaries.

“I had a chip on my shoulder from specific men online asking where the guitars were, why we didn’t use real drums and who was really playing what,” she explains. “It was such an archaic view of how music should be made or produced, but it weighed heavily on my mind.”

It never affected the music PVRIS made, but Lynn would tie herself in

I JUST RETREATED FROM EVERYTHING FOR A BIT”

LY N N G U N N

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knots trying to educate people who were never going to listen. By contrast, the stark contrasts between the “pop” and “rock” songs on ‘Evergreen’ are celebrated, with both sides of PVRIS’ sound taken to their extremes.

“There’s an equal amount of in-your-face, aggressive, highenergy songs and really chill, dreamier, ethereal sounds on this record.” Why? “It just felt natural,” she shrugs, knowing she doesn’t need to explain herself to anyone.

“I know terms like ‘genrebending’ have become buzzy in recent years, but the goal with PVRIS has always been to create something that stands on its own and isn’t defined by anything else. I hope it connects with people, but if it doesn’t, I know I made something that I was very excited about.”

Lynn started making music as a school kid, not, as rumours go, because she saw Paramore supporting Jimmy Eat World and wanted to follow suit but because she just loved playing around with songs. “I wasn’t producing, but we had GarageBand on the computers in middle school, and I downloaded this thing called GuitarPro on my family’s old PC, which allows you to input music before it plays it back to you.”

Even if it sounded like a glitching video game, Lynn fell in love with that sense of creation and “it morphed into playing in a band and travelling the world. Obviously, if you’re a young girl and you see a badass woman onstage, that resonates too and definitely opens a door in your brain,” she adds.

As big as PVRIS has got, ambitions have always been rooted in the creative process.

“The DNA has always been the same, no matter how it’s dressed up or what it sounds like. That integrity of just making the most compelling thing that you connect to the most, that’s always been the driving force,” she explains.

Everything outside of the

I WANTED TO SEND OUT A MESSAGE THAT FELT A LITTLE MORE PLEASANT, EMPOWERING AND FREE, DESPITE EVERYTHING”

LY N N G U N N

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THE WALLS ARE DOWN AND NOW I JUST WANT TO RUN WITH IT AND HAVE FUN”

LY N N G U N N

music and art has always required somewhat of an adjustment for Lynn, though, from the sudden success that followed the release of ‘White Noise’ (“That album is purebred angst,” she explains today) through the health problems that plagued the touring for follow-up ‘All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell’. “Performing onstage, people saying stuff online, it’s always been a bit confusing and strange.” There’s less worry around ‘Evergreen’. “I’m just excited,” says Lynn, already eager to get back on tour.

“The biggest thing that I was scared about was everybody feeling really disconnected and isolated and how that would translate when we got to go back on tour,” she reflects. Touring and that in-person community around PVRIS shows is a huge driving force behind the band. “It’s vital for what we do, and the idea of it changing was terrifying.”

Over the past weeks and months, though, Lynn has seen that as much as the world feels different nowadays, the energy of a live show remains as powerful as ever. “It’s been really beautiful being able to play songs for people again.”

Despite the very different eras of the PVRIS and the challenges she’s faced along the way, Lynn has always respected 34 Upset

the journey. There have been no hard resets or distancing from what came before. “I’m human, so of course I’m going to grow and change,” she explains. “It feels good when your seasons get embraced by others, and It’s really cool that people do want to grow with you.” In the run-up to ‘Evergreen’, there’s been this feeling of giddy intrigue around what comes next for PVRIS. “It does feel like the new has been embraced a lot more than I thought it would,” Lynn admits.

Lynn has described ‘Evergreen’ as a celebration of femininity and female autonomy, with tracks like ‘Goddess’ making that blatantly obvious. “I’ve spent the last decade in a space that’s very male and very straight,” explains Lynn, with COVID giving her space to unpack her experiences.

“There was a lot of pressure on me from fans, press and those watching the band from the sidelines to shrink myself down, not stir the pot and just fit into the role that I was expected to play. I realised there was a lot of internalised misogyny that I’d been carrying, so I wanted to grow beyond that.”

“If you’re a woman, celebrating your body, your sexuality and encouraging others to do the same feels political, whether that’s intentional or not,” she adds.

‘Goddess’ was written before the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe V Wade, ending the constitutional right to an abortion, but lyrics like “It’s your body, fuck the man” feel more important than ever.

