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Fre e Throw
Nessa Barrett
cle opatrick
K .Flay
Ha cktivis t
S calping
Pom Pom S quad
Spiri tb ox
+ loads more
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DE’WAYNE Beartooth The Maine
Begging for trouble.
JULY 2021 Issue 67
RIOT 4. BEARTOOTH 8. NESSA BARRETT 10. CLEOPATRICK 12. K.FLAY 14. TIGERCUB 18. FREE THROW 20. HACKTIVIST ABOUT TO BREAK 22. SPIRITBOX 24. SCALPING FEATURES 26. AFI 34. DE’WAYNE 38. POM POM SQUAD 42. THE MAINE REVIEWS 46. WOLF ALICE TEENAGE KICKS 50. YONAKA
Upset Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Scribblers Dan Harrison, Finlay Holden, Jack Press, Jamie MacMillan, Jasleen Dhindsa, Kelsey McClure, Linsey Teggert, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin Snappers Camelia Azar, Dirk Mai, Eleanor van Veen, Hannah Edelman, Imani Givertz, Jacob Boll, Jamie Harding, Josh Massie, Johann Ramos, Matthew Sterling, Rosie Powell, Travis Shinn P U B L I S H E D F RO M
W E LCO M E TOT H E B U N K E R.CO M U N I T 10, 23 G RA N G E RO A D, H A S T I N G S, T N34 2R L
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.
HELLO. The tag of a ‘heritage band’ has become something of a double-edged sword. On one hand, we should respect those acts who have been there and done it - the ones who laid down the foundations for every new talent that followed. But on the other, so many of those legends who have twenty, thirty years or more on the clock become stale stuck in their own boxes, grumbling about everything new or exciting that dares take a peek into their world. Thankfully, AFI firmly avoid that
pitfall. Three decades behind them and they’re still going strong, still evolving, and still putting out really bloody great albums. As they drop their latest, ‘Bodies’, we’re honoured to have them on the cover of Upset. May their peers take heed.
S tephen
Editor / @stephenackroyd
Riot. EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN ROCK
4 Upset
THIS MONTH >>>
The new album from cleopatrick does what it says on the tin - everyone agrees, one half of the duo, Luke Gruntz explains. p.10
Brighton rock trio Tigercub’s second LP effort, ‘As Blue As Indigo’, once again cements them at the top of the food chain. p.14
Taking some time to consider who they are and what they want, the past year or so of turmoil has suited Free Throw well. p.18
“THERE’S REALLY NO HOPE OR POSITIVITY ON THIS RECORD; IT’S VERY DARK AND MORBID”
Bit low? Thoroughly had enough of life’s downs and downs? Beartooth know how you feel. Words: Jack Press. Photo: Johann Ramos.
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hile the thought of now-fastapproaching warm festival beer and some bands puts us in our happy place, it’s not so easy to erase the scars of a year and a half that’s put us through our paces both physically and mentally. With their tours cancelled and house arrest all but a worldwide sentence, our beloved bands became humans in our eyes once more. For Beartooth’s Caleb Shomo, he found himself battling back from a brink he’s been at on more than one occasion, which collided with the creation of their
fourth album, ‘Below’. “Either I’m feeling really positive and creative and working hard, or I’m just sitting on the couch for a month and nothing matters. It’s been a grind to get going,” admits Caleb, the exhaustion evident in his every word. ‘Below’ is an album born out of the pandemic. Written, recorded and produced entirely by Caleb himself at home in his basement, it’s a product of a year’s worth of isolation; an experience that has been both a blessing in disguise as much as it’s been a curse out in the open. “Going through the process honestly was really difficult. I missed
co-writing and I missed having other people around, and it was really tough to find inspiration and be excited about something,” he explains, honest as ever about his own experiences. “Once I got further into it, I realised in a way it was almost a blessing in disguise purely for the sake of writing the album. Obviously, in another sense, this lockdown and pandemic has been fucking terrible. But purely for me as a writer, it forced me into a place where I had to trust myself again and really rely on my instincts to make an album.” Armed with nothing but a home Upset 5
Riot. studio and the war inside his head, Caleb has crafted the next chapter of Beartooth as their heaviest, albeit their most accessible, too. Blending bludgeoning breakdowns with stadium-sized choruses, ‘Below’ isn’t a million miles away from the blueprint they began with on 2014’s ‘Disgusting’. “For me, it’s turned into a more familiar Beartooth record, but a record that’s never been heard before from us. It gives me the same excitement that I had when I wrote the first album; that pure creative explosion with no limits,” he says, his exhausted expression masking the pride his words speak. “There was nobody else involved, there were no other minds or brains or people trying to push me to write more radio-friendly songs, or to write this or that, or try this or that. It was just, do whatever you want, which was exactly how that first album went. I just wanted to make this fun.” Despite their best efforts, ‘Below’ is anything but predictable. It’s an album overspilling with absolute bangers, placing metalcore on a collision course with the anthemic choruses of modern-day pop-punk a la A Day To Remember and the angsty riff attacks of hardcore punk. With the music written mostly on tour months before the pandemic - “the music I think is a lot more hopeful and written with a live show in mind” - the themes of ‘Below’ are a world apart, diving into the depths of Caleb’s mental state as the pandemic took place, becoming a journal of a plague year more than an album. “There’s really no hope or positivity on this record; it’s very dark and morbid,” deadpans Caleb, amused at any shock or surprise fans may find at ‘Below’’s dark underbelly. With his heart on his sleeve, he’s bared his scars for all to see, so fans can feel a little less alone in all the chaos. “I hope they realise that I’m trying to talk about the things that I felt, and that I assume tonnes of other people felt during this pandemic and lockdown, that they don’t really wanna talk about. The really dark sides of our minds that were exposed because of all this isolation. “Hopefully, it’s more of a way for people to understand you weren’t alone and you’re not crazy 6 Upset
because you were thinking all of this outrageously dark stuff. It was just a very unique and unfortunate time, and hopefully, people can feel it that way.” To combat his own experiences of loneliness during lockdown, Caleb kept associating his feelings with what he believed others may be undergoing to ground himself. It’s these moments that make their way into the fabric of ‘Below’. It paints a disturbingly dark, albeit starkly
realistic, portrait of how quickly our mental states can slip into decay. On ‘No Return’, Caleb bursts through his breaking point as he finds the bottom of the rabbit hole, singing: “When I disappear, no one will care about a single word I’ve ever put in the air.” For Caleb, and for Beartooth, it’s a watershed moment. “It’s this phase of feeling like I’m so far down the rabbit hole I don’t know if I’m going to be able to pull myself out of it mentally. A lot of people got
“MY MIND WAS JUST RUNNING RAMPANT WITH ALL THESE OUTLANDISH FEELINGS” CALEB SHOMO
to that point where they just weren’t sure how to come back and get back to normal life and a normal mental state,” he admits, his words riddled with melancholy. “A lot of people are going to be like, ‘what is he talking about? That’s so insane and dark’, but the whole point is that’s how far of a low point I got to mentally. My mind was just running rampant with all these outlandish feelings, and I wrote that lyric, and I was like, this is crazy, but it’s what I was feeling.”
Beartooth are no strangers to saying things as they see it, and Caleb is no stranger to managing and maintaining his mental health. Having dealt with clinical depression since middle school, the vocalist has struggled with eating disorders, substance abuse and suicidal tendencies. Whether by accident or by design, these battles from within have found themselves written into Beartooth’s back catalogue, and mental health has become a backbone of what the band is all about. With great power, though, comes great responsibility, and it’s something that lays heavy on Caleb’s heart. “The only role that I would ever want to play is just being honest about things to people. I’m not any sort of expert, I’m not any sort of role model; I’m just a guy who struggles like everybody else. The project where I talk about that bluntly happened to be the project that got really big,” he surmises, putting his stance on mental health as a musician down in part to his band’s success. “I never really planned on that being the reason I do what I do. I do it just because I love music and I love rocking out. The whole point of this from the beginning was to express myself and the way I feel, so the only thing I can hope is that if people are getting things from this, they understand that this is only a tool for them to help themselves even more. “I’m honoured when they say my lyrics helped them through something or helped them work something out, that’s incredible, but it’s about the growth for that person; it doesn’t have to do with me. I’m not the reason they got better or the reason they got help; I was just a
guy who said something that maybe made them think, ‘I could do better with this in my own life’.” It’s a double-edged sword that Beartooth as a band dangles over eternally. On the one hand, they strive for mental health to make headways in our world, but on the other, they’re not looking to be responsible for its revolution. “It’s more of a give-thepower-to-the-people situation on the terms of mental health, but I am in no way trying to be a face for mental health, that’s not my intent. I just want to rock out and be honest about what I’m honest about.” Whether he’s the face of mental health in the music world, or simply a man sharing his woes; Caleb, and by extension Beartooth, believe we’re making progress as a community. It’s this sense of progress that pushes positivity his way for the first time in a long time. Along with the chance of touring the world again, it’s this outlook that fuels the fire for the era of ‘Below.’ “There have been so many people lost to mental health, whether it be suicide or overdose or whatever it is. It’s one of those situations where you can’t ignore it, and it’s made people have to understand it a little bit more. For me right now, it’s in a really good spot,” enthuses Caleb. “There’s always more things people can do, whether it’s helping other people or being accepting of differences. “Ultimately, I think we’re at a really good place with mental health people are talking about things. A lot of the stigmas with stuff like therapy and general wellbeing are kind of being torn down, which is really good. I’m just hoping it continues to move in that positive direction.” P Beartooth’s album ‘Below’ is out 25th June. Upset 7
Riot.
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“I’VE BEEN IN THE STUDIO WORKING ON MY DEBUT PROJECT” Yes, everyone has a track with Travis Barker these days, but Nessa Barrett has also hit big, BIG numbers with her latest single ‘la di die’.
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acking up streams in the actual millions, several coveted TV spots, and buzzy collabs aplenty. New Jerseyborn and Los Angeles-based alt-pop singer-songwriter Nessa Barrett is firmly on the up and up, and her latest single, ‘la di die (feat. jxdn)’, looks set to push her into a whole new league. Hi Nessa! How’s it going, what are you up to today? Hi! Things have been good. Today, I filmed a press video, drew in my sketchbook and had a rehearsal for an upcoming performance. When did you first realise you wanted to be a musician, has it been a lifelong ambition for you? Music has always been in my family - I grew up with a studio in my house for as long as I can remember. My dad is a producer/rapper, my mom has always been into underground music, showing me upcoming artists. I’ve always wished to be a singer as well blowing out my candles for my birthday every year. Leaving for LA at 17 was a super ballsy move, did you land on your feet quickly? How were those first few months? It was! Luckily I had been travelling back and forth before I moved, so I already had a studio I recorded at, so I
spent a lot of time there until I was fully settled in. The studio has always felt like home, no matter where it physically is. How much work went into building up your early following with videos and such? What was the planning and creation process like? As crazy as this sounds - not too much. My first video that went viral was just me and my friends goofing off at school. It all happened really naturally. Was it the videos that landed you a record deal in the end? A producer at the studio I was introduced to was actually the one who saw a cover of me singing on TikTok and brought me in to start working on music - he helped introduce me to some more people in the business that helped land a record deal. ‘Pain’ did tremendously well, especially as your debut track - did you know it was a special song when you were putting it together? At the time, I was just singing everything I was feeling and laid it into the song. It was actually a 30 min song when I first wrote it. I do feel like all the emotions I was feeling is something that my audience could relate to, which is why it ended up being as special as it is. Do you get a feeling for which songs are going to do well? It depends! I definitely know when I made something really special, but sometimes the fans surprise me with how much they relate and feel a song. How did you come to collaborate with
jxdn and Travis Barker? What were they like to work with? It happened really naturally, actually. jxdn and I were actually working out of the same studio, and one day we were just listening to songs in the studio - he mentioned the song was great and a feature would sound good on it. My team and I were actually already thinking about adding a feature, so it worked out! Travis is so humble and down-to-earth as well. I loved working with them, it was a super fun process overall. What’s your starting point with songs? Are you able to just sit down and write, or do you need to wait for inspiration? It happens pretty randomly. Sometimes I start with lyrics, sometimes I start with melodies. I get inspiration from what I’m feeling, so if I’m feeling something in the moment, I write down in my notes and save it for when I go into the studio. It feels like a really pertinent time to be singing about mental health issues, have you had a lot of good feedback from fans? I feel like a lot of people are able to relate to my lyrics, and my goal is to make people feel like they are not alone - how I want to feel when I’m going through my darkest times. What are you working on at the moment? Do you have lots on now everything’s getting back to normal a bit? I’ve been in the studio working on my debut project as we speak! I’m super excited about it and can’t wait to share it with the world. P Upset 9
Riot.
