Upset, May 2022

Cold Years

76

Princ e Daddy & The Hyena

Puppy

Health

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Bury Tomorrow Simple Plan Bob Vylan

The

Linda Lindas.

The future of punk, right here, right now.

MAY 2022 Issue 76

RIOT 4. BURY TOMORROW 10. PRINCE DADDY & THE HYENA 14. SILVERSTEIN 16. HEALTH 20. THE GREAT ESCAPE 22. COLD YEARS 26. KUBLAI KHAN TX ABOUT TO BREAK 28. WINDWAKER FEATURES 30. THE LINDA LINDAS 38. BOB VYLAN 42. GIRLPOOL 46. PUPPY 50. SIMPLE PLAN 58. SET IT OFF

Upset Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Scribblers Alex Bradley, Connor Fenton, Dan Harrison, Dillon Eastoe, Jack Press, Jessica Goodman, Kelsey McClure, Linsey Teggert, Rob Mair, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin Snappers Adam Taylor, Alexis Gross, Amalia Irons, Brooke Marsh, Cameron Brisbane, Daniel Roland Tierney, Derek Bremner, Frances Beach, Fraser Taylor, James Clare, Kay Dargs, Sarah Louise Bennett, Wyatt Clough, Zen Sekizawa 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

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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 kids are alright. Not that we should be judging this month’s cover stars The Linda Lindas by the date on their birth certificates. Proof if it was ever needed that age is but a number, the garage punk quartet have dropped a debut album that puts the majority of their much older peers to shame.

They’re leading off an issue with so much to celebrate contained within. Bob Vylan are kicking it to the pricks with a new album that defines the term ‘vital’.

Girlpool are showing that first impressions are just a point along a journey, with a

record seven years on that would have been unimaginable then, but now sounds like a sonic crowning glory. Puppy have returned with an album packed with scuzzy, fuzzy charm, while Simple Plan prove that heritage still has something left to say. And that’s just scraping the surface. Enjoy!

S tephen

Editor / @stephenackroyd

Riot.

THIS MONTH >>>

EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN ROCK

The Big Story

“We want to sound like we can fill a stadium” With a new line-up, new music and fresh ambition, Bury Tomorrow are a band reborn.

Words: Jack Press. Photos: Fraser Taylor, Adam Taylor.

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Prince Daddy & The Hyena have come a long way since their breakthrough debut, but new their new self-titled record shows them pushing outwards to make their best album yet. p.10

With a huge roster of all-star collaborations, HEALTH are having fun through adversity. p.16

With their defiant new album, Scottish punks Cold Years are coming out swinging. p.22

Upset 5

H

ere’s a fact for you: Bury Tomorrow break down barriers and bulldoze the charts. In 2020, with their album ‘Cannibal’ copping a Top 10 spot in the UK’s Official Albums Chart and their biggest headline tour to date on the horizon, the world was theirs for the taking.

But, of course, Covid-19 put the cycle on hold, forcing the band back into their bedrooms. ‘Cannibal’ had barely any breathing room before being laid to rest. And then founding member, guitarist, and co-vocalist Jason Cameron decided to down tools and leave the band for good.

For the first time in fifteen years, Bury Tomorrow found themselves in flux.

“I’d be lying to say that there haven’t been conversations about what we’re doing or what the future holds for our band,” reflects frontman Dani Winter-Bates, direct from the studio.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re in a band, in the music industry, or in construction or working for the NHS, I think everybody from a global perspective has been asking themselves the questions of: is this right for me? Is this the direction I want to go? And what do I believe in? Do I stand for those kinds of things?”

They’re questions Bury Tomorrow – completed by bassist Davyd Winter-Bates, drummer Adam Jackson, and guitarist Kristan Dawson – asked themselves repeatedly. It could’ve spelt the end of the band, but then they had the small matter of co-headlining a stage at Slam Dunk 2021.

“We walked away with basically zero profit,” Dani chuckles, quietly reflecting.

“We wanted that show to be everything. We invested time, we invested money, we invested practise - it’s the most nervous I’ve ever been for a show in 15 years of

6 Upset

being in a band.

“But it was perfect in every way, I would not change a thing on those shows, and that’s very rare because I’m always striving for perfection. For the situation that we were presented with, to do what we did, I’m immensely proud of us for doing that.”

Considering the wounds of Jason Cameron’s departure were still wide open, few would’ve held it against them for backing down. Instead, they bought

former Heart In Hand guitarist Ed Hartwell and vocalist and keyboardist Tom Prendergast into the fold, rolled up their sleeves, and got stuck in.

Inspired by their sensational Slam Dunk sets, Bury Tomorrow found themselves feeling freer than ever. For the first time since 2011 single ‘Lionheart’ - which coincidentally came at a crossroads for the band not too dissimilar to this one – they’re making music track by track. Of course,

it didn’t come about right away; they had to do some soul-searching first.

“When Jason left, we weren’t in the studio the next week - that would have been awful and callous - but we had structured conversations about what the future will hold for our band,” Dani explains, emboldened by the band’s ability to remain brothers in arms no matter what. “It was needed, though; jumping into a studio after not being in one for three years is a

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big deal – I didn’t even know if I could still do this; that’s how crazy the last two years have been.”

Breaking through the mainstream barriers flying the flag both for British metal and mental health awareness, only to come crashing down to cancelled gigs and departing members was a whole new level of upheaval. But hopping into a studio was like injecting musical therapy into their veins.

“We felt unlocked as a band, and there was so much freedom because this could’ve been, and luckily, it’s not, but this could’ve been our last hurrah, the last song we ever do, so let’s give it everything we’ve got.

It was that feeling of, let’s try all the things we might not have tried before for fear of falling short. We took all the best bits of ‘Cannibal’, and we plumbed in a whole new influence from our new members and our creative freedom.”

And from the brink of breaking up, they’ve delivered their most visceral offering to date. Drilled open by slabs of industrial synths, they’ve filled in their tried-and-tested metalcore with epic, arena-ready orchestration. It’s called ‘DEATH (Ever Colder)’, and it’s a statement of intent.

“We just need to let go of feeling like an underdog; we were lucky to have survived a pandemic when many bands haven’t. Yes, we’re in a different form, and yes, we sound slightly different, but we’re stronger than ever, so we’ve got to relinquish this feeling of being hard done by.

“We want to sound like we can fill a stadium; I just want us to be the band that we love listening to, like why do we love listening to bands that take metal into arenas? Because they sound big and epic, and they’re not constrained by ‘ooh, is this or isn’t this metal?’ We’re in a position in our lives where we just need to unleash the 8 Upset

shackles and try what we can do, and luckily I don’t feel like it’s come across conceited or forced; it’s a natural progression into that space.”

Bury Tomorrow are no strangers to the big time.

They’ve watched their friends in Architects and Bring Me The Horizon bring home Number 1s and headline arenas over the last few years, and they’re ready for a piece of the action. But it’s not just scale they’re after; they’re continuing to explore the unchartered territory they covered on ‘Cannibal’ lyrically, too.

“For me, it’s about delving into those subjects and topics that are really difficult for people to deal with. I’m one for trying to break down stigma in every aspect of my life, and I think this is an opportunity to talk about what that means to us. That title, ‘DEATH’, what feelings does that conjure to you? What feelings does that make you feel?”

“Equally, it’s an evocative or provocative title that will make people go ‘wait, are they talking about dying themselves?’ and I think that poses more questions than it does answers.”

Of course, approaching a subject as daunting as death requires some due diligence. Or as Dani sees it, digging into the dark depths of open wounds in search of catharsis, no matter the cost.

“I took the lead in forcing myself back into that mindset; it’s always cathartic to go to the darkest places of your mind and put that on paper. It’s a feeling of relinquishing ties and vulnerabilities; it’s got that feeling of just saying it how it is.

“It’s also a feeling of relief, like the line ‘death comes easy to me’, well death does come easy to me. It’s a feeling of like, you know what, I’m good, I’m okay. I’ve made peace, and it’s alright that we’re different. It’s alright that

we’re strange and weird, and we have these thoughts, and we are who we are.”

Whether it’s coming to terms with our mortality or the death of Bury Tomorrow as we know them, ‘DEATH’ is the work of a band retracing their steps to find new ground - and, importantly, it’s a challenge to themselves.

“There’s the line ‘you really think I gave up on life?’ – it’s a real challenge to myself, like oh, you really thought that? You thought

that was it? Metaphorically that can be seen as our band, as a parallel that can be seen as ‘you really think we gave up you really think that’s all we’ve got’.

“It’s about the hardships and the toughness and trials and tribulations. It’s not easy to go through, but it happens, and it’s easy to get into those spaces where everything sucks. It takes support, it takes coming together and changing your vista of opportunity to get to that space where you’re

“We felt unlocked as a band, there was so much freedom” Dani Winter-Bates

like, ‘you know what, I’m not giving up’.”

These convictions have driven Dani to become a leading light in mental health awareness in both the music industry and beyond.

Alongside being Bury Tomorrow’s frontman, he spends his days working for Solent NHS Trust, a provider of community and mental health services.

If ‘DEATH’ is a glimpse of the future of Bury Tomorrow musically, it’s

also a gateway into what’s next thematically. Dani has always done everything he can to connect the dots, and ‘DEATH’ takes that one step further. It invites discussions and debates, and it encourages conversation. If anything, it empowers you to speak up.

“I genuinely believe if I can open social media and have a conversation with somebody, then I gain from that also because I can listen to experiences.

If there’s one thing the pandemic’s done, is it’s humbled everybody. You think people who go out in front of their stadium audiences and perhaps might be a bit arrogant, do you think they feel arrogant now?

“We really need to recognise human factors and human interaction. I take so much from having a conversation with somebody; it doesn’t matter who that person is. It’s

about their story and their experience, not their status.

I don’t care whether it’s a peer or a band or media or a fan, if their experience is something that I relate to, or I can support with, I don’t care what they can give me; I care about what they’re doing in that space.”

Dani is quick to affirm that he and Bury Tomorrow aren’t the answer, but are catalysts. It’s the one thing that’s guiding the band’s future, whatever that may look or sound like.