“There’s immense work to be done as far as there being more women, more queer people and more people of colour in the rock scene, but it’s made me really happy getting to see artists like Charlotte Sands, Wargasm, Scene Queen and Vukovi at Slam Dunk,” she beams.

PVRIS have never been the most outwardly political band but Lynn Gunn, a queer female frontperson touring

with the likes of Bring Me The Horizon and Fall Out Boy, has been a longstanding source of inspiration for many.

“Lynn Gunn was the first girl in the scene that I truly resonated with,” said Scene Queen, shortly after Slam Dunk, “because I genuinely thought in my teenage years if I wanted to work professionally, I would always have to hide a part of me [my sexuality] because I grew up listening to iconic queer pop icons, but rock just didn’t seem like the place for it. When ‘White Noise’ came out, and Lynn was the face behind it, it was genuinely the first time where I was able to tell myself, ‘there is a group of people out there that will accept all parts of you’, because I was in the fan base that was doing it.”

“I genuinely just feel comfortable being myself,” says Lynn. “I think maybe people have been able to come to our shows and feel comfortable in themselves by meeting like-minded people or seeing me doing it on my end.

Either way, we all help each other.”

So why are PVRIS still connecting with people? “I don’t know if I’m the right person to ask,” says Lynn. “I know what keeps me excited is changing things up and taking risks, so I hope that translates outwards.”

“I’m here to make people feel something, whether that’s escapism or hitting the nail on the head with how they’re feeling. That was the constant driver of making the album,” Lynn continues before calling ‘Evergreen’ a “purge of having fun and letting excitement happen.”

“I hope that whoever is listening to it knows that they don’t have to shrink themselves,” she adds. “I want it to offer empowerment and escape. I want people to know they can exist how they want.

Allowing yourself to feel that free without fear is incredibly cathartic.” ■ PVRIS’ album ‘Evergreen’ is out now.

Upset 35

JOIN With their foundations firmly set, AS DECEMBER FALLS are throwing open the doors.

Words: Ali Shutler.

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US Upset 37

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AS DECEMBER FALLS FIRST STARTED MAKING MUSIC TOGETHER IN 2014 and have released two sugary pop-punk albums alongside a handful of EPs and singles in the years since.

They’ve remained definitely independent throughout. New album ‘Join The Club’ sees them, if not out to take on the world, then at the very least ready to crash the Official Album Chart. “It feels like we’ve finally arrived,” says vocalist Bethany Curtis.

“We’ve been laying the foundations, we’ve got the bricks and mortar down, and we’re ready to build it up another level now,” she continues, still recovering from a hectic weekend at Download Festival that saw As December Falls make their Donington debut. The band only live twenty minutes away from the heavy metal festival and grew up watching the likes of Slipknot, Biffy Clyro and Deftones. “It was our first time actually performing at Download, but it felt like a welcome home,” grins Bethany. “As soon as we got out onstage and saw people trying to cram themselves into that 10,000-capacity tent, we realised just how insane things have got.”

After slowly building the world of As December Falls, the past 18 months have seen things rapidly accelerate as the band head towards third album, ‘Join The Club’. “We want everyone to be part of this band,” explains Bethany, with the band setting up a Patreon for fans to have their say on every aspect of ADF’s new album, from videos and merch to what songs should be finished first. “It’s been really collaborative; it feels like they’ve been on the journey with us,” she continues, with long-term fans and newcomers given the same power. “Calling the album ‘Join The Club’ just felt right. We wanted to remind people that all of us have made this record together.”

Allowing so many voices to be involved in the creation

process is a recipe for middle of the road, but As December Falls are now so confident in their vision of their band, nothing could derail them.

“This album has really finalised our sound. It feels a lot more complete, and we’ve finally nailed everything we’ve been trying to do since this band started,” says Bethany.

“In a way, it feels like our debut album. It’s definitely a new energy for the band.”

During the recording of the album, there were a couple of times the band worried they had gone “too My Chemical Romance” but as soon as Bethany’s poppy vocals were added, everything shifted, and the band could plough on. Heavy tracks like ‘Mayday’ and ‘Carousel’ sit next to pop-punk ragers like the title track, while ‘Little By Little’ and ‘Home’ are designed to kick listeners in the feels.