“THIS ALBUM IS A BUMMER” The new album from cleopatrick does what it says on the tin everyone agrees, one half of the duo, Luke Gruntz explains.
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anadian duo cleopatrick - Luke Gruntz (guitar/ vocals) and Ian Fraser (drums) - are an ambitious pair, throwing themselves into every aspect of making and putting out an album. Released via their own label Nowhere Special Recordings, their debut record ‘BUMMER’ is a lesson in chucking out the rulebook and forging your own path. Can you tell us a bit about growing up together? Were you good influences on each other? Did you get into many scrapes? In my mind, Ian and I were great influences on one another. Growing up in a small Canadian town, I think a lot of young boys feel a certain gravitational pull towards being that macho, hockey guy type. It’s kind of impossible to resist - but Ian and I thankfully didn’t have much trouble staying ourselves. I think we have our friendship to thank for that. This relationship gave us a safe space to stay timid and weird. We never really got into any scrapes for that same reason.
Has doing the band together 10 Upset
Did you have any specific ideas for what you wanted to put across with your first ever album? This album was meant to capture the energy of our live show. It’s intense, raw, and honest. We took a very hands-on approach with this whole project. This album was produced in a basement, by us and our friend Jig Dubé. This gave us an incredible level of control over the outcome of these recordings. We spent full days tweaking drum sounds until they had that perfect balance between distortion and natural resonance. Countless hours running signals through different pieces of gear trying to carve out an identity for each track that truly felt like us. What was the timeline like for writing and recording, did you experience much upheaval during lockdowns and such? We were originally supposed to track this album in April of 2020 - but as the first lockdown hit, we were forced (like so many others) to scrap those plans and wait out the situation. This gave us a bunch of extra time to hyper-analyse the songs we had and bring together a handful of new ideas that now make up some of the best moments on the album. Do you find yourselves wanting to listen to or create different music during periods of stress?
Definitely. Other than working on the album tunes, I didn’t play much guitar at all throughout the first lockdowns. Instead, I found a lot of peace in making beats and writing weird little songs. It was one of the first times since before cleopatrick that I was writing music with no plan for anyone to hear it. It was kind of awesome. How long did you spend deliberating over the title before ending up with ‘BUMMER’? This record had a working title since before there were even any songs written for it. That title stuck around throughout the entire recording process, and into the mixing stages. But as our work on the project began to wrap up, I was able to sit back and actually listen to the recordings as they are today, and realised that it had grown into something far different than what I had originally pictured. The name ‘BUMMER’ popped into my head almost instantly. I shared it with Ian and some friends, and they all agreed that ‘BUMMER’ just felt right. This album is a bummer. You’re releasing on your own label, what’s the process like there? The process of releasing through our own label has been awesome. We have a really great team of people around us that totally understand what we are going for. I think that Ian and I thrive when we are granted this level of control and responsibility. Nowhere Special Recordings was actually a thing I originally started after high school - we called it a label, although it really wasn’t that at all. Ian and I would use it to promote DIY shows in Cobourg. It’s kind of surreal for it to be a real thing now. Have you started thinking about your next steps yet? The next step is a lot of touring. P cleopatrick’s album ‘BUMMER’ is out now.
Photo: Eleanor van Veen.
At what point did you decide to try making music, was it easy to get into? Were you on the same page from the beginning? Ian and I have been making music together since we were 8 years old. It’s always happened very naturally - almost unconsciously. It was just something we loved doing. Shortly after we graduated high school, we started cleopatrick, and decided we were going to have a go at being a “real band” - whatever that meant!
changed the dynamic of your friendship? Not at first, but as the band has grown and more responsibility has come with it, I think Ian and I have had less time to just hangout. There’s always some goal or deadline or project with the band that we have to work at rather than sit on a couch together and play video games. But then again - I think we both feel that making music together is the ultimate form of hanging out. So we’ve got no complaints.
Riot.
K.FLAY’S NEW TRACK BY TRACK:
EP INSIDE VOICES Alt-pop fave K.Flay‘s latest EP exorcises demons across five bold new tracks - here, she talks us through each, one by one. Photo: Hannah Edelman.
OUR LETTER WORDS This song is all about catharsis. So many of us spend our daily lives tiptoeing around things, apologizing, deferring and making ourselves small. But there inevitably comes a moment when the dam breaks, and you are compelled to express your frustration or your hurt or your shame or your whatever. I feel like this song pushed me to the brink of my own sanity, largely because it made me uncomfortable, like, is it ok for me to be this angry? Is it ok to say fuck you?
GOOD GIRL
Even though the title is ‘Good Girl’, it’s about the norms and roles placed on all of us. I wrote the song with Dan Reynolds, and I think both of us have struggled with the notion of societal expectations over the years. The world keeps telling me to be good, to be quiet, to be beautiful, but here I am, a human who is going through joy and pain and everything a person goes through, and I’m just tired of trying to be nice all the time. Why am I so scared to actually do what I want and say what I think?
DATING MY DAD
This is basically six months of therapy condensed into a single song. When you zoom out, most of 12 Upset
us are becoming a version of our parents or falling in love with one or both, and if you don’t have a sense of humour about that, you’re in trouble. I was laughing when I wrote the chorus lyric: “mom and dad we love em, either fuck ‘em or become ‘em.” As the song was coming together, I asked Travis Barker if he’d be down to play drums, and he absolutely smashed it.
TGIF
I know I’m biased, but I really love this one. The song began as a stream of consciousness riff on the absurdity of “Friday.” because Friday is a construct. It’s a made-up end to a made-up work week, and it serves the agenda of the ruling class. So here I am, a person who understands the violent and racist and misogynistic foundations of capitalism, but also a person who needs to pay rent. So I rail against the system that I help perpetuate! Fuck!!!!!!! My friend Tom Morello plays guitar on this track, and his solo just totally embodies the manic angst I feel, and I think a lot of other people feel too. Tom killed it.
MY NAME ISN’T KATHERINE
This song began as a joke. I am CONSTANTLY and INCORRECTLY called Katherine. My name is Kristine, not Katherine, so I thought it might be funny to write a song about that. Little did I know it would spark a crazy meditation on names and identity and cycles of life. Structurally, rhythmically, the song is constantly in motion, changing. That felt really exciting to me. P K.Flay’s EP ‘Inside Voices’ is out now.
Live At Leeds has booked Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes to top the bill for this year’s event, which will be held in Leeds on 16th October. Also playing are: Sports Team, Dream Wife, The Night Café, The Big Moon, Jaws, Poppy Ajudha, Teleman, The Orielles, Vistas, Whenyoung, 220 Kid, Bow Anderson, Gracey, Olivia Dean, Courting, Feet, Fizzy Blood, Just Mustard, Life and more. Tickets are on sale now.
Creeper have a new EP coming this summer, ‘American Noir’. The follow-up to their recent album ‘Sex, Death and The Infinite Void’, released last year, it’s due out on 30th July via Roadrunner Records. “Lavish and tragic, it tells the story of the days following the death of our protagonist Roe,” frontman Will Gould explains.
KennyHoopla has dropped a new mixtape. ‘SURVIVORS GUILT: THE MIXTAPE’ - out now - features his recent single ‘hollywood sucks// (Feat. Travis Barker)’, and arrives ahead of two nights at O2 Forum Kentish Town this summer with Yungblud, before sets at Reading & Leeds.
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Riot.
“I’M ESSENTIALL A ROCK ’N’ ROLL CLOW MULLET, PORNO TACHE, 7 FOOT TALL… 14 Upset
LY
WN.
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Brighton rock trio Tigercub’s second LP effort, ‘As Blue As Indigo’, once again cements them at the top of the food chain. Words: Finlay Holden. Photo: Rosie Powell.