“It’s important for people to recognise that I can’t fix, and I can’t help in that space, but everybody has the tools. Everybody’s got what they need somewhat to open up and be vulnerable, it might be harder for one person than another, but everybody has that in them.

“It’s for us to have a chat with them about our own experiences, and if that relates to them, that relates to them, and if it doesn’t, that’s okay; at least they’re talking. I can see the world as a collective now is asking questions about mental health. People are really challenging themselves on what their own mental health is, so this is an opportunity for us to push forward the stigma reduction work we do.” ■ Bury Tomorrow’s single ‘DEATH (Ever Colder)’ is out now.

Upset 9

Dad Prince Daddy & The Hyena have come a long way since their breakthrough debut, but new their new self-titled record shows them pushing outwards to make their best album yet.

Words: Rob Mair. Photos: Kay Dargs, Brooke Marsh.

10 Upset

rock.

Upset 11

K

ory Gregory, the brains behind indie-punks Prince Daddy & The Hyena, is at something of a crossroads.

Emerging with ‘I Thought You Didn’t Even Like Leaving’ back in 2016, the Albany, NY quartet kicked on massively with 2019’s sprawling double album, ‘Cosmic Thrill Seekers’.

Now they’re back with an exceptional self-titled effort, but Kory’s trying to reconcile the success of the group’s early output – and its enduring legacy – with the idea of being a creatively fulfilled artist.

Of course, they could have remade ‘I Thought You Didn’t Even Like Leaving’ at any point over the last six years, producing more and more mosh-friendly party punk hits – but Kory has far more important things to discuss. And while ‘Cosmic Thrill Seekers’ bridged a gap between the past and the present – it being a breathless riff on ‘The Wizard of Oz’ inspired by a bad acid trip, with plenty of ruminations on mental health along the way – the group’s new record elevates Kory to one of the finest lyricists and songwriters in the indie-punk field.

The point being, if you’re on board with silly songs about getting wasted or getting high, Prince Daddy - completed by guitarist Cameron Handford, drummer Daniel Gorham and bassist Adam Dasilva have hit the payload when exploring themes around life and death. Not that such aspirations have filtered through to the group’s fanbase: “Everyone who’s listened to ‘Cosmic Thrill Seekers’ tells me they love it, but it’s still the songs on our first record that are in our top five songs on Spotify,” laughs Kory. “I’m not complaining about that at all, but it’s absurd to me that it’s the songs about smoking weed and eating pizza that

12 Upset

people connect with. And I like that music too, but speaking personally, I’m much more creatively and emotionally fulfilled with my work since that first record.”

“But, I’d like to think, if Prince Daddy has won you over with songs about exgirlfriends, or with ScoobyDo references, or whatever, then with this record, I feel like I’ve outdone myself.”

Kory’s not wrong either.

‘Prince Daddy & The Hyena’ sees the band pushing themselves in every conceivable direction; at times harder and faster than anything they’ve penned before, at others, so light and soft it sounds like a different band entirely. If there was a rulebook to what constituted a Prince Daddy & The Hyena record before, it’s been well and truly rewritten from the ground up, in turn lifting the group to the top table of the current indie-rock crop.

Kory will attest that they had no regard for making a record that was beholden to the group’s history, saying that it wasn’t an intention to stretch their sound so much, but more that they reached the point of not caring what a Prince Daddy record should be. Of course, one of the mantras of songwriting is not to pander to the audience fans, but if any preconceived notions were pricked by woozy lead single ‘Curly Q’ then the likes of muted opener ‘Adore The Sun’, the winsome pop of ‘Something Special’ or the ethereal dreaminess of ‘Discount Assisted Living’ will blow minds. At times it can feel unscripted – but such chaos is all part of Kory’s master plan.

“I think the overall goal was to take everything that was part of our band before – and not just the stuff you see on the surface, the actual DNA of the band – and just stretch it as far as possible in every direction,” says Kory. “We wanted the record to sound like the whiplash of a car crash, so

going from soft rock to the hardest song, or from an interesting sounding song to a heavy song. We tried to make it like there was no musical organisation to it all. I guess it feels like an intentional mess.”

This idea of a car crash is also fundamental to the understanding of ‘Prince Daddy & The Hyena’, as it is somewhat inspired by the band’s experiences of crashing off the road in

November 2018, as they travelled home from tour in a blizzard.

If making ‘Cosmic Thrill Seekers’ taught Kory anything, though, it was about being less deliberate in writing. Consequently, ‘Prince Daddy & The Hyena ‘ is far less prescriptive and claustrophobic than its predecessor and much more open for the listener to include their own interpretation and

“I’m not scared of getting shot, and I’m not scared of getting cancer, but I am scared of what happens after” Kory Gregory

ruminations on death. It nevertheless comes from personal experience and displays a real fear about ‘what happens next’.

“It is overwhelming and dense and frightening when you think how temporary life is,” says Kory. “I’m not scared of dying, so it’s not about that, or the act of dying, more the impermanence of living.

That probably sounds so

pretentious. I’m not scared of getting shot, and I’m not scared of getting cancer, but I am scared of what happens after. But I guess the record that comes out of a car accident is going to be quite fearful.

“People were far more fucked up by the accident than me, too. I think of our merch person, and how much it has changed him and his psyche. Like, besides

the actual van, he looked like he’d come straight out of special effects for a horror movie, and seeing that scarred me. I was just looking at him, and I can’t imagine what it would have been like to be him. And that really taps into that fear about the impermanence of our physical body, and how scary that is, and what my psyche would be if I was looking at my own body.

“And then I get scared about the impermanence of my mental health. Anything could throw you off-kilter, and it’s suddenly a lifechanging experience. It’s like some kind of butterfly effect.”

It’s somewhat fitting that Prince Daddy’s finest album to date stands as a monument to the fleeting transience of life. We’re here for a short time, yet they’ve produced a record that serves as a legacy for the band, and a high watermark in their career so far. ■ Prince Daddy & The Hyena’s self-titled album is out 15th April.

Upset 13

Riot.

Everything you need to know about

Silverstein’s’ new album

‘Misery

Made Me’ bad was going to happen to him. The tick? Don’t worry, he’s fine; we kept him as our studio pet / mascot.

WE GOT TO BREAK SHIT.

Recording this during the pandemic was a great way to release some pent up energy and rage, and the studio gave us a bunch of baseball bats and trash cans to destroy. Luckily we mic’d it up, and now you can hear the sweet sounds of me screaming “somebody has to die” while going absolutely batshit on a poor bin.

Photo: Wyatt Clough.

WE PLAYED GOLF ALMOST EVERY MORNING.

Tackling tricky themes like loneliness and anxiety, Silverstein’s new album ‘Misery Made Me’ is a lesson in trying to navigate life’s difficulties. Shane Told fills us in on some behind-the-scenes titbits.

WE LIVED TOGETHER AT THE STUDIO WHILE MAKING THE ALBUM.

The studio was on native land (shoutout to Six Nations of the Grand River), a little far removed from where we live, so we took the opportunity to really bond and spend time together. Josh [Bradford] and I shared a room and slept just a few feet apart. It might not seem that important, but the late-night natural wine sessions and watching the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs together

14 Upset

really galvanised us and had us really immersed in the album 24/7.

WE HAD MORE SONG IDEAS GOING INTO THE STUDIO THAN EVER BEFORE.

You know when bands say they have like 60 songs written for a new album? And you wonder what they do with them?

That’s never been us, we usually only write what we’re going to record, but this time we had more than 20 solid ideas. It made it hard to choose which songs to keep on the album, but there are a few bangers that might see the light of day down the road!

OUR PRODUCER GOT BITTEN BY A TICK AND ALMOST DIED!!

Okay, maybe this isn’t one hundred per cent true, but we definitely discovered a tick latched onto his back one morning.

He had a good little freakout, and we spent the morning googling if something

The studio owner also owned a golf course, so we were able to play for free.

Did we potentially waste a lot of time when we could have been writing more songs? Maybe! But in all seriousness, it was an awesome way to clear our minds and take some of the stress away from the recording process.

And basketball all day long.

We brought in our own basketball hoop to set up in the parking lot, so we could take breaks and shoot around.

Sometimes there’s nothing better than a game of HORSE or 21 between screaming takes. You should see Paul’s bank shot!

WE RECORDED THIS ALBUM ON THE CONSOLE FROM ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS.

This thing is HUGE. I don’t know how they got it all the way from England to Canada, but there’s gotta be some kind of story. But it was pretty damn cool to be playing through a piece of gear with so much history. We checked if The Beatles left any old song ideas on the hard drive of this thing, and unfortunately, they didn’t.

Silverstein’s album ‘Misery Made Me’ is out 6th May.

HEALTH service.

16 Upset

.

With a huge roster of all-star collaborations, HEALTH are having fun through adversity.

Words: Linsey Teggert.

Photos: Daniel Roland Tierney.

D

on’t commit to a genre. Stay on the outskirts of any movement or scene.

Create a confusing, almost cryptic timeline of releases.

Welcome to HEALTH’s ‘how to stay relevant 101.’ Not only are they more relevant than ever, but the LA noise-rock trio are about to release their most exhilarating record yet, over 15 years into their career.

“I don’t think any of us anticipated that we’d still be doing this,” says guitarist and vocalist Jake Duzsik.

“A lot of bands from our era and our scene are gone - not that that’s a negative thing - just oftentimes music is a youthful artistic expression that connects to a zeitgeist.

Things are so cyclical that you can have an ascendent moment of being a buzz band, then there’ll be a changing of the guards, and certain things pass out of fashion.”

When HEALTH first burst onto the LA DIY scene in a cacophony of glitchy

electronics and pummelling, mind-melting drum beats, the cynics amongst us can be forgiven for thinking they were a flash in the pan.

There were hints of buzz band moments: the Crystal Castles ‘Crimewave’ remix, for instance, or the self-titled debut recorded in iconic LA venue The Smell, but HEALTH have stood the test of time.

“Part of what has helped us to be fortunate enough to continue doing this, is that we never really had a genre or a specific scene,” recalls Jake.

“Even coming out of the scene we did in LA, with The Smell and that downtown noise scene, we were very far afield: we weren’t a garage punk band. On the other hand, there wasn’t really a movement of music that burned out that we were stuck with. We were always on the outskirts, but we were lucky enough to have a dedicated fan base to allow us to keep doing things.”