As December Falls have always made music within the realms of buoyant, bubbly punk rock, but ‘Join The Club’ is the first album they’ve released after the pop-punk and emo resurgence. “It’s great to see a new generation discover this music and get involved in the community around it,” says Bethany, but the revival had very little impact on the band’s creative process. “We’ve always done this, and we probably always will,” she continues, still remembering the day when some guy in a suit suggested the band trade the guitars for synthesisers because no one wanted guitar music. “We’ve always just stuck to our guns,” she says with a smirk.

Lyrically, ‘Join The Club’ allowed Bethany a space to process what she was going through. “I find it so much easier to write about something difficult or sad,” she starts, comparing the emotional purge to therapy.

The record tackles everything from mental illness and anxiety to friendships, relationships and that sense of belonging with a fierce optimism, which is another new energy for the band.

WE’VE FINALLY NAILED EVERYTHING WE’VE BEEN TRYING TO DO SINCE THIS BAND STARTED”

BETHANY CURTIS Despite the title, As December Falls’ previous album ‘Happier’ dealt with a lot of sad themes but offered little in the way of resolve.

“It felt like I was wallowing,” admits Bethany. “But with this one, I know everyone’s going through a lot, but I wanted to tell people things were going to be ok, and we’re going to face it together. I wanted this album to be a positive push forward.”

As December Falls are a DIY band by choice but for the first time in their careers, they’ve made sure ‘Join The Club’ is chart-eligible via many forms, technical jargon and more forms. “It’s not an easy process,” admits Bethany. So why bother? “We just want to prove that you can achieve things and still do things your own way. Being DIY and independent is a hard route to take, but it’s so worth it because every victory belongs to us and the fans who have made it possible. It feels like we’re doing things the right way.”

Having the fans essentially be As December Falls’ record label did add to the pressure

when it came to creating ‘Join The Club’, though. “We wanted them to be as proud of the record as we are,” says Bethany. “Every time we’d show a demo to fans, we were expecting them to say they hated it. We’re still waiting for the day where they say, ‘this one isn’t good’.”

The community spills out into the physical world as well, with As December Falls gigs “a party that everyone is invited to. It’s a very welcoming environment,” adds Bethany, who knows a lot of people have had rubbish experiences in the alternative music scene. “It’s outrageous that kids are made to feel like outsiders in a genre like rock, which is meant to champion outsiders,” starts Bethany.

“But whatever, they can come be whoever they want to be with us.” That camaraderie and freedom is why people first connect to As December Falls. “It’s also why they stick around,” Bethany explains.

“It’s this massive community; why wouldn’t you want to be a part of that?” ■ As December Falls’ album ‘Join The Club’ is out 21st July.

Upset 39

ZAND isn’t scared of making a statement, but with new release ‘Sewerstar’, they’re out to challenge everything.

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Words: Steven Loftin.

Photos: Frances Beach.

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2020’S ‘UGLY POP’ PROPERLY INTRODUCED ZAND AS UNAPOLOGETICALLY SPIRITED. By slanging around brash pop music that delivered a lusty dose of liberation and confidence, including cuts like ‘Slut Money’ and ‘Freak’, it built upon the work of the London-based artist’s 2018 singles, including ‘Boys Like U’ and Luci’.

With upcoming EP ‘Sewerstar’, they’re embracing these previous notes with another healthy hit of X-rated attitude.

Including ‘DTF’’s playful exhibition of self-care in the horniest of orders and ‘Religion’’s entangling of life’s two constants - sex and organised worship - into a devilish, electro-bashing, demonic entity, it’s ZAND tripling down on their experimental pop attitude.

But before these brash attacks could happen, ZAND required their own moment of liberation, which came in the form of hip-hop provocateur Tommy Cash’s 2017 music video for ‘WINALOTO’.

Featuring contorting bodies and Tommy’s face being imposed upon crotches, recalling their reaction, ZAND enthuses, “It was so cool to see someone else be so authentically themselves, and so authentically weird, and inputting that into their art visually - it opened up something in my brain like, I want to fuckin’ do that!”

The surrealism of Tommy Cash’s vision is what entranced ZAND. As they put it, “I was so inspired to just be as weird as fuck - as the budget would allow.” Their early videos, particularly ‘Boys Like U’, feature goading content warnings for the depiction of drug use and violence. “I like the idea of surrealism and stuff that makes people uncomfortable,” they smirk. “Even some of my tamest music videos, I will still get comments from people, like, what the fuck is going on?” they scoff. “And I’m like, it’s so funny that you think this is crazy because, for me, this is tame - we have not reached my final form yet! It’s weird how different people find different things disturbing.”