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t’s been a long time coming: Tigercub’s volatile release schedule is full of gems, but none shine brighter than ‘As Blue As Indigo’, bringing a new level of intricacy and tenderness to their roaring rock’n’roll sound. Thankfully, fans are still rearing and ready to pounce upon this new offering. “The people who like Tigercub, really fucking like Tigercub,” frontman and songwriter Jamie Hall announces proudly. “What our fanbase lacks in numbers, they make up for in passion.” After considering who it is actually sustaining their creative endeavours, he reveals that, to him, these supporters are “a collection of weird, queer, non-fitting-in but still cool-as-hell people. We’re not too cool or popular to hang with these people and have a good time, either; every time someone interacts with the band, that’s an opportunity for me to make another friend!” If the audience fuelling this alt-rock outfit is a bunch of oddballs, Jamie himself really is the kingpin. “I’m essentially a rock’n’roll clown,” he happily confirms. “Mullet, porno tache, 7 foot tall… I learnt from a young age that I just don’t fit in. Acceptance is a beautiful thing, albeit it a lifelong task - it’s all about the way you brand yourself and take advantage of your weirdness; sell it!” Selling vulnerabilities has become a theme across Tigercub’s second full-length release in a seven-year career, and this approach stands out from their discography by allowing deeper and more personal moments to manifest across the 10 tracks. Jamie explains: “On the first record, some of the topics and themes in the songs almost seemed like a newspaper headline; they were just political and weren’t much about me. It doesn’t make the songs shit; they were relevant to the artist I was at the time, but now I’m more selfish – I want to talk about myself. I’m opening up and processing my own emotions, and when you do that, when you put your emotions, and true self, on the table and then someone turns around and says it’s bad… that’s horrible, it’s a big risk. That can seriously damage you, so I always shied away from it before.” The confidence to unfold internal woes into angsty lyrics and dynamic sounds is something instilled in Jamie not through Tigercub itself,
16 Upset
but actually an experiment-turnedside-project exploring bipolar themes in a warped psychedelic album fittingly titled ‘The Seven Foot Tall Post-Suicidal Feel Good Blues’ (no, it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue). Clarifying the inspiration behind this sonic side-step, he unveils a history of bullying based on the fact that schoolboys thought he was “essentially acting gay, amongst other things. ‘Nancy boy’ was something that got shouted at me a lot, so naming the project Nancy was a way of reclaiming ownership of that word and finding strength in it. Ironically, it was initially faceless and sexless; I just wanted to see how the industry would respond to something that has zero context. It went pretty crazily
well, and ultimately, I leaked out with the formative steps towards revealing myself as a creative truly being himself, not keeping anything hidden emotionally. Opening myself up did set me on the path of self-discovery, which I then dragged into the ‘As Blue As Indigo’ writing sessions.” This cliché undeniably carries some truth, and it’s this truth that manifests in some dark lyrical narratives. These moments needed time to be fully understood and appreciated, something the group had in abundance following their unintentionally extended break after 2017’s ‘Evolve or Die’ EP. This step away stemmed from a weariness of constant self-marketing, an aspect of the music world that is far more
involved than fans can comprehend. “As an artist, you can feel the fatigue setting in. People can only be interested in what you’re selling for so long – I don’t want to put it in such a mercenary way by defining us as a product, but that’s the vocabulary you adopt in this industry. When the band was active pre-2018, that’s what I was feeling – not only the fatigue of fans, but of us as well; the creative output felt like diminishing returns. So, we took a break– we planned on six months off, and that essentially turned into like three years.” The trio have not been completely inactive in that period, though, with the aforementioned side-project taking the forefront, in addition to the ‘Repressed Semantics’ EP in 2020. It
“ROCK MUSIC SHOULD BE OUTRAGEOUS, IT SHOULD BREAK ALL THE FUCKING RULES” JAMIE HALL
was lead single ‘Stop Beating on My Heart (Like a Bass Drum)’ that really displayed the group back in their element, and this was a song that took fans by surprise in the best possible way – the band really did choose a great moment to reinstate their glory. “Enough time had passed while writing the record that I felt the concept of ‘As Blue As Indigo’ and the exploration of my own sadness was strong enough to make a return. Not to be too depressing, but that’s a part of life, a part of being an adult,” Jamie divulges. “You’re happy, you’re jovial, but you also get sad, and that melancholy is an intrinsic part of life. You have to embrace these things. I use music to express that side of my being, and it helps me process it in a cathartic way.” The concept of the record itself is an individualistic investigation into human experiences of sadness and grief, which is a loose theme acting as a lens for music that analyses those despairing moments in a constructive manner. As the chief songwriter here admits, “even the title is deliberately vague; on the colour spectrum, between blue and indigo, you can’t really tell which is which. I look deep into that because, in life, we’re taught that things are good or bad and there’s no in-between, whereas really life is just a series of grey areas. A lot of films go to great lengths to portray those ambiguities, and they’re all relative to how you interpret them - there’s no monolithic answer. I think that’s why people like football so much… it’s empirical, it’s binary, you know what you’re getting. Life is not that, it’s a mystery, and I don’t understand it.” Tigercub have never been afraid to dive deep into those things they aren’t necessarily comfortable with yet for the greater good of their listeners. This pursuit of the genre’s most
extreme capabilities is something that drives the band and is, in turn, appreciated by their attentive fanbase. Jamie praises inventive music as an essential virtue. “The most important thing is for new music listeners to be exposed to stuff that’s going to lead them down a pathway to even more interesting music and open them up to better ideas – for me, that’s the aim of the game here. By listening in the first place, you’ve been better trained to perceive even more subversive art forms. Experimental music is a force of good in the world because it’s like an education, which makes the world and the people in it better.” Educational tools are best delivered in a trojan horse of dirty riffs and driving percussion, which is a staple of the alt-rock niche adopted with this project; exercising the eardrums has never felt this good, and kicking the best sounds out of three years in the studio has elevated the glass ceiling that will be shattered regardless. Much of this record draws you in with whisper-quiet verses that show a mastery of dynamics by gradually building tension and unexpectedly imploding with all the belligerence you could wish for; this shock factor is something that was deliberately and painstakingly crafted. “I wanted something that was crushingly heavy and balls to the wall, no apologies. Make it exciting, make it bigger than anything else, and distort the fucker. That was my overarching input: turn it up to 11,” Jamie roars excitedly. “That’s where rock music should live - it should be outrageous, it should be wrong and break all the fucking rules…. Rock music should have energy; it should leap out at you and directly attack you. Apologies to our fans - you’re going to have to invoice us for your blown-out speakers.” P Tigercub’s album ‘As Blue As Indigo’ is out 18th June. Upset 17
Riot.
“SOMETHING DEFINITELY FEELS DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS RECORD” Words: Steven Loftin. Photo: Imani Givertz.
18 Upset
Taking some time to consider who they are and what they want, the past year or so of turmoil has suited Free Throw well.
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s with all unexpectedly great ideas, Cory Castro’s one to form Free Throw nearly a decade ago in his basement with a few pals has escalated. In fact, it’s to the point of his band being four albums deep. Not only that, but indeed now hitting a stride even they didn’t know existed. “I can’t quite pinpoint it, but something definitely feels different about this record,” the frontman and guitar whizz explains. “It feels like a bunch of things came together to make this one really special for me.” Nashville’s crown princes of emo have never shied away from digging into the nitty-gritty of Cory’s life, and album four is no different. ‘Piecing It Together’ is the continuation of Free Throw’s journey in doing just that attempting to piece ‘It All’ together. It’s also evidence of a band undergoing maturation. Friends who are constantly learning from this crazy little thing called life. There’s still ample amounts of twirling, math-laden guitar licks; a catharsis rampaging through every lyric spat from the back of Cory’s throat; that deft punk framework that keeps things barrelling at silly-mph. But it all feels like a band aiming even higher after a bit of well deserved - albeit, for the obvious reasons, unexpected - time off. A sudden blank diary ended up lending itself to helping Free Throw step up to this next level. Focusing in on the itty bitty details of crafting a record, along with an unexpected twist that helped Cory - along with Jake Hughes (guitar), Larry Warner (guitar), Justin Castro (bass), and Kevin Garcia (drums) - understand just where they were going to next. “It also made us question ourselves a lot more,” Cory says. “Because especially as we’re getting older, we were at this point where we’re so accustomed to touring and it being our world, our careers, that when that was gone, we were kind of like, well, what do we have now?” What they had, it turned out, was that fresh-faced feeling of being able
“WE TRIED TO KEEP THE BAND FUN, WHILE ALSO TACKLING SERIOUS TOPICS” CORY CASTRO
to focus solely upon the music, just like when they were in the basement. Now, everything sounds meatier, the melodies are cranked to eleven, yet still, vulnerability seems to be the order of the day. As always, ‘Piecing It Together’ often feels like you’re listening to Cory’s life layout before you warts and all. The dissolution and realisations that come from being a touring band are prominent, while it also exposes just about everything rattling around his head. On their previous efforts, using an overarching theme, Free Throw have endeavoured to pop a neat little bow across their records. In contrast, ‘Piecing It Together’ sits as a solo entity with a series of small vignettes living in an independent world. Citing that “this record was freeing for me in a way,” it all came from this personal annexing of the deep intricacies of his life in a scenario where Cory wasn’t “locked down to that storytelling aspect.” Indeed, it’s an excavation of yearning to make a loved one proud. In knowing that what you’re doing will all be worth it at the end of the day, but too that the world won’t wait. ‘Piecing It Together’ is also Cory grappling with the idea that “sometimes things suck, but then again, sometimes things are great.” He’s a penner of lyrics that can feel like a gut punch, taking your breath away while offering a serene clarity in its barefacedness. “It’s this whole back and forth, and there is no real 100% moment where it’s like ‘yes, I made it’,” he explains. “It’s one of those things where now I’ve realised that you can get better, but that doesn’t mean you’re always going to be better, or that everything is always going to be fine and the grass is greener on the other side.” Getting better on all matter of levels, from the band to a personal
one, is what Free Throw has been about for Cory. Where his songs have previously been focused on alcoholism, depression and anxiety and certain aspects are still prevalent - Cory himself seems in rude health and ready to take on the world with his four friends. “It’s definitely therapeutic,” he mentions of the exposing and vulnerable nature of his lyrics. “At times in the past, I would even use it as therapy rather than, you know, seeing my psychologist or anything like that,” he chuckles heartily. “Free Throw as a band, lyrically, has grown with me through my 20s and now into my 30s. When I go back and listen to it, I can kind of tell where I was at as a person,” he muses. “It’s nice to watch that happen.” For this band of dreamers, jetting over the world, and hitting their stride nearly a decade in, it’s all through selfpreservation and overcoming. “That’s definitely not what we expected, and we’ve learned over the years to adapt and to still make the band fun,” Cory mentions his take on it all. “It’s a way of adapting while still having that mentality where we love to do this. It’s fun to make music and not get too much into the overbearing music industry aspect of it, because sometimes that starts to suck, whenever you’re consistently worried about how many records you sell or how the songs are doing on Spotify you really start to get lost in that. “We tried to keep the idea of the band being fun, while also tackling serious topics” - and, as he puts it with a firm sincerity while still chuckling at the absurdity of his teenage plan coming to fruition - “trying to be a professional band built out of one that started in a basement with some beer, y’know?” P Free Throw’s album ‘Piecing It Together’ is out 25th June. Upset 19
Riot.
Everything you need to know about
HACKTIVIST’S new album
‘HYPERDIALECT’ by vocalist Jot Maxi
Sometimes the best way to find out about an album rather just the one - ‘what’s interesting here, then?’
THE ALBUM IS A STATEMENT. Where our debut album ‘Outside The Box’ identifies a lot of our subject matter and areas of target, ‘Hyperdialect’ comes through to really magnify and attack them!
Job done. This month, Hacktivist help us out.
WE HAVE EXPLORED AN EXTREME
isn’t to ask a load of nosy, nitty-gritty questions, but
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RANGE OF SOUNDS WITHIN OUR ALREADY HYBRID CHOICE OF GENRE (rap-metal, or more specifically, grimedjent). From more radio-friendly anthems like ‘Armoured Core’, to what some people called deathcore-rap with ‘Planet Zero’, get used to the roller-coaster ride cause that’s us. HACKTIVIST WILL NEVER STOP BEING A VOICE FOR THINGS THAT TOO OFTEN GO UNSAID, and ‘Hyperdialect’ is no different. We line up society’s weak points, and fire truth at them with a passion that we hope inspires change within this generation. THIS IS THE FIRST FULL-LENGTH SINCE GUITARIST/PRODUCER JAMES HEWITT CAME ON BOARD. He brings forward his influences with an array of very different lead parts and solos that adapt to our energy on each song perfectly. He, Josh Gurner (bass), and Rich Hawking (drums)
wrote a lot of this record together, plus it’s the first time we were able to get in the studio and record live drums, which is just epic. LYRICALLY, WE HAVE PUSHED THE LEVELS EVEN FURTHER whilst remaining ever true to Hacktivist’s values. As this is, of course, also the first album with me. We managed to find a formidable harmony between J Hurley’s pre-meditated writing method and my sporadic tendency to freestyle entire sections of songs. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO TAKE FROM THIS ALBUM IS PROBABLY THAT IT’S STILL JUST THE BEGINNING... If you like the sounds, energy and passion you hear from this, then feel reassured because we have a lot more where this came from! P Hacktivist’s album ‘Hyperdialect’ is out 18th June.
Download is set to hold a special test event. Taking place from 18th20th June, Download Pilot will be a 3-day, 10,000 capacity festival - the first in the UK with camping since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Headlined by Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Enter Shikari and Bullet For My Valentine, the bill will also feature sets from Boston Manor, Hot Milk, While She Sleeps, Creeper, Twin Atlantic, Yonaka, Loathe, Employed To Serve and loads more.
As It Is are back with their new single, ‘IDGAF’. Billed as the first taste of the band’s next chapter, it “was the first thing we created that made us feel anything,” they explain. “It harnesses so many feelings that we’ve all been experiencing, so if you’re anxious, heartbroken, pissed off, and wanna give the fuck up, turn the volume up.”
Rise Against have booked a few UK instores in support of their new album ‘Nowhere Generation’. The trio of shows will see them put on three stripped-back performances across Leeds’ Key Club with Crash (15th November), Brighton’s Chalk with Resident (16th) and Kingston’s Pryzm with Banquet (17th).