Jake is quick to point out that the band have

also experienced several serendipitous occurrences, one being the scoring of the soundtrack for the Max Payne 3 video game in 2012. Despite murmurs that they were ‘selling out’, it was a hugely successful venture, and just one of the many examples of HEALTH using the fluidity of their sound to their advantage.

“That helped us reach so many people who had never heard of us, connecting us with the gaming culture, who in turn tend to be more connected with heavy music culture. On the last collaboration record, we made, ‘DISCO4 :: Part I,’ we did tracks with JPEGMafia and Ghostemane, who are both musical artists in completely different niches with large fan bases, and both of those guys only knew us because of the video game.

“It’s little things like that where we’ve been lucky enough to have opportunities that have connected us to new people. We’ve continued Upset 17

“A lot of bands from our era and our scene are gone” Jake Duzsik

to update the conversation we’re trying to have musically, and we don’t make the same record ever again. Sure, you’re not going to get crazy rich doing that, but you’re going to get to keep doing what you love!”

While being willing to bend and adapt when it comes to the musical landscape they’ve found themselves in, one thing HEALTH have always stuck to their guns with is the format of their record releases, which Jake himself refers to as a “confusion bomb.”

Rather than stick to the traditional album release cycle, each HEALTH LP has been accompanied by the release of a corresponding remix album using the title ‘DISCO’ - basically a companion album featuring remixes of each track by different artists.

“When we released our first album aeons ago, it was an incredibly fertile time for remix culture. We really like symmetry and consistency, if not in the sound of a record but the presentation, so for the 18 Upset

second record we had to do a remix companion too, and it just became part of what we do.

“Last time we did a remix album was for ‘DEATH MAGIC’ (their third album, released in 2015), and it just felt like the musical landscape had shifted. We noticed that the way people were listening to music was changing, and finding people that were interested in doing remixes in a way that was creatively exciting to them was getting harder.”

Wanting to continue the tradition of having a musical document to fill the space between each record, but also wanting to shake things up, the solution was to work with other artists to create collaboration albums.

“Now we get to collaboration records, and it’s confusing as hell,” laughs Jake. “We had a serious debate about whether to stick with the ‘DISCO’ title, which was true initially because we were a noise band and the remixes were dancey, but the majority of these songs are very heavy, and we’re

collaborating with artists like Nine Inch Nails and Lamb of God. It’s funny: at a certain point, I’ve embraced that part of what we do is a little confusing. It can make the messaging of the band difficult to streamline, but if you get into it, there’s lots of little corners to explore.”

After the ominous industrial beats of 2019’s ‘VOL. FOUR :: SLAVES OF FEAR’, the second part of their ‘DISCO4’ series continues down the same blistering path, opening with the nihilistic beauty of DEAD FLOWERS, their collaboration with Poppy, before moving through ferocious collabs with HO99O9, The Body and Lamb of God to name but a few.

“We found that by far the most productive way to make these collaborations was to start by sending something as skeletal as possible. It doesn’t matter who starts the idea, but you don’t want to write a whole song, because then you’re going to get a featured artist. Not that there’s anything wrong with features, but a feature is not a collaboration between two artists.

“It’s been very genuine and refreshing; we probably wouldn’t have recorded a second album of collaborations if it hadn’t been for the pandemic, but it really does get to the core of what’s fun about making music. Even though most

of it was created remotely, even just being in the proximity of these artists was reinvigorating.

Though the whole record is testament to HEALTH’s ability to exist between genres and produce earthshaking results, there’s one track that has truly caught people’s attention, and that’s the Nine Inch Nails collaboration, which was mixed by Atticus Ross.

Rather than make the “bat shit crazy, aggressive experimental song” that people expected, ‘Isn’t Everyone’ is a haunting, glacial track where Trent Reznor’s iconic vocals intertwine with Jake’s signature otherworldly whispers.

“That one blew my mind,” Jake recalls. “I’ve had a relationship with Trent over the years as he’s always been supportive of us, and we’ve occasionally played shows with Nine Inch Nails, but getting sent a vocal track and it was Trent Reznor’s voice... that was pretty emotionally significant.”

If one of the secrets of HEALTH’s longevity is connecting with other fan bases and taking them along for the ride, then they’re sure to gain a whole new bunch of admirers with ‘DISCO4 :: Part I.’ “We were acutely aware of the fact that there are some intense fan bases, particularly with Nine Inch Nails and Lamb of God. It’s been overwhelming seeing how each song has really connected with the fans of each band. I shared some emails back and forth with Trent and Atticus after we’d finished the track to chat about how heartening it was to see both fan bases responding so well to the song. Trent responded, “Yeah, did we fuck up somehow?! It seems like everyone likes it!” ■ HEALTH’s album ‘DISCO4 :: PART II’ is out now.

Festivals 2022

THE GREAT ESCAPE I May 12th - 14th 2022, Brighton

t seems like it was only yesterday we bid farewell to 2021’s shortened festival season, and we’re already welcoming in 2022’s edition with open arms. Then again, with Brighton’s new music extravaganza The Great Escape to look forward to, it’s hardly a shock we’d be so enthusiastic.

While the south coast bash might be best known for its chops at the indier end of the spectrum, recent years have seen the event really push out its genre-free credentials, celebrating the best music of all shades and flavours.

2022 is no different, and we’re delighted to be joining them this May to highlight some of the best heavier talent on the planet.

You’ll be able to find out who will be playing our all dayer stage on the Saturday of the event very soon, but across the festival there’s a whole heap of exciting names.

From Yours Truly to Beach Riot, Bob Vylan to Cassyette and Daisy Brain to Sprints, Witch Fever and more, there’s so much to discover between 12th and 14th May. We’ll be bringing you loads from the festival - keep an eye out for more, and check greatescapefestival.com for more.

“Defiant, deliberate & ready to take direct action”

Get

With their defiant new album, Scottish punks Cold Years are coming out swinging.

Words: Jack Press. Photos: Cameron Brisbane.

22 Upset

better.

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ith the state of generally everything right now, you’d be forgiven for feeling down in the dumps - and Cold Years’ Ross Gordon, he’s as fired up about revolution as he is about his new record, ‘Goodbye To Misery’.

“I don’t speak for everyone in our generation, but I don’t know anyone that votes for the Tories,” chuckles the frontman from his home in Glasgow. “I’m not proud to be British; I don’t stand up and salute the Union Jack or listen to how great Churchill is. I don’t care about that shit.”

However, Ross believes our generation isn’t wholly backed against the wall by the wolves. As evidenced across ‘Goodbye To Misery’, he thinks we’ve got a fighting chance at changing our story before the chapter’s finished.

“Our generation is catching on to the fact that our country’s not so clean, and it’s not got such a nice past. There needs to be some change, whether that’s down to how people vote or how they move. I think our generation have a real opportunity to make things different, and I’d really like to play a part in that.”

And that’s exactly how ‘Goodbye To Misery’ unfolds track by track.

Their heartland rock is still there, but it’s more riled up than ever. ‘32’ injects some pop-punk pop a la ‘American Idiot’-era Green Day; ‘Jack Knife’ runs riot with the urgency of political punk veterans Anti-Flag and Rise Against; and ‘Never Coming Back’ kicks up a roaring chorus capable of causing a stir in the vein of The Menzingers’ indie folk-punk.

By and large, their change in sound has been bought on by how they’re feeling.

“I see the news every day where we’re turning refugees away. We’re shipping off people who have nothing, and we’re 24 Upset

taking even more away from them and not giving them the opportunity to have a life. It’s so sad, and it makes me so fucking angry,” spits Ross with serious venom.

Between the politics and the pandemic, you’d forgive Cold Years for giving us an album of negative punk songs, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Unlike the anger that riddled 2020 debut ‘Paradise’, ‘Goodbye To Misery’ deals its cards and raises up some hope and positivity to proceedings.

“I’m so much happier now, although there’s still a lot of anger in there, it’s just done in a more eloquent and controlled way. It’s expressed in a more mature way, whereas with ‘Paradise’, I was just really pissed off and wanted to express that.

But this album is not like that, it’s a lot of hope and a lot more positive, and I think that’s what people need to hear now because everyone’s been shit on for so long.”

A lot has happened for us all since Cold Years – completed by guitarist Finlay Urquhart and bassist Louis Craighead – wrote their first record. It’s the same for the band themselves. Ross has traded in his hometown of Aberdeen for Glasgow, swapped a ‘really horrible relationship’ for one that’s ‘really levelled me out’, and written an album that calls for better days. If it does nothing else, they hope it helps you hold on for a brighter future.

“For the last two years, we’ve watched our government destroy our country and take advantage of its population. We’ve watched people lose loved ones, lose their jobs and their homes, and there are people who shouldn’t be, relying on food banks right now so that their government can benefit instead. It’s this horrible, horrible situation, and I just want people to listen to this

record and think that there is something else out there and that life is going to get better – I just wanted to write something positive for a change.”

It’s not just a lyrical move, either. It’s inspired by the tsunami of postpandemic releases. Or it’s attempting to be anything but everything else you’ve had on in your headphones this year.

“We wanted to make a punk record because I was writing stuff and thinking about doing some acoustic songs to just put out for myself, and I sat and looked at it and thought, ‘how many other people are doing this?’.

“When all this over, everyone’s going to be releasing really sad, downtrodden music, and I don’t want that. I want people to come out of this wanting to run back to shows and live in that audience and feel the energy, so we were like fuck it, let’s just write 12 songs that are straight to the bone punk rock that’s uplifting with a message behind them.”

Spinning ‘Goodbye Misery’ is like choosing to drink milkshakes first thing in the morning rather than a shot of black coffee while you bop to the pop charts.

It’s got urgency to it and an energy to match. And by God has it got a message behind it, one that’s very simple to sum up.

“I just want to help people, you know? I think people need artists producing music that they can identify with and rock out in their living room to.

To be able to allow people to let go because everyone lives such a hectic, stressful, emotional life. It’s impossible cause everything’s up in the air at the moment.

“There’s no future, there’s no certainty, there’s no comfort, and there’s no home. I don’t feel like there’s anybody settled down right now. Having music to go to

when you want to or need to is a really important thing, and I’d love that if our music was a comfort to someone or some hope, that they were able to use it to help themselves.”