Understanding that their initial reaction to ‘WINALOTO’ - and their own insatiable search for a reaction - is a consequence of their journey, ZAND’s unapologetic nature is the result of experiences marred in darkness. “I have a very hard exterior because of how I’ve been treated in the past; I’ve just grown to be this way,” they explain. But turning this into their vision is a lighting strike of their artistic merit. It’s also based on a simple response they want from the audience: “What the fuck is going on?”

When ZAND hears these words, they know they’re doing something right. “I want to make people uncomfortable with my music and my visuals because they don’t have a fucking clue what’s going on,” they explain. This confrontational aspect is meant to challenge, but most importantly, it’s a calling card. When you see ZAND’s contemptuous glare, often seamlessly morphing from give-a-fuck to fuck-you, it is all a part of the plan. “To some people, visuals just aren’t important to them,” ZAND says. “And that’s fine. Everyone wants to project that art differently. But if I had all the budget in the world, I would make the weirdest shit possible.”

With this threat hanging surreptitiously, the topic of ZAND’s confidence comes to the forefront. Tattoos that border their silhouette as if they’ve emerged from the depths of a coppersulphate hell come twinned with empowering aesthetics that embrace their queer identity and sexuality. Confidence is the one thing ZAND carries front and centre, and you’d be hard-pressed to miss it.

“I am confident in how I look even though loads of people don’t like it all,” they say. “They’ll make fun of me, or whatever, [but] I’m still confident in how I look.” A striking visual indeed, the inspiration they serve to others is as important to them. “There are people who maybe look similar, who are alternative, or just people who genuinely may not look anything like me but are still inspired by the fact that people like me look the way that we want to because we want to look this way.” They see it as just being 42 Upset

I WAS SO INSPIRED TO BE AS WEIRD AS FUCK”

ZAND

a part of them. No ulterior motives. “It’s just the same as anyone really. It doesn’t faze me. People are like, ‘Oh my God, how are you so confident to walk around like that’, and I’m just like, this is just how I look. It’s not that deep to me, but to other people, it is.”

Other people are a mystery to ZAND. From how they react to their art to how they respond to their look, ZAND’s under the distinct impression that “different things inspire different people depending on like their upbringings and how they see the world.” It’s how they get by in a world that tries to fit things in neat little boxes. “If something might come along that is unorthodox, or that they don’t understand whether that’s music, whether that’s how someone looks, whether that’s anything to do with that sort of shit - they either turn their nose or they relate to it in some way, even though it might not have anything to do with them.”

These experiences are reflected in ZAND’s music.

They mention that ‘Ugly Pop’ was written “from a place of writing about unhealed trauma and shit that I was really angry about.” And while this is still the case for a lot of what they’re creating, when it comes to ‘Sewerstar’ and its offerings, it’s about trying to be a little less serious with it.

“I just want to have a little fun with it and write about stupid shit like wanking or ‘HA, this is really funny, I’m going to say something really funny in this’ and just seeing what comes out.”

While ZAND’s first artistic pursuits were a far cry from who they are today (“I was a baby, it was me singing a song on my guitar doing twee… but I was still a gobshite”), the writing has come to be just as important as the vision. “The music, and how I do it, leads in terms of personality and whatever the fuck else. A lot of things in my life have fuelled me to want to protect myself that way.”

ZAND’s transformation into

the artist before us today was a process. “We’re all constantly posturing, right? Depending on the song, we’re all putting a version of ourselves out there that we might not necessarily be. And that’s the kind of thing that I find interesting to play with when it’s like playing different characters and songs. You’re performing a personality; you’re performing this viewpoint.”

These building blocks of bravado are important, but more prescient is the fact that whomever ZAND is on a deeper level is, rightfully so, to remain a mystery. “There’s always going to be a story that people don’t know,” they say. “Even if someone writes an autobiography, you’re still not going to know every single thing about someone’s life and what’s led them to be the way they are.”

Mentioning that the confidence and bravery they present is a big reason fans have latched onto them, they’re not always what people expect.

“I am like a big softy, sensitive person,” they laugh. “Like I literally cry about everything, but people will often be like, ‘Oh my God, yes, you’re badass.

Like you just don’t give a fuck; you’re so confident.’

“Obviously, that is the perception people have of me when they see me or when they see me perform. Because I just go a bit insane, and I guess that’s the knock-on effect it has; people think one thing about you from how you project yourself and your music and your performance. But there’s the personality ZAND, and then there’s me. It’s still a part of me. I’m not saying I’m faking it, but it’s just one part of it - you’re not going to always see the rest.”