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About Break. to
THE LINDA LINDAS The up-and-coming teen punk sensations who recently took off with their track ‘Racist, Sexist Boy’ have inked a deal with Epitaph - watch this space.
NEW TALENT YOU NEED TO KNOW
SPIRITBOX Spiritbox is a name you’re going to be hearing a lot more of, starting this summer. Words: Sam Taylor. Photo: Travis Shinn.
L’OBJECTIF Leeds teens and Chess Club Records signees L’objectif sprinkle a little magic over their driving indie-punk; a debut EP is coming this summer.
REMY Another act with a new label signing under their belt, NYC writer-producer-turned-lo-fibedroom-punk remy has teamed up with Hopeless Records.
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anadian metal newcomers Spiritbox - husband and wife duo, singer Courtney LaPlante and guitarist Mike Stringer, plus bassist Bill Crook - have spent the past few years working towards their debut album, and now ‘Eternal Blue’ is finally here, arriving this September via Rise Records. It’s been a long journey, as Courtney explains. How did you three meet, did you immediately know you wanted to make music together? I don’t remember meeting Bill, but he says we met at a party in 2010 - he is just one of those people you feel like you’ve always known. Michael met him around the same time, on tour. Bill is older than him and gave him the advice to drop out of school and smoke cigarettes. Then Michael gave Bill one of his demos, and Bill was a very nice supportive elder and had Michael’s band sit with his band and listen to the songs in the van. I met Michael in 2008 when we played a show together, and I thought he was the best guitar player I’d ever heard! I knew I needed to make music with him, but that took a few more years. The three of us didn’t all end up in the same room together, through all these years, until 2018, when Bill joined Spiritbox. What drew you to heavy music? Are you fans of similar bands? When we started out, in the scenes we grew up in, this is the music the young people were creating and interacting with. We all have very different tastes in heavy music, but appreciate it all. Can you remember the first song you wrote together? How have you progressed since then? I don’t remember what song Michael wrote first, but we don’t usually write together. Michael usually presents
“I OFTEN DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT I AM WRITING ABOUT UNTIL MUCH LATER” COURTNEY LAPLANTE
us with a full instrumental demo, then I do my thing over it. That comes from not having a full band or anywhere to jam. That’s changing a lot now, Michael and our producer Dan involve me in the beginning of the songwriting process with a scratch vocal, so we can build the song together. It helps me immensely. I hope we’ve progressed, but we only have a few songs out... we will be progressing indefinitely as we are still developing our sound. Is there anything in particular you try to get out of Spiritbox songs, a lot of them are pretty cathartic? These lyrics are pure selfishness; it’s what I want to hear, it’s what I think serves the instrumental, and it’s what helps me process my own feelings. I often don’t even know what I am writing about until much later. You seem to have had a great couple of years, what have been your highlights? Finishing your debut album must be up there? The biggest highlight has been my manager calling us over Zoom and reading out the terms of our record deal to us. I’m very hard on myself; the other guys are hard on themselves too. Anytime we reach a goal, I immediately move on to the next one, and sometimes I don’t take enough time to appreciate little victories and milestones. To have that validation, beyond anything I could have fathomed at this point, knowing it would help accelerate all our goals
and our dreams for this band... my legs gave out, and I actually fell down, had to sit on the floor for most of it. I’ve just been told “no” a lot. Haha, what a drama queen! What can you tell us about the record? It’s 12 songs, mainly new material. Putting it together took so long; we started writing and releasing music from these writing sessions back in autumn 2019, and we just never stopped writing. We never intended to wait this long, but geographical location mixed with the pandemic required us to wait patiently, so we used that time to develop our songs further. How are you feeling about this summer’s festivals? You’re coming over for Reading & Leeds, right? All the ones I was playing other than Reading & Leeds got cancelled. I follow developments regarding other large events and music festivals, waiting to see if they get cancelled or maybe spike Covid cases... but so far, I am so happy to see people are able to start getting back to live music and events safely. It gives me so much hope and motivation to get to Reading & Leeds. I honestly visualise our set there several times a day because I am so excited, and I have nothing else to do except dream about playing shows! P Spiritbox’s debut album ‘Eternal Blue’ is out 17th September. Upset 23
SCALPING With a new EP about to land, Bristol’s Scalping are flying out the gate.
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Words: Jasleen Dhindsa. Photo: Jamie Harding, Matthew Sterling.
uitar bands love to talk about their hometown. But while most proclaim their hatred for it or are itching to escape, how Scalping feel about theirs couldn’t be further from this allegory. But then again, Scalping aren’t like most bands. The Bristol group are making a name for themselves with their unholy mix of techno and hardcore, defiantly transcending the boundaries of dance act and rock band. The members of Scalping met at school and moved to the city famed for being a musical melting pot around the same time, having played in each other’s bands growing up. “James [Rushforth, bass] has always had this idea of doing dance music as a live band,” says the mind behind Scalping’s electronic soundscapes, Alex Hill. “[Scalping] has gone through a few different iterations, and then [we] kind of ended up on this, informed by the massive world of new dance music and experimental music and noise rock, and whatever we were exposed to by living in Bristol. It was always a long, long-standing idea to do something like this.” Completed by Isaac Jones on drums and Jamie Thomas on guitar, Scalping’s final form was fully realised when the musos met visual artist Jason Baker at an event hosted by Bristol label Howling Owl. “We suddenly experienced this huge world of music that we didn’t really understand or appreciate before,” Alex says. “Once we got to Bristol, we’d go to gigs, and there’d be a band and then live electronic arts, and then another band, and then a DJ. Whereas before, it seemed very segregated. Suddenly, once we got to Bristol, it seemed like that line between the two worlds was blurred. We wanted to be part of that, electronic music and the more forward-thinking world, but the tools
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we had at our disposal were learnt through being in guitar bands and playing rock and metal. It was like, well, this is how this is if we want to do that. This is how it’s going to come out; these are the instruments we have [and] this is what we know how to do. That is always how we’ve known to be in bands.” Even before the members of Scalping moved to Bristol, their individual music tastes prior would help inform the sound they make today. “The different influences are never shoehorned in; it is totally organic,” Alex explains. “We all grew up listening to metal and rock, like Slipknot and Deftones. As we got older, we got exposed to so much more music that we wanted to be a part of. “We all listen to a massive range of music. Jamie listens to a lot of metal and still loves that world, whereas James listens to a lot of techno and dance music and club stuff. Isaac listens to a lot of classical and minimalist music; I listen to a lot of pop and hip hop. There’s no one world we necessarily see ourselves in.” The band, who also produce their own music, get booked for rock nights with indie and punk bands and electronic music festivals. Regardless of what it is, as James confirms, everything they do is very much geared towards the live environment. “Whenever we put on our own shows, we put it on like a club night, rather than a gig,” Alex says. James continues: “The people who come to the club shows are much more diverse. There’s supposed to be an element of hedonism and going a bit mad, and obviously, the late nights and the bigger sound systems lend themselves to that. Gig shows are very much for when people are watching, and it’s more about playing back songs. We’ve done some amazing shows like that, but ultimately
considering what the project is, it was always supposed to be late-night.” “It’s more all-encompassing and more of an event, rather than wandering down the road and watching a band for forty minutes and going home,” Alex adds. “It should be the end of the night if you’re out for the evening. We perform better, and the audiences are often more excited.” “We write with [live shows] in mind but also aware that we’re treating it as a separate thing. We record these songs and have finished versions of them, and then play different versions of them live or slightly tweaked. We
don’t feel like the rest of it belongs in the live set. We’re not precious about recreating the record. It’s more about making the show right for what it is.” In working closely with visual artist Jason Baker, the band’s focus is sharper, extending beyond music and illuminating their futuristic and dark world. They want to carve a unique space in which they sit in, a singular force blurring and blending the boundaries of technology and humanity, whether that’s conceptually, visually or sonically. “[We give Jason] complete free rein to do what essentially what he wants,” James explains. “It’s the same thing we do with how we make music, we kind of throw absolutely everything, no matter how silly or mad at a canvas, and then delete and strip everything back. “Part of our ethos, even down to the equipment that we’re using, we really are trying to push the boundaries of how these things interact. Not having a visual element would be mad, really.
“THERE’S NO FRONTMAN, THERE’S NO MESSAGE, YOU’RE JUST COMPLETELY OVERWHELMED BY THE SOUND AND VISION” ALEX HILL
We’re fortunate we found somebody who makes visuals like how we make music. “I think a lot of the time, the music informs the visuals completely independently of whatever ideas we might have when making the music. We never gave Jason any kind of direction or instructions either. It was just like how Scalping looks, and everything purely came out of what
he did and the reaction he has to the music.” Devoid of vocals, Scalping are seen as an instrumental band in the rock world, and dance act to the electronic world. When lyrics are taken out of the picture, the group’s disconcerting nature is accentuated further. “There’s no message or agenda,” says James. “We like the idea of building a bit of a world and having a very recognisable space that we inhabit. It’s purely about how it makes you feel. We want it to appeal to everybody. It’s nice to have that ambiguity because it means that anybody else can apply their own emotions and whatever they’re going through, and use that experience as an escape.” “We get a completely different reaction from everyone,” Alex says. “You come to see us or listen to the record, and it reminds you of post-hardcore, but then you hear the techno. Some people go straight to the club side of things, and then see the guitars as just one of the instruments. Some will see it as a metal band with a synth, and then people say it’s like The Prodigy. We get such a range.” This is translated live too, “You can’t see us at all,” James laughs. “Part of it is wanting to get an escape from something, removing the human element, especially when it is just boys in a band. Nobody wants to see that. It’s nice to try and subvert that a bit.” “Having a big visual show again puts it more in that club space and more in escapism,” Alex asserts. “There’s no frontman, there’s no message, you’re just completely overwhelmed by the sound and vision.” P Scalping’s debut EP ‘Flood’ is out 18th June. Upset 25
Three decades in, and AFI are bolder and more fearless than ever before. Words: Steven Loftin. Photos: Jacob Boll, Josh Massie.