For Ross and co., Cold Years have a responsibility to themselves to write down how they feel about the world around them, and a responsibility to others to share it. But that doesn’t make them political; it just makes them human.

“I wouldn’t call us a political band at all; I just think there’s a tinge of it

“I just want people to listen to this record and think that life is going to get better” Ross Gordon

because it’s so in your face, just like with everyday life.

You can’t ignore it – I get 100 pings a day from the BBC telling me the next mistake our Prime Minister’s made, you know?”

And if the news is telling everybody how terrible and terrifying it all is right now, why can’t Cold Years tell everyone to raise their voices and take a stand?

“You can’t just sit back when you’ve got a platform; you need to take into account what’s going on around you. I think a lot of bands are scared to say

something or think that it would alienate them or decrease their listeners.

If someone’s gonna take offence because I don’t like the government in this country, don’t listen to my fucking music, I don’t care.”

Inspired by artists as innovative and varied as Bob Dylan, Anti-Flag and NOFX, Cold Years knew that ‘Goodbye To Misery’ had to be outspoken.

“Everyone has a right to express an opinion, but you need to do it in a mature way, and you need to respect the opinions of

other people. But as an artist, if you’re not happy about something, or you feel there’s an injustice, then express it.

“Political songs are timeless, and they have a purpose and a meaning, and they last forever, they never go away. That’s the kind of music I want to write. ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’’

by Bob Dylan is probably one of the best songs ever written; it still gives me chills.”

‘Goodbye To Misery’ is just as much about personal growth. It wants you to dive

into its tales of the trials and tribulations of growing up in modern-day Scotland and apply them to your own life. It’s an album intended for you to tear to pieces and fashion into something that fits you. And if you do that, then for Cold Years, they’ve done what they set out to do.

“When I was a kid, Matt Skiba and Alkaline Trio had this way of writing songs where every single one I listened to, I always identified a part of my life where it was relevant. You’re able to take someone else’s content and someone else’s feelings and apply it to your own life, and feel like maybe it’s not so bad, or maybe it’s just a comfort to get you through a really rough time.

“I think anbody who can do that to our music, I take that as one of the greatest feelings in the world - when we’re on tour, and someone says to me, ‘this song helped me get through this’. Music is the most subjective e thing on the planet, and anbody who’s able to take whatever I’m singing and feeling and apply it to their own life and do something with it, that’s incredible – I love that feeling.” ■ Cold Years’ album ‘Goodbye To Misery’ is out 22nd April.

Upset 25

Kublai Kh

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han TX. TRACK BY TRACK

Lowest Form of Animal EP Vocalist Matt Honeycutt runs us through Kublai Khan TX’s powerful new EP, ‘Lowest Form of Animal’, from front to back.

SWAN SONG

‘Swan Song’ details nationwide and personal experiences related to street prostitution. The first segment of the track using Iowa 80 (nation’s largest truck stop) as a reference for the sex trade industry that works up and down the highways we travel every tour. The song then pivots and explains my own mother’s dealings with abuse before fast-forwarding to the odour and visuals I endured at her funeral. A circle of abuse reaching its full rotation upon her passing. The song ends with a message of hope that no matter how difficult things may seem. You have to find strength, and you have to move forward. If not you, then who?

LOYAL TO NONE

Everyone struggles with trust and inner peace. For much of my life, it’s felt like an uphill battle to get anywhere. This song illustrates the simple but relatable notion that all you have at the end of the day is yourself. People are imperfect, and for better or worse, they will let you down. It’s just a matter of how much you allow that to slow YOU down.

Committing to yourself and being your own engine toward achievement is a strong trait to train. Starting working on it now.

TAIPAN

The song expresses the reality of waste. Wasting time, wasting brainpower. Wasting away because we are preoccupied with fast sex, low ambition, and creature comforts.

Paralleling the cursed existence of a reptile in a cage with our own lives. Never seeing the sun, desiring freedom. But never seeing past our

own noses because the appetites of the flesh have the ability to keep any man sedated and free from growth. 8 billion people on the planet. 8 billion personal cages. What’s confining you?

RESENTMENT

The title speaks for itself. This track exposes some of my deepest malfunctions. Equating my perception of love with constant acknowledgement and validation.

Creating selfish and unrealistic standards that only lead to catastrophe. Completely poisoning the water and creating a toxic situation for myself and others.

Understanding love has always seemed near impossible. And truth be told- if you have trouble loving yourself, can you truly love someone else?

DYNASTY

It is no secret that the last two years have been difficult and, unfortunately, impossible for some. Self-isolation and separation have become a new normal that have increased suicides and drug dependency in this country. I detail losing friends to fentanyl. Watching others slowly slip into depression and suicidal thoughts, all while trying desperately to maintain my own mind. The idea that big pharma and mass media have had our best interests in mind is a lie that more people need to acknowledge.

Because suicide is the unfortunate truth for many. Distrust and alienation. I refer to death as a prison with bodies stacked ceiling to floor as we all witnessed watching a 24hour death counter on live television.

Suicide is the epidemic. Ignorance is the illness. No matter where you may stand on the issues of the last two years. Are you willing to stand up for those who couldn’t?

Kublai Khan TX’s EP’ Lowest Form of Animal’ is out now.

Upset 27

About Break. to

GHUM London post-punk foursome GHUM are building on their early promise with assertive debut album ‘Bitter’, out on 17th June. Catch them live at Sebright Arms on 22nd April, too.

NEW TALENT YOU NEED TO KNOW

D N I W KER A 28 Upset

R

SPIDER

PANIC SHACK A reaction against the members-onlyclub mentality of the music industry, Cardiff’s Panic Shack talk the talk with rambunctious aplomb.

Getting right down into what it means to be alive - exploring themes of identity, belonging, mindfulness, death and altered consciousness - Aussie foursome Windwaker have arrived with their debut album, ‘Love Language’. Vocalist Will King tells us what’s what.

YOUR DEBUT ALBUM HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING - WHAT WAS THE TIMELINE LIKE FOR WRITING AND RECORDING?

That it has! A lot of life had to be lived, and I’m glad we really got a chance to flesh our debut out like this. A debut is a big deal for bands and has been a dream for us since being teens going to shows and festivals, and catching Aussie bands popping off international like Tonight Alive and Northlane.

Been a mental experience living some of the same experiences, rather than just feeling inspired, living those moments vicariously through social media, etc. This music thing is feeling very real right now, and we can’t wait to see where this one takes us! The timeline of writing was very much over the course of one-two years, kicking off seriously from 2020 wrapping in 2021 with a final master. We shopped around throughout that year, and managed to land deals with two of our favourite labels, Fearless Records and Cooking Vinyl Australia. We’re stoked!

HOW DID YOU FIND THE PROCESS? DID IT MEET ALL YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR CREATING A DEBUT ALBUM?

It was stressful, but there never came a single moment of doubt. We knew what we wanted to achieve with a debut, and all had a fair inkling of what each member needed it to be in terms of quality/output. The best part about the process was, cathartically, we all individually laid down what we wanted to lay down on this album as it was self-produced. We wrote a lot

With nods to emo, electronica, bedroom pop and punk, SPIDER is making a break for it with her debut mixtape, ‘C.O.A’ - a statement of intent from an artist sharply on the rise.

“The album’s playful, but also gets pretty psychologically involved” Will King

of it over Zoom calls in the pandemic.

Engineering our own parts in our own time just at our houses and in random Airbnbs that we could manage to escape to when exemptions opened up. Our drummer Chris Lalic mixed it. It just all worked out, given the circumstances.

YOU’VE MANAGED TO PACK A LOT IN BOTH THEMATICALLY AND SONICALLY - HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP THE RECORD’S OVERALL FEEL?

On one hand, sonically, it feels like a showcase of what we can do and where we are headed. On the other, thematically, it’s a rollercoaster of philosophy. It’s playful, but also gets pretty psychologically involved in areas. Really, the overall “feel” of the record for me is “inviting”. It welcomes listeners to take as much or as little as they need to feel content with what it is. You can casual listen, vibe out and scrape off the surface, or you can dive in deep and trickle down the rabbit hole on a more intense journey. It’s up to you where you let music take you.

WERE THERE ANY THEMES OR JUXTAPOSITIONS YOU PARTICULARLY ENJOYED EXPLORING?

I think speaking on love, and learning to love myself and others deeper. That made me super happy to write about because I just picture this album hitting someone out there who really needs to hear it.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE LISTENERS TO GET OUT OF THE RECORD? Maybe just a quick reflection of self,

how they treat others, how they react; a reminder to be present and aware of your thoughts and actions. Life is short. It’s a big shame when you lose your future to your past.

HOW DID YOU COME TO SIGN WITH FEARLESS RECORDS?

They reached out around the time we dropped our EP ‘Empire’ back in 2019, expressing interest, and we kinda ghosted for a bit ‘cause we had nothing new and cool to show them yet. We came back end of 2020 / early 2021 with some tunes, and they dug them straight off the bat and wanted to make a deal work. We were scared they had forgotten about us, which would’ve sucked. We’ve always wanted to work with that label.

WHERE DO YOU HOPE ‘LOVE LANGUAGE’ TAKES YOU?

On through life. Not building expectations, just happy to be on this journey together with my homies.

Ultimately, the reception is out of our control for the most part, so any opportunities that present off the back of the record are a huge blessing. We’re already incredibly lucky.

WHAT’S YOUR LOVE LANGUAGE? Taking drugs and fucking my life up completely.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW?

I’m only here for clout. Follow me @ willwaker.

Windwaker’s album ‘Love Language’ is out 6th May. Upset 29

Breaking through with an unexpected viral video filmed in a library, there’s so much more to The Linda Lindas. As their debut album drops, they might be the future of punk, but they’re ready for the here and now.

Words: Ali Shutler. Photos: Zen Sekizawa

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hen asked how they feel about being called the future of punk, all four of The Linda Lindas break into uncontrollable laughter.

Lucia de la Garza is the first to compose herself.

“That’s funny. It’s really cool but also really weird – I mean, we haven’t released an album yet.”