Chances are, if you’ve found ZAND already, then you’re one of their kind. The masses they’re building are kindred spirits, and that’s what their master plan is: “Not everyone’s gonna get it, but if you know, you know.” ■ ZAND’s ‘SEWERSTAR’ EP is out soon.

Upset 43

ALTER

ZO Z 44 Upset

RED

ONES ZONES MUTOID MAN are back, armed with a treasure trove of gnarly sounds and a newfound sense of confidence.

Words: Steven Loftin.

Upset 45

MUTOID MAN’S THIRD ACT IS AN EXERCISE IN GRIEF. Certainly, ‘Mutant’’s cartoonish artwork lends itself to the band’s beginnings - a fun outlet that came at the right time for vocalist and guitarist Steve Brodsky - but beneath that, ‘Bam! Pow!’ looming giantant exterior lies a journey through forms of loss and out to the other side.

That’s precisely what this project has been all along for Steve. Mutoid Man initially formed in the wake of his 2011 move to New York from Boston - the same year he released ‘White Silence’, his then-last album as vocalist with his day job Cave In. After finding himself at a loss and feeling disconnected from his beloved heavy genres thanks to the disassociation in those last Cave In sessions - along with the spectre of their 2003 major label deal ultimately not panning out - Steve felt anchored in situ. “Because we didn’t have a hit record, I felt, well, maybe I’m a shit writer?” But, soon, a freak figure would be entering his proverbial screen, one that would change his life forever - the very same who would be your first boss kill on 1990s carnage-based arcade game, Smash TV. “Mutoid Man is very much responsible for this rebirth of having a connection to writing and composing and conceptualising heavy music,” Steve attests. His period of writer’s block ended after teaming up with Converge’s Ben Koller, who offered him the use of his NY rehearsal space. The pair soon found the framework for another side project forming.

It wasn’t long before Mutoid Man eventually took on a whole life of its own (that’s not to mention that between them, they have several other projects, including Ben’s Converge day job where Steve even did a brief stint).

During this period, Cave In took an unofficial hiatus, leaving Steve’s calendar wide open. As Ben and Steve riffed 46 Upset

around, the multifaceted method of Cave In - along with his entanglement with a major - began to fade away.

“Once all that started to disappear with Mutoid Man, it was a great feeling,” he smiles, “and I let myself get lost in it.”

After releasing their raucous debut EP ‘Helium Head’ in 2013 as a two-piece, they recruited bassist Nick Cageao into the pack. Mutoid Man soon made a name for themselves with the beefed-up crushing sounds of their debut album ‘Bleeder’ (2015). As this pedigree setup barrelled through the lands, busting out 2017’s ‘War Moans’ along the way, things began to get a bit tricky.

The gap between Mutoid Man albums is now six years.

Longer than expected for most bands, but it hasn’t been a case of resting on their laurels. The pair have been equally busy with their home projects. But, for Steve, the passing of Cave In’s Caleb Schofield in 2018 had a big effect. Turning his attention back to his base band, including benefit shows for Caleb’s family, before he knew it, 2020 was here, and the world had stopped around him. It was also at this time that Mutoid Man began to have problems with Nick.

“It was just getting harder to tour with Nick,” Steve admits, “and so everything just came to a screeching halt when we decided to part ways with him.” While hunkered away, Cave In wrote and recorded 2022’s ‘Heavy Pendulum’. There was also the matter of Ben’s injury after a “freak accident” in 2018. Suffice it to say, things weren’t on the band’s side.

What had once been a project for Steve to re-familiarise himself with music soon became a thorn in his side.

“I had this realisation like holy shit, I’m the only member of Mutoid Man that’s been at every show,” he recalls.

“At some point, it felt like it was asking a lot of me, and I had to step away and divert

my energy elsewhere. But it wasn’t out of spite, as much as it was a necessity. This other thing that I had built since I was a teenager in 1995,” he continues, “we just went through this traumatic experience, and we needed to bond through music to grieve in the way that would get us through it.”

But now, with album three, it’s Mutoid Man’s time to shine. Hidden beneath the bubbling nuclear goop that Mutoid Man emerged from is their secret weapon.

Lying there, is a treasure chest with ‘Riff Bank’ crudely etched into it, filled to the brim with gnarly sounds that entice and encourage a wild-

eyed reaction. Well, there’s a Dropbox folder anyway. “[It’s] full of all kinds of shit, from voice memos of me just scatting into a phone some riff or timing idea that I intend to transcribe to guitar at some point,” Steve laughs.