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here’s something hauntingly organic about AFI’s eleventh album ‘Bodies’. Maybe it’s the artwork featuring syncopating naked outlines stacked neatly around each other. Or it could be the natural, albeit seemingly vampiric evolution the band have undertaken across their three active decades. But most likely, it’s the devotion that shimmers throughout everything AFI touch, a guiding beacon for these dark days. The band have always explored yearning, harnessing its unfiltered feelings, that deep sensibility of seeking something grand. It’s seeped into ‘Bodies’ like the underwater tentacles of a mythical Kraken, and for good reason. “To me, art is life,” vocalist Davey Havok declares, his fondness for making grand statements shining through. “The elevation, and the reflection, and the beauty of art, be it literature, poetry, design, film, fine art - that’s what makes life worth living. That is the human connection.” AFI want to be a part of that majesty; it’s what they’ve striven for over the years and look set to take to the next level on ‘Bodies’. “That’s a really strong way of looking at the core elements of what’s driving the songs,” he continues. “Because we do look for that connection and we do long to have faith in something or someone. But conversely, we recognise that everything is changing; everything is fluid, so to find faith in inconsistency is a difficult thing. To find comfort in a constant is a dangerous thing. Nothing is constant.” What ‘Bodies’ offers is a dissection of those values. Featuring declarations of “Love! Show me how it’s done!” hollered by Davey on ‘On Your Back’, or “I’d give my heart to you if I could” on ‘Far Too Near’, even the touches of lust fall commanding on ‘Bodies’ with ‘Dulceria’ (“I love you more, here on the floor”). “If you’re noting a point of devotion, it’s to honesty, and for hope, for connection. You hear the sentiment of connection and disconnection,” Davey considers. “That yearning that runs through so much of the music, and the lyrics thematically - I think that’s a good perspective.” One thing not present is fear. Three
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decades in - with no line-up changes for two of them - and not only are AFI sounding fresher than the day they kicked their way out of their practice room, they’re embracing the challenges that come with being a band in 2021. “Fear doesn’t come into play,” the enigmatic frontman confirms after chewing on the question. It would be understandable if it did, but this is someone who flourishes in wanting to understand the world. The sun pours into his room at home in LA, a direct - if metaphorical - contrast to everything AFI have encompassed in the darkness. Being able to move from the shadows is a crucial part of growing. Nothing is forever, after all. “I would strongly agree,” Davey affirms. He’s a keen endorser of meditation and shedding unnecessary distractions. “It’s a very healthy way to live if you can manage to step away from all of the stimulus and all the input; to be able to live day by day and in the moment, if you will. That’s all there is. The past is gone. To savour the moment is very helpful, but it’s not easy to do because we’re always thinking of the past or looking forward. There’s a hedonism to that sentiment that is often derided or diminished. If it’s conscientious and respectful, that awareness of being in the present can also be very elevating.” It’s AFI’s understanding of this that has ensured their longevity. Since first forming in the early 90s, they’ve evolved from snarling, snot-nosed punks into the kind of band every other wants to grow into. One that accepts their ageing, deftly finding the right moves to form new sounds, but never leaving it all behind in the name of relevancy. It’s something that those who’ve followed from the early days have never failed to notice. “The people who have stuck with us over the past 30 years have stuck with us for a reason,” Davey considers. “If you look at a decade before, or 20 years before, 30 years before. People longing for those times long gone, generally, if they’re stuck in those moments, they’ve stayed in those moments, and they haven’t come with us.” Being frozen in time isn’t a fear for AFI, given they continuously strive to move forward. “We’re ever-evolving, ever-changing artistically,” Davey affirms. “Very early on, from our
“TO FIND COMFORT IN A CONSTANT IS A DANGEROUS THING” DAVEY HAVOK
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DAVEY HAVOK’S GUIDE TO LIFE Given he’s has seen a fair bit in his time, it only felt right we should ask Davey for his rules for living life... GO VEGAN. I promise, if you just check out the information, it will be something that you will happily embark upon. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE YOU LOVE AND TRUST, and who believe in you and who you believe in. MEDITATE. It’s something that I wish I had grown up doing. I would encourage anybody to explore meditation. I do not involve any sort of higher power or any sort of deity in this meditation. I was under the impression growing up that meditation and religion went hand in hand. It does not. I found that to be a beneficial aspect of my life. BE HONEST, which takes strength. Be honest, be strong. DON’T DO DRUGS. Recreational drug use is not going to help! 30 Upset
“WE’RE EVEREVOLVING, EVERCHANGING ARTISTICALLY” DAVEY HAVOK
second record, our fans began to recognise that. People would fall off, people would come onboard, and the people who come onboard stay because they recognise and appreciate that evolution. They know that we are ever-changing. That’s really wonderful for us that we don’t feel that tug.” Being a band for so long means AFI know that trends come and go, and with that, so do fans. “Because of the huge shift in the music industry,” Davey muses, “what we do has gone back to essentially becoming underground.” Despite the recent success of bands like You Me At Six and Architects scoring Number 1 albums and pioneers like Poppy, Willow and Rina Sawayama experimenting with heavier sounds, rock’s impact on the mainstream has often struggled in recent years. “With AFI or really anything that’s alternative - if it’s guitar-based, and it isn’t traditional, straightforward rock and roll - it’s now underground,” Davey continues. “It’s a niche. To find that music, one has to really search for it. There’s no effort as far as the industry goes because it’s not Dua Lipa, or it’s not The Weeknd - both of whom are great - but it’s just not what they care about. It’s not what’s pop.” AFI have been through their process of finding, thriving and surviving the mainstream. After barreling through their furious punk 90s, they found success calling at the turn of the millennium with their fifth album, ‘The Art of Drowning’. From here, it was a steady climb, with 2006’s ‘Decemerbunderground’ being the introduction point for many
during the heady ‘scene’. Since then, AFI have existed in that sweet spot of consciousness in those that need it, finding their status as a cult favourite more befitting. “That’s really how it’s always been for us,” Davey suggests. “When I was getting a lot of attention, don’t get me wrong, there was pressure, but that’s always wonderful to have. You know, radio and MTV and press and lots and lots of people interested in what we were doing. Before that, that pressure wasn’t there. And after that, the pressure isn’t there,” he says with a chuckle that’s as defiant as it is at ease. The generation AFI first spoke to two or three decades ago, when compared to the current one, is completely different. If you were a fan of AFI, those were your stripes. You would be deemed a scene kid or a punk. But now, the field is wide open, and the world is too. “It’s curious to think of like a 15-year-old kid in 2021 hearing AFI for the first time because whatever their reference points are, they’re so different than mine,” guitarist Jade Puget ruminates. “I just wonder what it would sound like to them and what the images in their head would be?” Noting that “ten eras of music have come and gone” in their time, Jade doesn’t look one way or another for inspiration for what direction AFI should be heading. “Davey is definitely one to never want to look back and become a legacy band,” he states, mentioning another pitfall AFI have managed to avoid. “Luckily, the four of us have are cohesive about what we like to do. Hunter
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[Burgan, bassist, backing vocalist and keyboardist] and Adam [Carson, drummer and backing vocalist] have been very accepting of the directions we might go in, so it’s been a blessing.” Knowing that it’s nigh on impossible to avoid treading old ground, instead Jade tries to keep as close to his truth as possible. After all, there’s a fine line between inspiration and tacitly copying something. “I envied The Beatles,” he explains. “Rock and roll had only been around for 10 years, so there wasn’t much that had been done yet. They had such an amazing canvas to work on, to create stuff that had never been heard before. At this point, it’s like every melody has been done. Unless you’re doing something wildly chaotic or experimental, you’re working with variations of things that people have already created. It’s depressing when you think about it, but you really can’t think about it.” Creating something exciting is “what’s always driven us,” Davey says. “We love music, and to create a piece of music that moves us in some way is our hope. The music that brought me up means so much to me. It is life.” No one could accuse AFI of succumbing to the weight of nostalgic expectation. The key strength to ‘Bodies’ lies in its sound - each track constantly evolving, morphing, a hurried representation of everything AFI have been, are, and ever could be. “The whole thing is weird, but in a good way,” Jade marvels. “I was a little bit trepidatious because I wonder how people are going to receive this record; because if it’s weird to me, it’s gonna be very weird to someone listening to it!” For every sloping, hook-filled bassline ready for a Bacchanalian dance floor (‘Dulceria’), there’s some forlorn frantic punk energy (‘Far Too Near’). With Jade helming production duties, he and Davey have been writing together for decades now. It’s been a dizzying period, considering many of their peers have succumbed to cliché tropes - and proves AFI are fervently stood against all that. “Y’know, it’s hard to keep a band together. Creative differences are one of the key factors in breaking apart. I’m incredibly lucky to be in this band,” he nods. “And for Davey and I to write together, because it’s such a rare fit that we have; we’ve been writing songs together for over two decades, and we 32 Upset
“WE’VE BEEN WRITING SONGS TOGETHER FOR OVER TWO DECADES, AND WE NEVER ARGUE” JADE PUGET
never argue. I can’t imagine that I could have found someone that I would have had a better writing relationship with.” “We just do what we love and what inspires us and hope other people like it,” Jade continues. “And, you know, even if no one liked it, if no one wanted to listen, I know that we would still be doing the same thing. We wouldn’t try
to change and pander to what was popular. We would be failures in our art, but we’d still be doing the art.” This time around, though, there’s also someone else helping out. Getting together for a writing session with Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, it’s the first step someone else has taken into the sacred Davey-Jade realm.
“We’ve never written with anyone outside of the band before,” Jade explains, but after a previous session with the Pumpkins icon “was so fun and creative, I was like, let’s get together with Billy to see what happens.” What happened was ‘Dulceria’, an apparent Frankenstein amalgamation of that session. “I just took everything we’d done, grabbed a part here and part there, and sort of created this song,” Jade explains. “I love it, and it does sound like AFI, but I feel like you can hear a little bit of Billy in there too.” Indeed, across its sleazy, sordid stickiness, you can hear the flourishes of Billy’s mind. “We just got along,” Jade shrugs. “It’s a weird thing because there’s this creative process that comes from you and one that’s coming from him. You have to meld them together, and for me, it usually doesn’t work. It’s trying to put two
puzzle pieces together that don’t fit. But when you find that right person, I can just pick up a guitar or a bass and start playing something, and he starts writing an amazing melody over it. We could just do that all day. That’s how I knew that we had a special songwriting connection. “I’ve done lots of songwriting sessions before with people, and it’s just so disheartening usually. A lot of the time, if you’re in those sessions, you’re forcing it. You want to have a song by the end of the day. It’s not really about whether the song is amazing. It’s just like ‘let’s bang out some music’, and that’s not my process. It’s rare for me to write with someone where I feel like we’re on the same page.” Another bold move, and the rounding off of this ‘Bodies’ chapter, is the rapture-filled ‘Tied To A Tree’. A hauntingly grandiose statement
building upon its aggressively barren landscape, it crashes in, tugging at every repressed emotion. Its impact is so powerful that on a recent video shoot for the track, Jade recalls: “It was super atmospheric. People were becoming emotional in the crew. People that are not AFI fans had to leave the soundstage to cry. I’ve never experienced that. It was just something about that song and the sinister nature of it. It was affecting people in this way that I’ve never seen before.” Part of what keeps the heart of AFI beating comes from keeping their finger on the pulse of what’s going on, what’s connecting. While not directly searching for inspiration in younger artists, Davey lists the names of bands straight from a Spotify Fresh Finds playlist, as well as his stone-cold favourites. “Yeah, I do spend a lot of time listening to music that I’ve listened to for the majority of my life,” he smiles, a nostalgic twinkle in his eye. “Whether it be Echo and the Bunnymen, or Nick Cave, or The Cure or Joy Division, New Order, or The Gun Club - I’m just listing a bunch of artists that I’ve been listening to lately!” he laughs. “I do go back to them because those artists have such worth and such value to me. In a way, I feel like I have a connection to them. It’s like sitting down with an old friend, and it does bring me that sense of comfort and connection, especially at a time when there’s been such a cultural shift. To know that many of them are still out there creating. It’s very comforting,” On this point, AFI understand that, yes, for some, they’ll be a nostalgic act to be forever Blu-tacked upon a bedroom wall. But for others who are only just digging into the expansive world AFI have to offer, they have even more to provide. ‘Bodies’ is the next flag in the ground for those people to migrate to, especially now culture is shifting into that familiar dark and gothic setting once more. “Man, we’re old!” Jade laughs at the world coming back round to where AFI originally were twenty years ago. “But, y’know, everything’s cyclical, and I kind of hoped at some point that rock and guitars would come back in some form. Hopefully, someday in the near future, what we do will dovetail with what people want to hear again. Maybe we’ll stick around long enough to be that band again, who knows?” P AFI’s album ‘Bodies’ is out now. Upset 33
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One of the most exciting newcomers in an age, De’Wayne isn’t concerned with labels. Words: Jamie MacMillan.