She continues: “I guess it’s not about how many songs you’ve released or how long you’ve been around; it’s about what you’re trying to do and what you’re trying to say. We are doing all we can to change what needs changing.”

“I don’t know about the future,” adds Eloise Wong.

“But we’re here right now.”

The Linda Lindas went global in 2021 with a live performance of their blistering punk track ‘Racist, Sexist Boy’ at the LA Public Library. Written

by Mila de la Garza and her cousin, Eloise, after Mila was informed by a boy in her class that his dad had told him to stay away from Chinese people like her, it was the ten-year-old’s first proper encounter with racism.

“I wrote it originally to vent my anger. It definitely used to be more hateful,” explains Mila over Zoom.

But after connecting with people, first at local shows and then a global audience, that song is now “about bringing people together and being proud of who you are.”

“I’ve always liked music that not only sounds cool but really makes a difference by having a message,” continues Eloise before namechecking The Clash, Public Enemy and Bikini Kill. “It’s so cool we can be a part of that.”

“It’s so important that people who have gone through similar experiences know they’re not alone,” adds Mila. “But it’s so, so sad that so many people can relate to that song.”

“For all minorities, there’s such a history of oppression and hate; it really does make you feel like you can never overcome it,” explains older sister Lucia. “You feel like you can’t make anything better because it’s not in your power to do so. As young women of colour, we’ve all experienced that.”

However, the overwhelmingly positive

“We’re not just the kids that did that thing in the library, we actually have something to say” Lucia de la Garza

32 Upset

reaction to ‘Racist, Sexist Boy’ “made us feel more confident in what we had to say. It feels like people really needed to hear a song like that, and it’s gone on to make them feel empowered too. That’s been really beautiful to watch.”

“It’s nothing new, though.

People have been trying to have these conversations since forever,” adds Mila.

“But you can still try and

change things.”

The Linda Lindas – Mila and big sister Lucia, Eloise and family friend Bela Salazar - originally formed in 2018 for a one-off performance at a local festival. A few months later, Bela was asked to play a gig and needed a backing band. From then on, the four-piece played gigs, wrote songs and pushed each other to get better

at their instruments. They supported the likes of Best Coast and Bikini Kill before going on to write songs for Amy Poehler’s Netflix film Moxie, as well as contributing to The Claudia Kishi Club, a Netflix documentary exploring the impact of The Baby-Sitters Club’s Japanese-American character.

All of their parents were very supportive of the group

making music. Eloise’s parents put on punk shows to raise money for her school’s music programme, and she grew up in a house “surrounded by punk and DIY culture.” They were constantly making mixtapes or going to matinee shows at local record shop Amoeba. “I always felt like I could be in a band. It never felt out of reach.”

Likewise, Lucia and Mila’s

dad is Carlos de la Garza.

A former member of ska band Reel Big Fish, he’s now a Grammy-winning record producer, having worked with the likes of Wolf Alice, Paramore, Charly Bliss and Jimmy Eat World. “He doesn’t like to talk about it, but it’s pretty cool,” beams Lucia. “When we were younger, we would visit him in the studio, but I was constantly worried about

what I could and couldn’t touch. Now we know our way around the space.”

The Linda Lindas had actually been in talks with legendary punk label Epitaph Records for a few months before ‘Racist, Sexist Boy’ went viral, and, a few weeks after it did, the deal was done. Now, they release their debut album ‘Growing Up’.

According to Mila, “We

didn’t expect any of this.

At first, it was just playing music and having fun with your friends. It’s still that now; it’s just now we have more people listening. The music hasn’t changed, but our perspective has.”

‘Growing Up’ is named after the song of the same name, written about growing up in and out of COVID-enforced lockdowns.

“It was hard to be at this point in my life where I’m meant to be figuring out who I am and what I want to do, without so many of the people that I love around me,” says Lucia about the wistful, nostalgic track.

The album itself is a celebration of their friendship, all camaraderie and community. “I feel like I should be more scared of releasing it and of what people are going to say,” she continues. “But I’m just really excited.”

The group went into the studio with understandable hyperactive energy and

34 Upset

wanted to record as many songs as possible. They soon realised they needed a plan, though, and the band took a much-needed step back, asking themselves, “Which songs am I emotionally ready to put out, which ones are actually finished and which ones have I held onto for long enough, that they belong on an album called ‘Growing Up’.”

All the songs apart from album opener ‘Oh!’ were written before ‘Racist, Sexist Boy’ went viral.

“We’ve definitely matured since the songs were written,” explains Lucia.

“Not that much, though.

We’re just kids still.”

Still, she’s been wrestling with this sudden explosion in popularity. “We have an incredibly supportive fan base – from little kids to adults. Making this album, I had to think about what I wanted to say to all these people, but I never wanted to censor myself. There

“Just because we’re kids, it doesn’t mean that we don’t like understand what’s going on” Eloise Wong

were days when I was worried about excluding certain sections of our fanbase because of what I was singing about or the music we were making, but at the same time – I’m always just going to write what I feel. When I write a song, it helps me figure out what is happening in my brain. It helps me realise how I feel about something.

I think that’s really special, and I want to share that with the world.”

“I hope this album shows people that we’re not just the kids who did that thing in the library,” Lucia continues. “I want people to know we actually have something to say.

We want people to listen to our music, not because we’re kids or because we’re women of colour, but because we’re good artists.”

Across ten tracks, clocking in at under half an hour, The Linda Lindas’ debut album is a furious punk record that tackles coming of age in the midst of a pandemic, the helplessness that comes from watching the world tear itself apart via social media and Bela’s cat Nino gentleman by day, hunter by night. It’s inspired by classic punk acts like The Go-Go’s, Jawbreaker, The Breeders, Sleater Kinney, Bikini Kill

and Blondie, as well as more contemporary, rebellious bands like Paramore, Wolf Alice and The Regrettes.

“We’re four different people, and all the songs are going to sound a little different because it’s all our music tastes combined,” explains Lucia. “But it works together really beautifully.”

At 17, Bela is the older member of the group, while Eloise is 14, Lucia is 15, and Mila is 11. Most bands get questioned when it comes

to speaking out about real-world issues, but as you might imagine from a band of people still in school, The Linda Lindas are constantly asked what a bunch of children know about life, politics and meaningful change.

“Why does our age matter?” asks Mila, as Eloise adds: “Just because we’re kids, it doesn’t mean that we don’t like understand what’s going on.”

And crucially, “If we don’t understand something, then

we’ll ask questions and find out about it,” continues Mila.

“We’re so willing to learn and listen to what people have to say. That doesn’t mean that we’re just going to stay quiet in the corner with our mouths shut. We’re just as aware and clueless as everybody else is,” says Lucia.

“You can’t tell us that because we’re this age, we’re not allowed to have opinions. We see what’s happening in the world; we see what everybody is going

through. We see it online, we see it at school, and we want to do something about it. It’s not about your age; it’s about what you want to offer the world – and we want to do something positive.”

Among the snotty punk and community spirit is ‘Cuantas Veces’, a rumbling rock’n’roll track sung entirely in Spanish.

Bela is half Mexican and half Salvadorian, while the rest of the band also have Mexican heritage. “The

Spanish language is a little part of who we are,” explains Bela. “The other two songs I’ve written have been about my cats. I’m not usually that comfortable sharing my feelings, but I wanted to push myself to open up a little more, and singing in Spanish seemed like the best way to do that. Not everybody will understand it, but hopefully, it’ll mean something to the people that do.”

In every one of their social media bios, it says Upset 35

The Linda Lindas are “Half Asian / Half Latinx”. The group haven’t spoken a whole lot about the Latinx part of their identities yet, “but hopefully the song will open that door a little more,” says Lucia. “We’re trying to show people that it’s about who you are as an individual person, not the lazy stereotypes that we’re often reduced to.”

That said, they know how important representation 36 Upset

is. “It is hard not seeing yourself represented in the media or on the big stages at festivals. When you don’t see people that look like you, it does sometimes feel like it’s something that only white men can do.”

“People like us have always been part of punk, but a lot of people just refuse to recognise that.

It really sucks that so many people of colour, women of colour, queer

people of colour and queer people just don’t get the same platform because of tradition.”

Of course, the band still get asked about the original racist, sexist boy. “People want to know if we’ve heard from him. No. We don’t really want to either,” starts Lucia. “But also, it’s not about that boy. It’s about all the people that have come together because of a long series of events that have

been happening for so long.

It’s about the people that we can bring together and the people that can rise up against that kind of hate,” she adds before letting out a sigh.

“I hate to say it, but there are always going to be people that have been taught to be racist or sexist. It’s going to be hard for them to unlearn that because it’s a whole belief system - you grow

“Punk is about freedom and doing what you want to do” Lucia de la Garza

up believing that you’re entitled to act a certain way.

But really, no one’s entitled to hate other people based on something they know nothing about.”

Alongside the revolutionary rock of ‘Racist, Sexist Boy’, ‘Fine’ and ‘Oh’, ‘Growing Up’ features more personal tracks, from outsider anthem ‘Remember’ through the joyful escape of ‘Magic’.

As much as it’s a record of

rebellion, it’s also designed for dancing.

“It’s important that we’re kids,” says Bela, talking about the spread of lyrical content on the record.

“A lot of the songs are happy songs,” continues Lucia. “But a lot of the songs are also about what we’re going through. It’s not always easy, but it’s not been easy for anyone to exist through a pandemic.

It’s hard, but that doesn’t

mean you can’t find happy moments in it all.”

“I think that our songs are just reflections of our lives. We think about serious stuff, like ‘Racist, Sexist Boy’, but we also enjoy singing about things like Bela’s cats,” says Eloise. They all agree that it’s important they show off every aspect of their personalities.

“It’s the same when it comes to our genre,” continues Lucia. “You know that people are going to come out and say, ‘that’s not punk’, ‘that’s too pop’ or ‘that’s not pop enough’.

It’s totally fine with us. You can’t please everyone, and it’s just gonna happen.

Punk is about freedom and doing what you want to do, though. And that’s what we’ve done with this album.”