“To me, in my underwear, with a fresh cup of coffee at like 7 am riffing on guitar, coming up with whatever caffeinated shit my mind wants to spit out.”

After digging around in this digital crate, ‘Mutants’ began to take life. Their new outing fizzes and sparks with renewed vigour, lighting a blaze that burns ferociously. Each word is a weapon cocked and loaded

GRIEF IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT YOU GOTTA LEARN THROUGH LIVING LIFE”

STEVE BRODSKY

with meaning, an important distinction for Steve as his previous efforts were a removed cataclysm of impactful nonsense.

Comeback single ‘Call Of The Void’ is one such example. Lyrically sparse, but very much “Born out of the depths of my grieving about losing my friend, Caleb.

And also a very confusing time for Mutoid Man, and experiencing a sense of grieving over the loss of losing Nick from the band.” It Trojan Horse-s its message into an anthemic chorus, swiftly delivering Steve’s innermost thoughts.

Continuing, he says:

“When you make a significant change like that in your life, where you realise you’re not going to be able to work with someone on a certain level anymore, it is cause for grieving. And through the grieving process of losing Caleb, and learning about grief and just being like, holy shit, why didn’t they teach us this stuff in school? Grief is one of those things that you gotta learn through living life, and I think ‘Call Of The Void’ is a mark of that time.”

Getting the wheels back on the Mutoid Man Express was in itself an exercise in grief. “They say sometimes with traumatic experiences,

if you are hit with something in a certain place, sometimes a healthy thing to do is to go back to that place and to override it with a positive experience.” For Mutoid Man, it involved going through the ideas they had “marinating” in the Dropbox. It also involved recruiting Jeff Matz (High On Fire, Zeke) into the mix. “I just knew that there was potential for it to happen in a way that would be rehabilitating,” Steve explains. “And I think Ben felt that way, too. And in the end, it seems like our instincts were correct. It just had to happen at the right time.”

The addition of Jeff has reignited Steve’s passion for the project. “Jeff just has this incredible stamina for music,” he says. Finding someone equally ready to immerse themselves into music as if it’s the air they breathe, Steve admits, “I found that to be very attractive because I have a history of just grinding people down with my work ethic,” he mentions with a self-acknowledging grin. “To a fault in a lot of cases. But I felt like, ‘Oh, shit, I’ve met my

match with Jeff’. You don’t sense him burning out.”

Now three albums deep, there lies an underlying consistency to Mutoid Man that is very much a reaction to Steve’s time with Cave In. A band that morphed and contorted between sounds, with no singular design or trademark, with Mutoid Man it’s all centred around one thing: “What makes things explode with the excitement and the spirit is that Ben is excited to play whatever I’m bringing to the table. If it doesn’t excite him, then there’s no reason in pushing it.”

With their power bar now blazing at 100%, Mutoid Man are back. ‘Mutants’ is a glorious return that unpacks as much as it delivers, and, in Steve’s eyes, “There is a new sense of confidence,” he professes. “I think that’s natural. Overcoming the aforementioned laundry list of bullshit that we discussed earlier, I’m happy to present this new form of the band to people.” ■ Mutoid Man’s album ‘Mutants’ is out 28th July.

Upset 47

PVRIS

EVERGREEN ★★★★★

→ It’s understandable that Lynn Gunn would be focused on renewal. Her previous album as PVRIS, 2020’s ‘Use Me’ may have been as brilliant as ever,

48 Upset

but it also managed to arrive headfirst into the chaos of COVID. The expected followed - tours cancelled, focus pulled elsewhere - good plans cast aside. It’s hardly a shock that its followup may open up with a statement like ‘I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore’.

But ‘Evergreen’ isn’t an album about resignation.

It’s an emblem of defiance and determination, pushing boundaries and radiating brilliance. It moves forward, finding its centre and burning as

bright as ever. While some may predictably yearn for the days of PVRIS’ brilliant debut album, Lynn never fails to prove that better times always lie ahead rather than behind.

‘Good Enemy’ bounces in and out of frame like it’s attached to a bungee chord, while the growl of ‘Hype Zombies’ offers up a sleeker but no less impactful vibe. ‘Take My Nirvana’ sounds like nothing PVRIS has offered up before - bubbling, brilliant, smart alt-pop - set off by the neon-lit hue of

‘Senti-Mental’.