“F
inding rock music saved my fucking life, bro”. As far as big statements go, De’Wayne drops in a huge one partway through our chat with the LA-via-Houston rap-rock-pop-everything-really superstar in the making. Sitting on the very edge of releasing one of the most exciting debut records in aeons, the excitement and release are close enough to touch. Not that he needs an excuse to be animated or ready to burst. The buzz and energy that marked him out as someone to keep a very close eye on following his support tour with close friends Waterparks (more on those miscreants later), and his startlingly powerful ‘National Anthem’ runs through his every pore. A mile-wide grin is never far from his face throughout our chat; in fact, at times, it feels like he’s gonna bounce straight off his chair and through the screen. You can’t blame him. This is De’Wayne’s world now. As always looking like the best-dressed man in music (him, not us), it’s lunchtime Stateside as we join him over Zoom. With the album not even announced yet, he’s visibly excited to be discussing *anything* to do with ‘Stains’ - the record named after his hope of being a stain on the culture. “I’m as excited as FUCK, bro!” he grins. “I really just wanna put my voice out in the world, so I’m feeling that urgency and rush to wanna just be out there. It’s an incredible feeling, man.” From the surging angry rush of ‘National Anthem’, through the hyperactive greatness of ‘Super 8’ and moments like ‘Walking To Work’, he’s about to drop a record
with enough fire in its belly and energy at its fingertips to power an entire continent. Vital and vibrant, it’s an album that doesn’t give two shits about where you come from or what you look like, but only what you’re bringing to the party. It’s a firework let off indoors, its genre fluidity never feeling anything other than right *now* at every second in its freedom from restraint. The record skips from pop-punk through rap via frenetic punk; at times, it feels like a one-man moshpit. “Is genre dead? 100%!” begins De’Wayne. “I’m as punk as anyone, and just as rock and roll as anyone, just because of who I am. I would define my album’s genre as ‘attitude’; it’s solely based upon that. People like The Ramones and The Strokes and Iggy Pop? All attitude. Genre’s so dead, and I’m happy that it’s coming about while we’re about to put out music. Perfect timing!” If you’ve been paying attention to his pure bromance with Awsten Knight, then that attitude should come as no surprise. Another clue comes with his love for Matty Healy and The 1975, another key influence for him over the last few years and one who gets a namecheck on ‘National Anthem’. “My God, he’s the guy,” he smiles. “He gets in trouble because I think he’s a little ‘too’ smart sometimes. But when he speaks on politics and things, it really just strikes a chord with me. I admire what he does, and I admire that The 1975 look like a rock band but doesn’t make rock music. They’re boxless, genreless.” Having grown up in a Christian background in Houston, surrounded by gospel music and hip-hop, De’Wayne describes his taste as a process of that upbringing. “I don’t know how to not mix my inspirations, you know what I’m saying? It might hurt me one day, but I trust my taste enough to think that I can mix these things.” Moving to Los Angeles changed his life forever, and today he still thinks of it as one of the most important decisions of his life. “When I came here, I Upset 35
completely became myself. I BECAME De’Wayne!” is how he describes it. Removed from the family influences, it famously eventually led to him listening to his first-ever rock song at the age of nineteen. It’s the kind of story that feels apocryphal but is true nonetheless. “I was in my apartment in Hollywood and just got a recommendation on YouTube for a rock album. I fell completely in love. I was like, THIS is what I feel in my head. All the thoughts and angst I was feeling, and it wasn’t talking about bitches, hoes, money and cars. I knew none of those things! All I knew was pain.” The record? ‘Nevermind’, thankfully. Otherwise, history may have turned out completely differently. Moving from that to Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’, the wheels started turning in his mind. “I was like, oh shit…” he laughs. “I know everybody loves them. But being who I was, I wasn’t open to anything. But then I heard them, and it changed me, and I wanted to write SONGS. It didn’t even have to be rock music, just SONGS.” The Hollywood version of this Hollywood tale would immediately cut to De’Wayne surrounded by riches beyond his wildest dreams. The reality was very different, though. “Air mattress broke, I’m sleeping on the floor with the roaches,” is how ‘Money’ puts it, and those struggles are something he confirms today. “I was still having to ask my family for money until last year,” he says. “I really didn’t have it together. I would be working at Taco Bell and then go play a big show in LA. My family were like, you’re touring and stuff, but what’s really going on?” Before his breakthrough 36 Upset
Never afraid to outsource journalism, we asked someone if they could write some questions for us. He came through, so allow us to present Awsten Knight’s Greatest Bits (of questioning) for De’Wayne. Q1. What was the hardest part of making this album? Um, fucking Awsten, man, I love him so much. The hardest part about making the album was wanting to stand on your word, and really be impeccable. I have so many heroes that did great things and were so raw. I just didn’t want to put something bad out, man. So that was the hardest part, because this is your first album ever. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it has to represent you. On wax, on tracks. So that was really the hardest part, just to get my entire soul onto the record. That was all. Q2. An EP and singles can feel limiting because it’s hard to get a full picture of an artist in five songs. What do you feel like you’ve got to say or express on this album that you hadn’t been able to do before? I think I’ll be able to really show people what I give them in interviews. And what I give them one song at a time is that I want to be a stain on the culture. You know, I want the
music to hit your heart so hard that it’ll be here long after I’m gone. I think that’s what I really tried to get onto the record and what I hope people can get from it. I want to be here for my art and not for anything else. And this album is a good start for that. Q3. Are these motherfuckers ready? You know, what, two months ago before ‘Perfume’ came out? I would have said no, but since that song kicked down the door for us, I’m gonna say yeah. They are. People do not know what they want until you give it to them. They didn’t know that they wanted to see me on tour opening up for these white bands and me just coming out on my thirty minutes set kicking and screaming. But after, they was like, “OH SHIT!” And now they’re ready. The circle’s about to take over the world. I’m very confident about that. Q4. Can I join your band? You know what, since you’re my guy, I’m gonna give you an… I’m sure he probably told you. We have something coming. So that’s a yes. We have a lot of things coming. We may have one already. I may have to wait for him to say something first. I’m on a lot of [new Waterparks album] ‘Greatest Hits’, of course, and people know that. But maybe you’ll know sooner than later. I don’t know. I don’t know what I can really say, I don’t want to give too much away, but we just have a lot of stuff coming. My bad, my bad bro.
tour with Waterparks, things got especially bad. “I know some fans like their rock artists to kind of be poor and that, but I would be so hungry that I could not eat,” he says. “I could not sing! And I did not have the mind to write a song”. Thankfully, things did begin to change for him - a combination of hype from his high-profile support slot, signing with Hopeless Records, and his sensational call for unity ‘National Anthem’ hitting the airwaves with ferocious force in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter protests that raced around the globe. It’s as vital today as it was on first listen. “That song could have existed in every era, you know? That’s why I think it’s so powerful,” he explains when asked how it manages to be both prescient and timeless in its message. “I’m not surprised by anything that happens anymore, but I’m not pessimistic about it,” he states. “I’m still optimistic. I see progress; I see things changing. But I’m from Texas, I’m from the South, I know how people are, you know? I definitely keep my head on a swivel at all times because I don’t really trust anyone. And that’s what the song represents for me. It’s sad that we still have to do it, but I’m proud that I’m not scared to speak on those things.” Saying that the country feels a bit more “even-keeled” since Biden’s arrival in the White House, he is still watchful. “I still don’t trust shit naturally,” he says simply. His exposure to rock also led to other realisations. “My family or friends would show me things, and I was like, well, I guess I have to like this because I look this way, you know?” After challenging
“I’M STILL OPTIMISTIC. I SEE PROGRESS; I SEE THINGS CHANGING” DE’WAYNE
his own preconceptions, he’s buzzed about making others look at their own. “Just because it doesn’t look a certain way, I don’t want people to think, ‘oh, this isn’t rock music’,” he explains. “I think it’s beautiful that people of colour are right now making alternative music and pop music. It should be allowed into the scene just like everyone else is. You dig what I’m saying?” In the year 2021, being a Black artist in the rock
and alternative world still remains tricky in ways that it will never be for a white man. “I love the challenge, you know?” he nods. “But I think it’s really interesting how people of colour have to be ten times as good looking, ten times as nice, ten times as good a songwriter, and be perfect all the time. I want to BREAK all that shit DOWN!” Unashamed to be making rock music, is how he puts it. “Rock is just starting to look more like the world. No one’s
being thrown out of it,” he laughs. “It’s just starting to look more like what we know is all. There is a CHANGE happening right now, a new wave, and to be part of it is… I’ll talk on this shit all day, haha. It’s just beautiful.” As we chat about the madness that race should be an issue at entry-point in a world and genre where Prince lived, and he gets even more excitable than usual. “Instead of there being one Prince in the scene, there can be ten or twenty,” he nods. “Just like these other people can exist and look the same and make the same music, we can have a lot of us too? There’s enough room! That’s why I always reach out to any person who looks a little different that I think makes dope music. I’d never be like, what the hell? Fuck this person; there’s no room! We should love and appreciate each other!” He’s nearly off his seat at this point, but after a beat, he sits back with a wicked cackle. “That’s if the music’s dope. If it sucks, then fuck you!” Reading anything to do with De’Wayne, let alone actually speak to him, and you’re immediately struck with just how passionate and inspirational his words are. Half hour in his presence, and you’ll think you can fly. It’s something that he’s heard before, apparently, and he puts down to having to be his own biggest believer in himself before anyone else started listening. “I’m an angry chip-on-my-shoulder type of guy, you know?” He says. “I got looked over for so many years, people not understanding me. If I’m speaking on something, I really believe it. I’m just on the search for what’s good for me; it’s bare real for me, man.” Of course, one big believer was Awsten. “I love that guy; I really do,” De’Wayne smiles. “If he
didn’t take me to England, I wouldn’t have got my deal, and everything wouldn’t have started for me. I would fight someone for him, yeah.” Having spoken to the Waterparks frontman a few weeks earlier, we tell him that the feelings were plainly mutual. “It’s good to be around people you trust and love,” he says. “Rap music has always been very collaborative, and I feel like alternative music is doing it too maybe now?” De’Wayne’s collaboration picks have been deliberately chosen with care at this point, with just a handful of appearances alongside Awsten, Chase Atlantic and The Maine’s John O’Callaghan’s solo project in the bag so far. Not that they’ve been his only offers, of course, nothing marking out someone hot quite like guest spot appearance requests from all and sundry. “The past two months, we’ve been getting a little bit of that,” he agrees. “And I’m just like, we got to say no to this. Some band wanted me to rap on their song. Why would I do this? Don’t be CORNY. Unless it’s The 1975, I’ll do some harmonies on that,” he grins. Move over Greta, De’Wayne’s coming for your spot. As talk turns to his plans for the rest of the year, it seems that there are still some top-secret bits that can’t yet be revealed, but count us in for whatever they may be. “I’m about to fuck y’all up,” he cackles again. “It’s gonna be like a Ramones set. No talking between the songs, just HIT, HIT, HIT. I can see the future bro, and where we’re gonna be. It’s really fucking cool.” Impossible to disagree with at any point in our chat, there’s no difference at the end. Because well, yeah, it really is. P De’Wayne’s debut album ‘Stains’ is out 18th June. Upset 37
SQUAD SQUAD SQUAD SQUAD GOALS Subverting one of America’s iconic roles, grunge-pop newcomers Pop Pom Squad are having fun with challenging preconceptions. Words: Linsey Teggert. Photos: Camelia Azar.