The band have received a lot of similar advice from bands they’re on first name terms with. Adam Pfahler from Jawbreaker, Kathleen Hanna from Bikini Kill, Beth Cosentino from Best Coast and Hayley Williams from Paramore have all told The Linda Lindas that they need to do what they want and they can’t really worry about what’s going to happen in the future. “If you worry about how long it’s going to last, you’re not going to have any good memories to look back on if it does then end,” starts Lucia before stopping. “Oh my god, I just got goosebumps talking about this ever ending.”

“We don’t want to be worrying about things like that,” continues Mila. “We just want to keep having fun with our friends and share our music with the world.

Whatever feels right is what we’ll do.”

“A lot of the time, you can feel like you owe people something after you’ve got a certain level of success. I spend a lot of time thinking about whether we, as a band, deserve all the people that have been following us. But ultimately, I don’t think it matters,” explains Lucia, working things out in real-time. “Yes, we have this platform now, but we’re just going to keep talking about stuff that matters to us and making music that feels right.”

“I hope that this record inspires people to realise they can do whatever they want - regardless of age or where they are in their life,” she continues. “If you have something to say, there are going to be people who want to listen. I know we all want to listen. Whether it’s someone that wants to be a teacher, a doctor, a musician or a fruit taster, you can do whatever you want.”

There’s more laughter as The Linda Lindas break off into an argument about whether professional fruit taster is a real job. The future of punk has never seemed more joyful. ■ The Linda Lindas’ debut album ‘Growing Up’ is out now.

Upset 37

38 Upset

A real force for positive change, London duo Bob Vylan are one of the most vital names in UK punk right now. As they release their new album, they’re both doing good and having fun.

Words: Jack Press. Photos: Derek Bremner.

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A

rtists have always used their platform to digest the state of the world in threeminute doses - but while the post-punk brigade are currently practising their soundbites, grime-punk provocateurs Bob Vylan are digging deeper, using their lived experiences to help and educate others. It’s what their new album ‘Bob Vylan Presents The Price Of Life’ is all about.

“There are deeper issues in this album that I don’t think I’ve heard explored since Ice Cube or Dead Prez or Public Enemy,” explains vocalist Bobby Vylan, feeling fired up from taking a stand against Sadiq Khan and the recent tube strikes.

“They write songs about healthy eating, gentrification, the effects that Hollywood has on working-class populations, or the effect of prescription medicine on a population. All these things are deeper than sticking my first in the air and saying ‘power to the people’ anybody could say that; it’s just buzzwords.”

Buzzwords might help bands fill Brixton Academy, but they don’t bring about change in a house of flies. “It’s important for us because we are a band with a message, and we don’t water that message down whether we’re presenting at an awards show, or whether it’s in a fucking interview, or it’s on the record. It doesn’t matter where we’re at; we carry that message.”

Albums let them tell their tales, and they build a base for their platforms to stand on. But their messages and missions aim to move mountains rather than sell tickets and invade the charts. Whether they’re calling out politicians or standing against problematic bands on festival bills, they’re well acquainted with the risks they’re taking.

“We’ll continue to do this in all these spaces because nobody is at risk except 40 Upset

for us. When we stand out against a band on a festival, and we say if they’re there, we’ll make it uncomfortable for them, the festival could turn around and say, ‘they’re the bigger band, Bob Vylan can just get the fuck off our bill’. We constantly put our necks out speaking up against things, and we never compromise on that.

And that’s what this album continues to do; it puts space between us and all of this other noise.”

‘The Price Of Life’ picks up where 2020’s ‘We Live Here’ left off. Driven by the duo’s experiences of racism, that record felt like an awakening and ‘The Price Of Life’ doubles down on this, exploring everything from weaponising health to waging war on the working class. It’s an album they couldn’t have made a couple of years ago, yet it’s the one they’ve been working towards. Just like Public Enemy couldn’t have made ‘Fear Of A Black Planet’ without first making ‘It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back’, Bob Vylan needed ‘We Live Here’ to fully realise ‘The Price Of Life’.

“I think it’s more empowering. There was a lot of stuff that I was working out personally on ‘We Live Here’. There was a lot of frustration and anger from across my lifetime that I was getting out in a very incendiary way,” reflects Bobby, who takes his time to carefully curate his answers, like a philosopher pondering his next thesis. “’We Live Here’ was our way of establishing the issues. People have been talking about them for years, but it allowed us to establish ourselves as a band. The personal experiences that we put into ‘We Live Here’ have helped people get to know who we are, where we come from, why our worldview is what it is, how it is what it is, and why we are the way we are. And then this album lets us show a fuller, rounded view of our personality. We’re

able to have a little more fun with it because we don’t have to be so serious with everything.”

‘The Price Of Life’ peels back the curtain on Britain to show the country’s true colours. Whether waging war on former leaders like Churchill and Thatcher, deconstructing the upper class’s ideologies, or exploring socio-economic problems, they leave no stone unturned.

They’ve worked up an interconnected multiverse, too. Like a conceptual social commentary, a single line in one song leads to the next one building an entire track around it. Take ‘Health Is Wealth’, which connects every concept the album captures in two and a half minutes and wraps it up with satirical wit.

“It’s not this thing of politicians are fucking duh duh, and we should not be racist to each other and all that shit; it’s like, stay healthy, because this is one way the ruling class kills working-class people and keeps them at a disadvantage. If you are unhealthy, you have no time whatsoever to worry about anything else; you can’t have a revolution with an unhealthy population.”

This idea is used throughout the album as a springboard to explore everything and anything that Bob Vylan feel needs addressing, and it’s helped to enhance their own understanding of the world.

“There are things I talk about with people that I meet that I didn’t grow up with.

They come from completely different areas and lifestyles, and I talk to them about some things, and they’re like ‘what the fuck’ and you realise the way that I lived, and some of the experiences I had, they’re not normal.

“They seem normal because everyone around me was going through them, but for the wider population, they’re not things people go through. It could be

something so simple like ‘oh, you didn’t sleep in your jumper and joggers or whatever’, and they’re like, ‘no, we just kept the heating on’. I’m like, ‘what the fuck, you could afford to keep your heating on?”

“It’s not expected that everybody will have had those same experiences,” explains drummer Bobbie Vylan, who quietly observes

“This album lets us show a fuller view of our personality.

We’re able to have a little more fun with it” Bobby Vylan

the conversation from the comfort of his sofa, chipping in as and when, “but it gives people who haven’t a window into what it is, so it is education. It’s a good thing if you’ve never experienced it and you come and listen to our music, and now you understand. We invite that because if anything, that’s what we need more

of because it gets us all on the same page, it gets us all to see from different perspectives.”

“It’s super fucking interesting,” adds Bobby, “and I say that as somebody that likes listening to music that doesn’t necessarily speak to my life experiences.

I listen to some shit that does, and it resonates with

me, but I listen to other things where I have no idea about this life, but it’s interesting because that’s their take on the world, and surely that’s one of the main things with creating art, you’re offering your take.”

Whatever your world opinion, Bob Vylan know there’s a long way to go, but it won’t stop them - they’ll

keep fighting, one song at a time.

“We don’t kid ourselves; it’s crazy for us to expect things to all be done.

Especially over the last few years where people have got ahead of themselves, they think everything’s changed because we put the black square up and had a march, so everything’s fine now,” asserts Bobbie. “But this is generational; if it’s been that long and things aren’t fixed, the last two years aren’t going to fix anything. We’re under no illusion of how big a job it is to resolve a lot of these issues.

“It’s an annoyance that we still have to do it, but it’s something that has to be done. It’s a burden we have to bear because, as a collective, we need to make sure we keep moving forward and don’t become complacent and feel like the job is done because it’s not even close. We don’t want to have to, but if it needs to be done, we’ll be there to do it.”

■ Bob Vylan’s album ‘Bob Vylan Presents The Price Of Life’ is out 22nd April.

Upset 41

Digging deeper than ever before, Girlpool are coming into their own with an ambitious new record full of feeling.

Words: Linsey Teggert.

Photos: Amalia Irons, Alexis Gross.

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T

he warmth and intimacy between Avery Tucker and Harmony Tividad practically radiates through the computer screen as they Zoom in from Austin, Texas.

It’s morning, and the pair are still lounging together in bed (they have a busy week ahead at SXSW), speaking in hushed tones in their relaxed Californian drawl. They’ve been making music together as Girlpool since they were teenagers, playing all-ages DIY venues around LA and skipping school, and it almost feels intrusive talking to them while they’re in their own little bubble.

When asked what they would pick as a defining characteristic of each other’s songwriting, their glowing responses are pure and genuine rather than forced. “Harmony is super poetic and amazing with words,” muses Avery.

“Avery is amazing and deeply gifted,” Harmony responds.

“Everything he writes is very visceral and felt from a very guttural place, like a primal emotion. It’s deep in the stomach.” “Deep in the stomach?!” asks Avery, giggling. “Like full-bodied,” clarifies Harmony.

When making their new record, the pair had a very clear vision of elevating the soundscapes they had previously explored and for everything to feel more focused across the board, both sonically and visually.

To achieve this, they had to let someone into the Girlpool world in a way that they’d never done before; they had to allow someone else inside their almost telepathic bond.

That someone was producer Yves Rothman, who you may also know as experimental musician Yves Tumor, and the resulting record, ‘Forgiveness’, is Girlpool’s most ambitious and striking offering to date.

“Yves was the right person to have on the journey of figuring out how we wanted each song to live.

While he honoured what

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we intuitively felt and saw, and came into the original space of the song, he also helped us to collectively explore what felt best and what served the song best without compromising the initial intention for the song,” explains Avery.

“What was specifically special about him, was that he had the ability to take it in any direction: there was no end to how many times we could imagine each track, to feel them somewhere else.

That was the most sacred thing about this process the openness and the lack of the pressure to compromise.”

Despite their closeness, Avery and Harmony have found that what works best for them is writing

their songs completely separately. As the years have progressed, they’ve found it cathartic, allowing them to process emotions before workshopping the songs together. Rather than cause a sense of disconnect, it’s perhaps strengthened their dynamic.

It’s another of the reasons Girlpool formed such a strong connection with Yves, seeing how dedicated he was in protecting what Avery refers to as “the purest moment” of their songs. “When Harmony and I wrote our songs alone in our own space, that’s the most special part of the song, because that’s how it was born.”