‘Evergreen’ isn’t about coming out of the darkness; it’s about stepping into the light, basking in its brilliance and using it as fuel for growth. It’s a manifestation of an artist’s evolution, a testament to Lynn Gunn’s commitment to her craft. Throughout, it’s a record that scratches itches previously unnoticed, rejecting the templates for the green shoots of invention. There’ll be no stopping her now - PVRIS is in full bloom.

Stephen Ackroyd

RATED

As December Falls JOIN THE CLUB

★★★★

→ ‘Join The Club’ - you don’t get more of a statement than that.

For their third album, As December Falls are out to grow their flock by bashing down the doors that stand in their way. A bolder, brighter, more dynamic blast, it’s a record to expand the flock without ever limiting ambition.

From the anthemic climax of ‘Go Away’ to the poprock swagger of ‘Honey’, it’s a record saturated with quick-sharp earworms.

‘Mayday’ is an alarm call to wake even the heaviest sleeper, while closer ‘Tear It Out’ sparkles and shines, refusing to tame its intensity for a grand finale. In recalling some of the genre’s iconic voices, but adding her own swagger, vocalist Bethany Hunter leads a charge that demands devotion. Trust us, you won’t be able to resist joining their ranks.

Dan Harrison

Bethany Cosentino NATURAL DISASTER

★★★★

→ Bethany Cosentino’s inaugural solo effort, ‘Natural Disaster’, is more than a simple compilation of songs — it’s a reflection of an artist asserting her individuality, stepping outside the known, and introducing a new musical style. Her move from her familiar LA surf rock to a sound laced with Americana exhibits her willingness to venture into unfamiliar territories and challenge norms.

As one half of the LA surf-rock duo Best Coast, Bethany has certainly left a noteworthy imprint on the genre. But this album, developed in the music-rich environment of Nashville, presents a shift in artistic direction that expands her range. Titletrack ‘Natural Disaster’ echoes elements from her previous work with its raw guitars and sturdy chorus.

However, it’s more than a mere extension of her past work. The album gradually

draws listeners into a subtle, country-tinged atmosphere.

Cosentino’s standout vocals persist, offering strikingly thoughtful melodies that always resonate. Her inherent talent remains evident, painting a picture of an artist who’s keen to explore her musical depth. Each note in ‘Natural Disaster’ signifies a genuine journey into her personal soundscape, symbolizing an artist in the process of self-redefinition. It’s an album that marks the beginning of Bethany’s solo adventure, hinting at a future filled with more authentic and distinct musical expressions. Alex Ingle

Greta Van Fleet STARCATCHER

★★★★

→ Greta van Fleet have a voice that commands attention. ‘Starcatcher’ is an ever-expansive tour de force, carrying the listener through sunscorched deserts and misty mountains before

dropping them amongst the stars. Frontman Josh Kiszka cuts through the scenery, howling like the wind, tumbling across the airways. His vocals have a deft versatility, powerful yet not without fragility.

Multi-layered and crammed with epic instrumentals, the album never misses an opportunity to sprinkle in a sickening solo or punch of percussion. ‘Frozen Light’ is a true showcase of technical prowess; Jake Kiszka (guitar) gives a fiery serenade, bending strings with a pure disregard for his fingertips. ‘Meeting the Master’ is comparatively more relaxed but not restrained; Josh’s ethereal vibrato gives the song a hypnotic, otherworldly vibe before the drums kick in for a goosebump-evoking climax. ’The Falling Sky’ is made up of evocative hooks, embodying a clear blues influence that goes as far as to rip out an impressive performance on the harmonica.

‘Starcatcher’ is a kaleidoscope of colour that emits a psychedelic warmth. Greta van Fleet have truly caught the stars and sprinkled them throughout this record, producing ten tracks of wide-eyed wonder. Kelsey McClure

Mutoid Man MUTANTS

★★★★

→ From the screeching opening riff of ‘Call of the Void’, there’s a tightlywound tension to Mutoid Man’s first new album in six years. Thundering double-kicks and a fistpunching chorus rattle against the sound of something scratching to get out. With Cave In vocalist/guitarist Steven Brodsky and Converge drummer Ben Koller joined for the first time by High on Fire bassist Jeff Matz, their twist on metal verges on the brilliantly insane.