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bullied out of high school. “After being home-schooled for a while, I ended up going to a private school, which was a big shock after being at a gnarly Florida public school! But then, in this very elite college, I felt equally as foreign, so I’d gone from one place of isolation to another. Being creative and writing, specifically journaling, became an important outlet for me.” Describing herself as a “late bloomer” when it came to being a musician, Mia cut her teeth learning Weezer covers on an acoustic guitar, though it wasn’t until she discovered Riot Grrrl and feminism that she started to think about forming a band. Finding herself in New York once again, after a brief foray into acting school became a transfer into learning music production, Mia eventually hooked up with her bandmates Shelby Keller (drums), Mari Alé Figeman (bass) and Alex Mercuri (guitar), who were more than happy to help bring her subversive vision to life. “I suppose the cheerleader thing started out as ironic, seeing what would happen if I put on a cheerleading uniform and played in a punk band, but it was super interesting in that it changed the way people saw me pretty much immediately. People started treating me like I was this scary bitch, which was kind of awesome,” laughs Mia. “In my personal life, I tend to be a little bit more introverted and reserved; I grew up extremely self-conscious about the way I looked and how many differences I could see in myself from the other girls around me. Playing shows in a cheerleader outfit, one of the most common things people would say to me at the merch table was, ‘I really expected to hate you’, which is such a strange thing to say, but they see the outfit and have pre-conceived notions. Playing that sort of heightened character is empowering in a way.” The concept of costuming and creating a slightly surreal character version of yourself is something that very much fits into the multi-faceted Pom Pom Squad package: a heady multimedia experience where visuals are equally as important as sound. Instead of trying to find a place to fit in, Mia has carved her own world, which we’re allowed to journey into on ‘Death of a Cheerleader’. Musically it’s an unapologetic, intoxicating collage of killer pop hooks, anthemic grunge rock and 60s girl group sonics, and it was 40 Upset
“SAYING I WANTED TO MAKE A MOTOWNGRUNGE-PUNK RECORD WAS A HARD SELL” MIA BERRIN
Sarah Tudzin of Illuminati Hotties who helped Mia harness the very specific sound she had in mind. “In the process of describing what I wanted out of the record, a lot of people really thought I was losing my mind! Saying I wanted to make a Motowngrunge-punk record was a hard sell. I don’t think I’d know what to expect if someone told me that’s what they wanted to make, but Sarah was into it.” Listening to the whole record conjures images of iconic comingof-age teen movies, but ones with more bite: think Heathers rather than Pretty in Pink. In fact, in the video for album track ‘Lux’, Pom Pom Squad recreate their own version of The Virgin Suicides. “I wanted it to feel very cinematic, and a big visual inspiration for the album was watching a lot of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Drag speaks to me in terms of persona building and selfaggrandisement in the best way. I love the idea of making yourself a largerthan-life image for the entertainment and empowerment of yourself. I had a very vast cultural education growing up as my parents are big pop-culture heads. A while back, my mom showed me the movie Paris is Burning, which is a documentary about the black, queer underground ballroom scene in New York. It really spoke to me in that I’d never really seen a representation of black queer culture before, and this idea of realness and opulence and the aspirational nature of ballroom inspired me as these were survival techniques for these people - I’ve also relied on aesthetics as a way to blend in.” There’s also a creepy, campy side to Pom Pom Squad, which Mia explores in the video for the ultimate earworm of a single, ‘Head Cheerleader,’ where sparkly American ideals take on a sinister, dreamlike quality à la John Waters or David Lynch. “I wanted to explore the idea of suburbia in a more
plastic, saccharine way, so actualising these bizarre things I saw in my head like the grave in ‘Head Cheerleader’ was so surreal.” Obviously, Pom Pom Squad play heavily into the cheerleader trope on ‘Death of a Cheerleader’, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking this is just a gimmick. The record deftly explores complex emotions in a way that is both poignant and empowering, delivered with buckets of attitude and glitter. Mia Berrin is very much a queer icon in waiting, and hearing her state, “I’m learning how to be someone I could put my faith in, if it really came down to me” on ‘Head Cheerleader’ is all the more powerful knowing her story. “Around the time I wrote the album, I was coming to terms with my queer identity, and making that discovery and embracing myself during that time, it was like my life started over in a way. Prior to this record, a lot of my music was about outside forces and how they affected me, and now this record is about exploring my own choices and gaining autonomy through that. I think I was making decisions at the time that a lot of people around me thought were stupid and wrong, but I knew intuitively that I needed to keep going, and that trust in myself also plays into the album a lot. “Sure, being known as the girl in New York who played shows in a cheerleading uniform got me a lot of attention, but the ideal of the cheerleader and what the archetype stands for is also very meaningful to me. It’s helped me come into myself, allowing me to shed that expectation of femininity, so to have that metaphorical death with the title of the record feels like the next step. I think that character will play into my art in a more symbolic way moving forward, rather than in a literal way.” P Pom Pom Squad’s debut album ‘Death of a Cheerleader’ is out 25th June.
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For their eighth studio album, The Maine are delving deep into their emotional scrapbook. Words: Jack Press. Photos: Dirk Mai.
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L
ife is not a cul de sac. It’s not even a one-way street. It’s a suburban labyrinth of shifting scenery and bittersweet memories. One minute it’s sepia-toned nostalgia, the next a monochrome reminder of melancholy. It’s a spectrum of feelings and flavours that slide up and down between bittersweet and bubblegum. It’s something we all come to realise in time as the fountain of youth dries up, and it’s a sentiment alternative outliers The Maine share on their eighth album, ‘XOXO: From Love and Anxiety in Real Time’. “This record is a bit of a love letter to uncertain moments in life, and also to happy, joyous moments as well,” admits lead guitarist Jared Monaco, an air of sombre enthusiasm soaking our conversation. “Without both of those, it’s very difficult to be a complete person; you have to take the good with the bad.” Born out of the beautiful moments life throws our way, from the birth of drummer Pat Kirch’s first child to vocalist John O’Callaghan getting married, ‘XOXO’ acts more like an audible photo album than it does a record. It’s at once as optimistic as it is pessimistic, dealing with the duality of those magic memories in our lives. It explores the anxiety that hides away until we’re happy and haunts the moments we want to cherish most. It’s very much an album for the paranoid pandemic times, but not by design. “To be extremely clear, this is not a COVID record; this is not anything to do with what is happening with that,” Jared asserts, firmly putting his foot down at the mention of making a record associated with the modern-day Voldemort. “It’s more about a mental state; the way that we fluctuate, the way that we go from one thing to the other, the way that we’re not always hot, we’re not always cold.” It’s a mental state the members of The Maine - rounded out by bassist Garrett Nickelsen and guitarist Kennedy Brock - are all too familiar with. Whilst ‘XOXO’ is the work of their resident wordsmith John, it’s riddled with moments they can all relate to - it wouldn’t exist if it didn’t. For Jared, it’s an album that harks back to the battle between being a rockstar on the road and a partner on the porch; a representation of his mindset when he almost left The
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Maine months before the release of ‘You Are OK.’ “Being able to relate to that idea is extremely important; to be able to say ‘hey, there’s this part of my life that makes me feel this’. That opens the door to feeling connected to whatever it is that we’re working on,” he explains, pausing to ponder the crossroads ‘XOXO’ has taken them through. “I see a lot of those things that I’ve experienced in my life being represented with what we’re doing right now, you know, there’s been plenty of ups and downs for me in the last couple years in and out of this band, so [love and anxiety in real time] is a concept I know really well.” It’s a concept that’s been out in the open. There’s a level of honesty between the band and their fans, the 8123 community, that so many other artists strive for. Back in the times when gigs were things we went to in real life, The Maine would meet their fans at the end. As much as their fans found solace in sharing their experiences with them, so too have they as a band found sharing what most would keep as secrets with their community. Mental health has always been a part of their mantra at the end of the day, not something they’ve shied away from. “When we started a rock band, it was, you know, to start a rock band, but the more we grew, and the more we’ve experienced, and the more people that we’ve met, and the more experiences that they’ve shared with us - it’s pretty apparent that being able to talk about those things with our fan base, and to not shy away from these sort of topics, has been really important for us,” he explains. Emotion creeps through like cracks in the pavement of his voice as he considers the reasons The Maine exists beyond being a band “being able to keep that sort of human element alive throughout every single thing that we’ve done is our way of giving people a place to go to work through things. “When everyone’s feeling isolated - whether it’s the pandemic or the internet, or maybe you’ve just been stuck in your house for a while, or whatever it is - it’s a really important time for people to be vocal, and to have that thing that they can look to that reminds them that they’re not doing it by themselves.”
While the pandemic has put into perspective their needs for community support with their struggles with mental health, it’s also reaffirmed that there are other things they’re better off doing by themselves. Having jumped from label to label across their first three records, they off on their own under 8123 and have been growing from strength to strength. How does an independent label handle under the pressure of a pandemic, though? “To be honest, it’s mostly just positives. If anything, for us, 8123 has allowed us to thrive right now,” beams Jared, proud of the fact they’ve not only survived but thrived during the meltdown of the music industry. “When this whole pandemic started, it really breathed new life into the whole operation. We started to realise all these things that we can do that if we were stuck on a label all the time, we
“IT’S A REALLY IMPORTANT TIME FOR PEOPLE TO BE VOCAL” JARED MONACO
just couldn’t.” Along with a string of livestreams, including revisiting their “weird stepchild” ‘Forever Halloween’, they decided to go ahead and write and record an album, one which they produced themselves for the first time. It’s something they know they’d never have been able to do before. “We just bought our own studio in Phoenix. So it’s like, we have our own place now where we can go in and
around the clock, we can just create whatever we need to create, get it out that day. That’s been so huge, especially lately, because all the gears kind of grinded and everything came to a halt. Being able to say, wait a second, we don’t have to stop - that alone has been so valuable, you know? Being able to make moves in a time where people aren’t expecting you to make moves, and then coming out the other side of it stronger.”