This relationship also

helped to challenge the perceived notions of what a Girlpool album should be.

‘Forgiveness’ sounds a world away from the scrappy lo-fi of their debut ‘Before the World Was Big’ - so much so that you could listen to the albums side by side and believe they were two different bands. However, when listening to Girlpool’s records in chronological order, you can trace the threads of the evolution of their sound, particularly on previous album ‘What Chaos Is Imaginary’, which dabbled in spacious dream pop with a hint of dark electronica.

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly, but ‘Forgiveness’ sounds like Girlpool have arrived at the band they were

meant to be. It’s incredibly nuanced, taking the hints of electronica from ‘What Chaos’ and expanding them into textured, slick vignettes of dark glamour or surreal after-the-after-party vibes, while still remaining beautifully poetic.

It also has what can only be described as a very LA feel to it: an atmosphere of smouldering Hollywood desire. It makes sense, given that the pair are from LA, but it’s a feeling that was reinforced after they moved to Philadelphia and then New York before returning.

“LA has influenced us both on many levels throughout our life,” says Harmony. “Our move back inevitably affected how we made music. When we write

songs, we drive around LA listening to them, so the Hollywood landscape we’re ingesting when we’re writing the songs impacts how we imagine them being produced.”

‘Forgiveness’ shines most in its delicate exploration of complex human experiences, with one of the overarching themes being accepting past versions of yourself and past behaviours and reconciling those with the present while learning to heal and grow. It’s a concept that’s incredibly significant to Avery, having transitioned in 2018, and one that’s represented in the album title, ‘Forgiveness.’

“Harmony and I felt that it encapsulated everything in a beautiful way,” Avery reflects. “I feel that making

this album was a very therapeutic experience; being able to express those feelings created a lot of new space in me to grow. I find the process of writing songs and putting them out there to be the ultimate way to forgive others for the pain they’ve caused and forgive myself for the shame and pain and difficulty within myself.

“Songwriting is the method that I use to move closer to accepting the truth, to having faith and trusting that the hardships I’m going through are pushing me in a direction that is only teaching me more about myself, that I’m where I’m supposed to be on this journey. I suppose you could sum that up by calling it ‘forgiving’, because it’s allowing it to be whatever it is.”

Harmony also found the experience of writing ‘Forgiveness’ to be a process of healing. “A lot of the songs

“I find the process of writing songs and putting them out there to be the ultimate way to forgive” Avery Tucker

are about things I’ve put myself through via other people, and accepting and forgiving myself for being willing to suffer, and for not loving myself or holding space for my own needs.

There’s a lot of sacrifice in my songs.”

She goes on to describe ‘Faultline’, the woozy, ethereal first single from the album, as her “essence song”. “I’m discussing a lot of things I’ve done for a long time and patterns I’ve held and the fear that I won’t ever escape them. I think offering myself the space to vocalise those things is extremely healing.”

The deep affection between the two becomes apparent once again as Avery explains the intensity of feeling brought about when listening to each other’s songs. “It’s pretty complex because we both have different relationships to each song. For me, all my songs are intense, and all Harmony’s songs are intense for her. Then her songs are intense for me in other ways, because I love her and I love those songs, so I have my relationship to her songs, then I have my relationship to those songs as someone who loves her.”

With a busy touring schedule ahead and a whole new slick sound, Avery and Harmony’s journey forward together looks set to continue, though they are trying to accept that there’s no need to hide those past versions of themselves.

“We still play some of our old material, and it’s nice to honour that period,” explains Avery. “It definitely feels a little funny sometimes.

We’d rather play the stuff that is emotionally relevant, but in a way, the old stuff is emotionally relevant.

We have an appreciation and gratitude for those past versions of ourselves because they built who we are today.” ■ Girlpool’s album ‘Forgiveness’ is out 29th April.

Upset 45

Pure Embracing both pop hooks and loud riffs, Puppy’s new album ‘Pure Evil’ is packed full of much-needed lo-fi fun.

Words: Steven Loftin. Photos: James Clare.

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evil.

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“C

an you imagine a real-life man acting the way Steven Tyler does? Like, it’s crazy,” Puppy guitarist and vocalist Jock Norton laughs. Conversations with Puppy inevitably lead down road roads like this because the world is a bit too heavy to keep things boring.

It’s in this careful balance of laughing and joking and wildly embracing the ups and downs of life that the band exist. The trio, also consisting of drummer Billy Howard and bassist Will Michael, have lived here since forming back in 2015. “We find it very hard to be serious around each other,” Jock explains.

“But there’s never any joke lyrics, the music we take very seriously. But I guess it’s more we know that rock genuinely is dumb.”

Images of larger-than-life rockers careening around LA in tattered leather jackets, shirts wide open, aviators and little regard for health and safety - these are all things Puppy are not. And that’s why we love ‘em. They’ve seen the musicians they listened to as youngsters and what they’ve become.

“Aerosmith are absurd…

They’re great, but they’re absurd.”

Puppy’s brand of searing hard rock - guitar solos and all - twinned with pop sensibilities and hook-laden choruses is an anthemic antidote to all that huffing and mussing that comes from the darker edges of rockdom.

And it all starts with the three mates.

“I cycled to see Jock two or three times and would buy, on staff discount, a massive crate of beer. I can’t believe I cycled that back,” explains Billy of their lockdown shenanigans.

“It was fucking mad, honestly,” Jock continues smirking. “24 bottles of beer, and Billy would put it in a postman’s bag and cycle back to South London.”

“I looked like a fucking turtle with this huge thing,”

48 Upset

Billy quickly laughs.

“We’d stand outside the off licence together and maybe drink two or three beers. That was nice, man,” Jock adds.

Around this time, the band’s second album, ‘Pure Evil’, was born. Predominantly recorded by Jock and written while confined to their repurposed rehearsal space in East London, the group’s isolation from the world (except for their friend, producer Rory Atwell) feeds into the album’s bubbling energy. “We were at the mercy of everything,” says Jock. “We couldn’t tour, we couldn’t book studio time.

And we were like, fuck it, I don’t want to wait around.

This band’s ethos has been to do everything ourselves.”

Explaining ‘Pure Evil’’s beginnings stemming from that period, Billy says: “The title was decided quite early on. There was some conceptual framework in place because there was this slightly ominous dark fucking energy hanging over everyone, but then there was something quite intimate and honest about the three of us getting together for the first time and just enjoying being together in a room and figuring out how to plough through this mountain of shit.”

“Which was the other name for the album,” Jock blurts out, hysterics erupting through the band. Getting back down to business, Billy continues: “Having that amount of time and distance from any kind of structure or a timeframe that you might normally have allows you to distil everything down to what you actually want from it, and that comes through.

“When it’s fun, it’s maybe a little bit more fun than it has been before in terms of the songs, and I think they’re a little bit more vulnerable than we’ve had previously if I may say so, Jock? That somehow must have fed out of that creative process of not necessarily having like five strangers in a room?”

“We know that rock genuinely is dumb” Jock Norton Puppy aren’t afraid of rolling their sleeves up and getting stuck into what needs to be done. “It was really empowering,” Jock asserts.

“It was cool to be able to go, we can fucking do this ourselves, you know? After getting signed, we started working with producers, and we were touring a lot and stuff - you’re constantly looking outwards. This gave us the time to go sit and just be together, the three of us that was all there was.”

The introspective side of ‘Pure Evil’ was, in part, influenced by their listening habits. They would usually listen to “R. Stevie Moore, and Dinosaur Jr., and Sebadoh and stuff - all of those bands. It’s kind of bedroom music, and it’s kind of about being at home.

“In a way, while the band’s ethos is fun, and it’s slightly gregarious, upbeat, loud music actually, there is a little bit of a sadness or an isolation,” Billy says. “It’s more about aspiring to these things rather than being in the middle of them. So in a funny way, the lockdown mood maybe did feed in a little bit to the ethos of the band in so much as we maybe we were already feeling a little bit isolated and separate from the party.”

“That’s true. I never thought that; I think that’s pretty accurate,” Jock agrees.

Indeed, the band’s journey has been scrappy. Firstly, starting as a full-blown DIY outfit for their first EPs,

which Billy describes as them “trying to make music that sounded like [Metallica’s] Black Album or like ‘Nevermind’ - huge, massive, million-dollar rock albums or whatever.” With little to no budget, the band’s daring twinkle and fists in the air attitude caught the attention of record labels, leading to their debut album.

“Maybe that’s part of the charm of those EPs,” Billy continues. “Punching up is a phrase that we’ve used before. Then with ‘The Goat’, we didn’t have a million pounds or songs of the calibre of Metallica or Nirvana, but that was us being on the fuck it; let’s make an album that could hit on those levels.”

Mentioning of their follow-up that “we’ve kind of refined it a little bit”, the loud is still capital-L loud, and that ambition is still swinging wildly, but, as Jock says, “there’s a little bit more of a personal feel to it, which I think suits the tone of the group.

“There should be a vulnerability in our sound; I think maybe we’ve refined the way of conveying those songs a little bit better. We’ve found a space where we sit a little bit more comfortably, potentially.”

Puppy relish being together. They play off of one another, both in humour and musicality. Live they’re a tight-knit trio, embracing the shredding bombast of rock with a bit of a smirk but never forgetting its introspective roots.

“We all have a strange relationship to rock music, really enjoying it but not really feeling like we can deliver it in that sort of, like, absurd way,” Jock says. But then again, “Billy’s going to tie some handkerchiefs to his legs; that’s actually what big fans can look forward to from the new live show. A lot more of that from Bill, and occasionally shouting ‘walk this way’!” ■ Puppy’s album ‘Pure Evil’ is out 6th May. Upset 49

More than two decades in, Simple Plan aren’t ready to slow down yet.

Words: Steven Loftin.

P

ierre Bouvier isn’t ‘just a kid’ anymore.

The Simple Plan frontman is racking up twenty-plus years in music, and now he’s toting his band’s sixth album cocked and loaded, ready to snap the consciousness of alternative music back to the pop-punk mainstay’s way of being.

But that ticking clock doesn’t stop Pierre from feeling as fresh as he did back when he and his band appeared like spring-loaded action figures, poised and ready to take on the world back in 2002 with their debut album, ‘No Helmet, No Pads… Just Balls’.