Take ‘Siren Song’ - big, bombastic, packed with

swagger and causing havoc, it steps away from hardcore roots to offer a sacrifice on the alter of legends past. Riffs chug, runs wail, small villages probably burn - this isn’t weak sauce. Amidst the chaos and intensity, there’s an unmistakable joy that permeates their music. It’s a celebration of their craft and a testament to their passion for pushing the boundaries of heavy music.

‘Mutants’ is an album that evolves beyond the confines of any one genre, defying expectations and delivering an experience that is both exhilarating and unpredictable. It’s a record that not only showcases their technical prowess but also captures the essence of their mutant spirit. Mutoid Man have cemented themselves as a force to be reckoned with - a ‘Mutant’ threat that’s very much real. Alex Ingle

Palehound EYE ON THE BAT

★★★★

→ Palehound’s latest offering, ‘Eye On The Bat’, is a testament to the evolution of El Kempner’s songwriting prowess and their ability to create a sonic landscape that is both raw and refined. A simmering summer sizzler, their growth is evident throughout with lyrics that touch on love, selfdiscovery, and resilience.

From the buoyant ‘Independence Day’, to the angsty ‘My Evil’, and introspective closer ‘Fadin’, each song is a testament to Kempner’s ability to create music that is both personal and universal.

As enjoyable as it is thought-provoking, ‘Eye On The Bat’ is a record that doesn’t shy away from exploring complex themes, all while maintaining a sense of fun and energy that is infectious. This is Palehound in their prime, and it’s a joy to witness.

Alex Ingle

Upset 49

St Vincent Cheerleader

I was so obsessed with this song that I named my high school band Cheerleader. I also had “I don’t wanna be a cheerleader no more” as my senior yearbook quote. This whole album, ‘Strange Mercy’, changed my life.

Deerhoof

Scream Team

This song is off Deerhoof’s album ‘The Runner’s Four’, which is a complete masterpiece. This song, in particular, was so exciting to me because of the way they played the guitar melodies along with the vocals. I spent a whole week just learning all the guitar parts on this record front-to-back the summer after my junior year of high school.

Janelle Monae

Mushrooms & Roses

This was the first Janelle Monae song I ever heard, and

PALEHOUND

it turned me into an instant super fan. My cousin Brian played it for me as we were hotboxing his car in a movie theatre parking lot. I made him play it again as soon as it was over. I’ll never forget that moment.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Modern Romance

My high school best friend Max and I used to put on ‘Fever To Tell’ in his bedroom and just lay on the floor and listen to it in silence from front to back.

This record is so important to me. ‘Modern Romance’ was the standout track for me because of the simplicity and the way it tugged at my soul. This was also “our song” with my first real gay crush, so it holds a special place in my heart for that reason.

EVERYONE HAS THOSE FORMATIVE BANDS AND TRACKS THAT FIRST GOT THEM INTO MUSIC AND HELPED SHAPE THEIR VERY BEING. THIS MONTH, PALEHOUND TAKES US THROUGH SOME OF THE SONGS THAT MEANT THE MOST TO THEM DURING THEIR TEENAGE YEARS.

Gorillaz ft. Gruff Rhys, De La Soul Superfast Jellyfish

I could literally listen to this song every single day, and it would still hit so hard every single time. One of my favourite songs/albums of all time in the sense that it is timeless and always sounds fresh. I used to drive around aimlessly listening to this

album on the CD I burned of it.

I would literally invite friends to hang out with me that wayjust driving and listening to ‘Plastic Beach’.

The Breeders Oh!

Kim Deal is my ultimate hero; this is no secret to anybody.

She’s so known for heavy rock songs with The Breeders and Pixies that when I heard this song, it totally blew my mind.

It’s mellow for her but also incredibly raw and powerful.

The moment that really sold this song for me was her voice crack towards the end.

I still have a hard time finding vocals that make me feel that way.

Beyonce

Countdown

I am a huge Beyonce fan, so it was hard to pick just one song for her. However, ‘Countdown’ is just such a banger and is the one that stood out to me for its sheer weirdness.

It is SUCH a bop and also SO strange and freaky. I just had to look up how long this song is cuz it always feels so short, but it’s actually three and a half minutes?? That’s shocking.

Elliott Smith

Ballad Of Big Nothing

Palehound’s album ‘Eye On The Bat’ is out now.

50 Upset

Photo: Tonje Thilesen.

This is one of the most influential songs to me. This song changed how I thought about songwriting. To write a song like this is a goal that I still don’t feel I’ve hit. I will cry to and chase the high of this song until I die.