If you were playing The Maine at a game of chess, they’d be a few moves ahead of you. On ‘You Are OK,’ they were trying their best to bring back guitar-driven emo-rock a la My Chemical Romance and Sunny Day Real Estate; on ‘XOXO’, they’re stripping off the drummer jacket vibes for the dancefloor, embracing an indie-pop explosion. As an album, it’s bursting with colours; opener ‘Sticky’ burns bright red with passion, ‘Anxiety In Real Time’ swims in shades of deep blue, and ‘Lips’ is the grooviest grade of green. It might come as a surprise to a band who don’t look amiss on a pop-punk lineup, but they’re branching out and breaking the mould with new friends. Namely, they’ve found themselves hanging out with Andrew Goldstein, who counts his credits with the likes of chart-era All Time Low, Blackbear, and Katy Perry. “John actually came out to Los Angeles to do some writing, and he met up with Andrew Goldstein, and he’s written tonnes of awesome songs. John came back from that session with ‘Sticky’, and that was the moment where we snowballed into a record that, in my opinion, is what we do best, which is at its core pop music.’’ There’s an argument to be had somewhere by the social media scene kids gatekeeping their genre, sure. There’s also an argument that they could be risking their status as poppunk royalty, but it’s not something Jared and co. are worried about one bit. “We’re very, very fortunate that we have such an incredible group of fans that followed us through the first record, which was really sugary and poppy, all the way to ‘Forever Halloween’, which was really raw and dark. People have followed us to all these different ends of the musical spectrum that we’ve wanted to go to. I think our driving core value that we’ve always had is to never repeat the same thing, and to never do the same thing twice.” Whether they’re putting out pizza box-sized slices of pop-punk, guitardriven emo-rock, or indie-pop for the masses; there’s no disputing that The Maine are the ultimate alternative outliers. P The Maine’s album ‘XOXO: From Love And Anxiety In Real Time’ is out 9th July. Upset 45
Rated. THE OFFICIAL VERDICT ON EVERYTHING
Wolf Alice
Blue Weekend
eeeee
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There are very few acts these days that are able to unite an entire world behind them in nothing but love and goodwill, but Wolf Alice are definitely at that point. You only have to look at the sighs of relief that welcomed their return in the spring to know that they stand apart from nearly every other artist on the planet. But this could have been a real test after a few years away, because even after they laughed maniacally in the face of the so-called ‘Difficult Second Album Syndrome’ by winning a bloody Mercury for it, it’s somehow difficult to see how they could top the heights they had already scaled. But you know what? They might just have done that. ‘Blue Weekend’ is masterful. Noticeably simpler in sound than was perhaps expected, some songs are stripped right
back to the barest of bones. But that’s fine, because when you have moments of pure beauty like this, you don’t need fancy clothes to cover them. From the slow build of ‘The Beach’ through the slinking and deliberate pace of ‘Delicious Things’ onwards, the songs themselves are in charge - hitting hard when they have to, creeping into your hearts when they can. Walking a thin line between describing real life and classic story-telling, only Ellie knows which is which and the detail of that is almost entirely unimportant. Love, and all of its angles, is the central theme - finding it, enjoying it, losing it. There is something about moments like ‘How Can I Make It OK’ and ‘Feeling Myself’ where you can almost hear the songs echoing across vast fields, all goosebumps and racing hearts. Elsewhere,
the snapback of ‘Smile’ and frenetic grunge of ‘Play The Greatest Hits’ run wild after getting loose from their leashes, all the more powerful for the sudden uproar causing carnage amongst the peace and tranquillity. What do you get when you combine a songwriter writing better than ever and a band performing better than ever? This. If there’s any justice in the world, it’s a Pyramid Stage headliner-sized record from a band who looked at all the plaudits for their previous work and instead of admiring the peak still said quietly ‘that’s great, but we’re only just starting ta’. Three for three then, something very few bands manage as a hit rate. Is ‘Difficult Fourth Album Syndrome’ a thing? You wouldn’t bet on that happening either on this display. Jamie MacMillan
AFI
‘Perfume’ remains a showstopper, while ‘I Know Something’ taunts at breakneck pace. Confident in that most assured of ways, ‘Stains’ is the antithesis of boring. One of the most exciting arrivals in years. Dan Harrison
Bodies
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A lot of bands may claim to have heritage, but few can boat the legacy of AFI. Still able to mix it with the best of them three decades in, theirs is now a relatively unique position. Playing off the demands of long-standing fans and new adventurers, ‘Bodies’ is a record that needs to both stay true to who AFI are, and to evolve it in order to still make sense in an ever-changing world. It’s something they do well Davey Havok and Jade Puget’s long-standing collaboration still baring plentiful fruit. Both the rollicking, direct hit rock of ‘Far Too Near’, Billy Corgan co-write ‘Dulcería’ (and yes, it really sounds like it) stand out, but it’s closer ‘Tied To A Tree’ that really hits home. Atmospheric and effecting, that fire still burns bright Dan Harrison
Beartooth Below
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Hardcore heroes Beartooth unleash the beast with their newest album ‘Below’. Full of brutal breakdowns, this record is a headbanger from start to finish; each song burns with a red-hot intensity. No more so than cathartic track ‘Hell of It’. Forget, foot tapper this song is a leg kicker. Title-track ‘Below’ is the perfect representative of all the album entails; vicious vocals, catchy lyrics and distorted instrumentals. On the flip side, ‘Skin’ is a comparatively lighter number but
Free Throw Piecing It Together
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Covey deceptively so. It may sound upbeat, but the lyrics are still characteristically bleak. This album is like an auditory exorcism. The band’s darkest demons are purged from the depths and laid bare. The instrumentals are intense, and the choruses are colossal. ‘Below’ is a ferocious behemoth of an album that pulls no punches. In track seven ‘Phantom Pain’ Caleb Shomo declares that he “shook hands with the devil himself”. To make an album this good? He must have. Kelsey McClure
Covey
Class Of Cardinal Sin
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Covey likes to build worlds and tell stories. With confessional folk-punk his weapon of choice, ‘Class Of Cardinal Sin’ deals with childhood trauma, anxiety and nostalgia in equal
measures. These aren’t the hazy Insta-filtered portraits of white picket fences, but raw, emotional tales of pain and learning. Even though they may be in so many ways unique to his own journey, it’s the relatable edge and a refusal to let them become so lost under their own weight that shines through. Dan Harrison
De’Wayne
Stains
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If genre is indeed dead, then De’Wayne is the one to dance a lively jig upon its grave. Bleeding the lines between pop, rock, rap and day-glo, visceral brilliance, ‘Stains’ may well be the shot in the arm a whole scene needs. A collection of songs so sharp they demand the limelight, it’s the attitude and raw energy that power through. Awsten Knight team-up
Four albums and almost a decade in, Free Throw have never shied from putting in a shift. With ‘Piecing It Together’, though, they’re making a change. It’s visible from the titles alone - ‘Worry Seed’, ‘The Grass Isn’t Greener’, ‘Ghost In The Routine’. Living in the moment and making music for themselves, it’s a reinvigorating reboot that shines through every step. Letting go and embracing themselves, ‘Piecing It Together’ is the sound of a band who have it all worked out. Dan Harrison
Garbage
No Gods No Masters
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On their seventh studio album, alt-rock pioneers Garbage have crafted their punkiest and most experimental material to date. Ever the band to address the unusual, ‘No Gods No Masters’ specifically looks at the chaos of the past 12 months, and translates it into their own unorthodox sonic palette that has served them as music masteries for nearly three decades. Sampling slot machines, ‘The Men Who Rule The Word’ opens, and is a Upset 47
bizarre industrial meets new-wave sociopolitical statement echoing the avant-garde nature of the whole album. ‘No Gods No Masters’ is Garbage utilising their title as rock’s weirdos, and crafting a body of work that stays devoted to the abnormal and disregarded through unflinching experimentation, eccentricity and punk ethos. Jasleen Dhindsa
Hacktivist Hyperdialect
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“Hyperdialect isn’t an album for people to just casually listen to,” Hacktivist’s J. Hurley claims. You don’t say. Sure, the five-piece have never exactly been shy and retiring, but this is a record that’s backing down for nobody. Revolutionary grime-metal that doesn’t so
much look at society with a cautious glance, but a thoroughly questioning glare - it’s an album so forceful it rarely deviates from full-on assault. Take ‘Planet Zero’ - a track that hammers well beyond the speed limit - tackling everything from environmental disasters, homelessness and, erm, Love Island. No target is safe. Engaged listeners only. Dan Harrison
K.Flay Inside Voices EP eeeee
How do you be ‘rock’ in 2021? Yes! That’s it! You get Travis Barker to drum on one of your songs! K.Flay is even more ‘rock’ than that - she’s got Tom Morello too. None of this is in any way a piss-take. Modern rock is all about attitude, not a slavish
determination to only play approved riffs to the minimum number of people in a dank basement. Sure, K.Flay might often be musically bubblegumbright, mixing electro and art-pop, but that hyperactive act of rebellion has a sense of swagger and abandon that’s impossible to dislike. Irresistibly fun. Dan Harrison
Pom Pom Squad Death of a Cheerleader eeeee
Pom Pom Squad’s ‘Death Of A Cheerleader’ is one of those albums. Addictive, instantly loveable and sure to set up camp for the long-term, it hits a high bar balanced between critical quality and chaotic brilliance, all the while dealing with real, proper subject matters. Messy relationships, a fucked-up society and identity crises all provide a personal-yet-identifiable canvas on which to build just-about-sparkling altrock gems. From the short, sharp punk blast of ‘Shame Reactions’ to the slower, swooning sway of ‘Forever’, ‘Death Of A Cheerleader’ has more than routine, but each and every one is a show-stopper. Well worth a shake of the old pom poms. Dan Harrison
Scalping Flood EP eeeee
K.Flay 48 Upset
Bristol group Scalping push the boundaries of electronic music and hardcore further on their second EP ‘FLOOD’. The
band not only prove they can make mosh-pit ready corkers with opening ‘Monolithium’ where aggressive guitars fuse with techno and drum and bass beats, but dance floor epics too - the acid synth ‘Cloudburst’ sees grating guitars clamour against persistent, haywire electronics. Finishing off on the bubbling ‘Empty Cascade’ is apt, as it reminisces on the band’s hardcore beginnings, transforming into electronic sonic conviction. Uniting two seemingly opposed forces all in the name of a good time, Scalping are proving that guitar music can know no bounds, just in the same way dance music always has. Jasleen Dhindsa
Tigercub As Blue As Indigo eeeee
Brighton trio Tigercub are following up their debut record with ‘As Blue As Indigo’, which pushes their discography to its limits and beyond to provide a luxuriously heavy listening experience. It’s a masterclass in maintaining attention as prolonged tension is felt throughout and could break into an audibly emotive explosion at any moment, a notion which is established with the snarling monster of an opening title-track alongside fellow beasts including massive single ‘Stop Beating On My Heart (Like A Bass Drum)’. The album yet again cements Tigercub as one of the most inventive rock groups on the UK scene by providing an undeniably extravagant and hulking escapade that’s beefy, bereft and belligerent. Finlay Holden
EVERYONE HAS THOSE FORMATIVE BANDS AND TRACKS THAT FIRST GOT THEM INTO MUSIC AND HELPED SHAPE THEIR VERY BEING. THIS MONTH, YONAKA TAKE US THROUGH SOME OF THE SONGS THAT MEANT THE MOST TO THEM DURING THEIR TEENAGE YEARS.
WITH... YONAKA
VAMPIRE WEEKEND A-Punk
Theresa: This song came out when I was like 16, and I remember my friends were just getting their driving licences. We would just drive around in the Saxo blasting this one tune over and over, then pick up booze, go back to someone’s house whose parents were away and then blast it over and over again. I remember feeling like I was part of something hearing this, and I feel nostalgic thinking of the moment... of course, I then fell in love with the whole album.
LADY GAGA Just Dance
Theresa: This song absolutely blew my face off; I was sneaking into clubs underage at the time, and this was always on, and I just remember thinking omg my life is going to get so exciting. I’m entering a stage of seeing loads of new faces and just dancing all through the night. ‘The Fame’ album became one of my favourite ever, and Lady Gaga is one of my biggest inspirations and idols.
SILVERCHAIR
The Greatest View
Alex: I first heard this song when my brothers’ band were listening to the ‘Diorama’ album at my house. It seemed to be pretty polarising amongst them as it was such a big departure from their grungy earlier stuff. I loved how theatrical and over the top it was. Daniel Johns’ voice is amazing. ‘Diorama’ is still my favourite album of theirs and one of my all-time faves.
TOOL
Lateralus
Alex: I first saw Tool live when they headlined Download in 2006. I’d never listened to them until this point. The whole set totally blew me away, and they
quickly became my favourite band. They were nothing like anything I’d heard at that point. I still get goosebumps when I listen to them. I love how music has the ability to take you back to a certain time and place in your life. This band definitely do that for me.
Youth. But every part of this tune is insane. There’s little quirky hooks and licks everywhere. Troy and Josh exchanging licks like mad, Dave Grohl’s bossing the bins and even their old crazy skinhead looking bass player Nick Oliveri. Love this track.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN
BLINK 182
George: This song used to be on Kerrang! every day and I didn’t really understand SOAD when I was younger, but I knew I loved it, and I couldn’t help but stare at the kid with glasses at the start of the video. If you know, you know.
Rob: I remember hearing this when my brother had the album and remember the drum fill at the start, and it blew my mind. I spent the rest of the day trying to figure it out and getting blisters.
Chop Suey
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE No One Knows
George: Another one that used to be smashed on Kerrang! and Scuzz. Lol.
First Date
SLIPKNOT Duality
Rob: Literally everything was hit ‘round the house to replace the baseball bat/ beer keg combo. Cooking was never the same again. P
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