“I’m realising that I’ve come to a certain age now, I’ll be 43 this year, but I don’t feel like that,” Pierre beams. “I feel like I’m still the guy singing ‘I’m Just A Kid’ and ‘I’d Do Anything’ on stage. And I’ve realised that I’m

always going to feel like that person.

“However, we cannot stop the years from going by. I think [about] Mark Hoppus, it was at a time when we used to talk to him about our music and stuff, and he was 27. We thought, ‘Oh my God, he’s so old!’ And now I’m like, holy crap. I didn’t know what the hell I was talking about!”

Time is an inevitable passage, and being in a band puts you in a unique position.

It means that when it comes to, say, your sixth album in twenty-plus years, there’s time for reflection. ‘Harder Than It Looks’ is exactly that for Simple Plan. It’s their chance to embrace how far they’ve come, and how much further they want to go. But unlike their name would suggest, things can be a bit tricky.

“People look at Simple Plan

or any big band, and they think that it’s a life of luxury and it must be so easy to not have to work for a living and blah, blah, blah,” Pierre says, eyes-rolling.

“But for us, we’ve worked so hard on this band, and to be able to be here still today after all this time, it’s harder than it looks.”

The album’s title holds no illusions or hidden meaning. It’s as barefaced of a statement as you’ll get. Perhaps unsurprising given this is a band who rocketed to fame with such bite-sized philosophies as “I’m just a kid and life is a nightmare”, but sometimes a few simple words are all it takes to portray a heft of meaning.

“It’s a lot of work to be in a band. It’s kind of like being in a marriage with a bunch of other people, and you don’t get to have make-up sex; you just have to communicate… Not Upset 51

that I want to have make-up sex with those guys! But you know, there’s never that release. You have to talk it through, and there’s a lot of opinions.”

The four-piece have certainly undergone an evolution. After losing founding bassist David Desrosiers in 2020 following sexual misconduct allegations, the band, consisting of drummer Chuck Comeau and guitarists Jeff Stinco and Sébastien Lefebvre are tighter than ever, knowing all too well the world they’re part of can and will change.

Growing up in such an environment, and particularly in this vacuum of self, arrested development is always a card that’s inevitably dealt. Years on the road, playing music with his best friends while fans themselves grew up and out of what may have been a mainstream trend when Simple Plan were first barreling around the world twenty years ago. It’s a steady stream of hurdles.

Freely admitting that being in a band means he’s “never really had to grow up”, this fact plays into being able to tap into what Simple Plan have always been about; embracing youth and all those rough and tumble components. “That’s why I still feel like a young guy, though I don’t look that young anymore,” he laughs, scratching at his greying stubble. “But I feel like a young guy, and my life is going out there and throwing the party and having fun on stage and meeting people and then sleeping on a bus.”

With the yin of this carefree lifestyle comes the yang of responsibility.

Recalling a moment a few days ago, “there was a bunch of stuff going on, and I had a bunch of emails answer. I told my wife, ‘This is bullshit. I’m a rock star. I shouldn’t have to get up in the morning and answer all these fucking emails!’ And she’s like, ‘Pierre, I think you 52 Upset

should probably talk to your therapist about that’. And I’m like, ‘Yeah, you’re right’,” he says with a chuckle. “But, being in a band has been this luxury, and it’s something that you have to learn to deal with. There have definitely been parts of me where I’ve been able to live a juvenile life, and that’s the beauty of it.”

Sticking to their guns means Simple Plan are here for the great pop-punk resurgence - it’s not just a phase, no matter what anyone says. Even Pierre remembers back in 2001, various labels telling Simple Plan they were on the tail end of the pop-punk fad, and they were about to miss the boat.

“They were like, quick, quick, it’s going to be over.

We put [‘No Pads...’] out in 2002, had a massive record, put our second album [‘Still Not Getting Any’] out in 2004, which was massive as well. So it lasted longer than we had been told to begin with, and then when our third album came out, 2006 or 07, it really slowed down.”

There’s no air of defeat when Pierre discusses this period. Tumbling and rolling with the punches, Simple Plan gave adapting a go on 2007’s self-titled album.

They decided, “we can’t just do straight-up pop-punk because it doesn’t get played on the radio anymore, so we gave it a new twist to what we were doing, which is cool, and our fans at first were upset about that third record, and now it’s become the hardcore fans favourite.”

For Simple Plan, sticking true to why people first fell in love with them, or even the ones just finding them thanks to the 2020 ‘I’m Just A Kid’ TikTok challenge, is important. Four chords, barreling along with a youthful heart and wrestling with those angsty feelings that come along with it.

“We can do all kinds of different things, but at the end of the day, people that are going to listen to this

record, they love Simple Plan,” Pierre explains. “So, let’s give them Simple Plan. My favourite music is pop-punk, I love that kind of stuff, so it’s not like I’m compromising. However, I’m embracing what we’ve built.

I’m also embracing what people love from us, you know? But there definitely is an aspect of it that is limiting.”

Surrounded by the same four walls, instead of bouncing off of them, Simple Plan have spent their career expanding them, making use of the space. They’ve found the nooks and crannies and are using them for all they’re worth, even if it means some missteps. 2011’s pop-infused ‘Get Your Heart On!’ didn’t quite hit its stride, even with its guest appearance bonanza including Kelly Clarkson, Sean Paul, and Alex Gaskarth, while 2016’s ‘Taking One For The Team’ bore the DNA of what made Simple Plan great but faltered in its confidence.

Simple Plan are here for the future. It’s a complex world, much more so than in the early noughties. When once upon a time, they would get the occasional call from the powers-that-be telling them of record sales and whatnot, nowadays it’s instantaneous, everything is everywhere, and there’s not a lot you can do about it.

“I’m in my 40s now, I’m in a band, but when people talk shit about my band or music that I put out, or if they say, ‘Oh my god, what happened to Pierre, he looks so old?’ I’m like, ‘Ouch!’ and that sticks with me,” Pierre admits. But, as he’s been doing his entire career, all he has to do is remember: “I know who I am. I do what I love. You can eff off.”

It’s this message in particular that make Simple Plan such an important brick in the bigger house of poppunk. Pierre’s aware that he can see the channelling of these emotions into his band’s songs “applying to a younger person still in

high school. Bullies, they don’t stay at school,” he says. “They follow you everywhere. They’re in your pocket on your phone, and those kids that are going through that stuff that are being teased for having acne or being teased for having a different skin colour.”

There’s something fundamentally parental about this level of concern.

Which is another aspect of life that Pierre is balancing with his band. Being a parent means that he is indeed a

full-grown adult now. He has responsibilities, much like his parents did when he first ditched education, instead following musical ambitions.

“If my kids told me they want to be in a band, I’d say fuck no!” He laughs. “I’d let them do it. But I’d put up a fight.”

Knowing what his parents went through when he first played in dive bars and sketchy clubs with “a lot of swearing”, and seeing their child “playing for 30 people that are moshing, and it smells like pot.” No matter how much he resonates with

that feeling, he’ll always be the voice that gave - and is still giving - direction to generations simply because those feelings are timeless.

It would seem the shirt ironically emblazoned with ‘role model’ Pierre wore in their video for ‘I’d Do Anything’ all those years ago was a prescient icon.

“As kids going through that stuff, that seems so dramatic. You look at adults, your parents, and you think, you’ll never understand, you don’t know. And your parents know, they were

there, and they still are in their own way, except they can’t show it to you. It’s what brings it all together, which is kind of cool.”

2022 also marks the twentieth anniversary of their debut album. With the two releases lining up, they’re out on the track, limbering up with tube socks pulled high; Simple Plan are readying to lap themselves.

Those snot-nosed punks are a well-oiled machine these days. They’ve been through the cycles of the industry, and their name is synonymous with a moment still held dear to many who were a part of the chainwallet wearing, Atticus shirt bearing pop-punk noughties.

But that doesn’t mean it’s translated to Pierre.

“I always feel in my heart like the new kid on the block,” he laughs. “Even though I’m older, I’ve always felt like… when we were on tour, bands we played festivals with like NOFX, and Green Day, and Blink and all those guys, I always felt like the young band. Now I’m realising that we are that older band to other bands.

“When I was on the last Warped Tour that we did, I’d walk around backstage going to get some lunch or

“We’re only one hit song away from a new era of Simple Plan” Pierre Bouvier

whatever, and young bands would be like, ‘Oh, my God, you’re from Simple Plan! I grew up listening to your music’. That’s the new role; I’ve become that to some people.”

There’s a lot that Simple Plan have to offer the world.

From understanding who you are, to where you’ve been, and where you could potentially go. It’s all about driving forward, accelerating faster and faster, watching the time and fads fly by knowing that if you stick to your guns, it’ll keep paying off.

“Even though we’ve had a lot of success in our career, we all feel like we never really hit it massive,” Pierre admits. “We never were as big as like a Linkin Park or as a Foo Fighters or something like that, like there’s A class, we’re the B class. We did well, we sold millions of records, and I’m so grateful for everything that it’s given me, but we always felt like, let’s try to get a little more.

I think it’s a great dangling carrot that we always want to keep chasing because if you are massive, it might be like, ‘Alright, I did that’. I feel like we’re only one hit song away from a new era of Simple Plan. Hopefully, we have that on this new record.”

Whatever happens with ‘Harder Than It Looks’, Simple Plan will always be Simple Plan.

They live in a space that occupies nostalgia while being removed enough from that concrete time twenty-odd years ago where they can still feel brand new in 2022. It’s a unique position, one that can only benefit them. And if anything, at least it means that Pierre “didn’t have to get a real estate licence or something.” Maybe life isn’t such a nightmare after all. ■ Simple Plan’s album ‘Harder Than It Looks’ is out 6th May. Upset 53

Rated.

THE OFFICIAL VERDICT ON EVERYTHING

Fontaines D.C.

Skinty Fia ★★★★★

54 Upset

FONTAINES D.C. HAVE always had an innate connection to their environment. You can hear it in every song they write. On debut album ‘Dogrel’, that environment was Dublin, the city where they lived, where they grew, and where the band formed. Second album ‘A Hero’s Death’ was born out of transience, shaped by the ever-changing scenery the group travelled through as they toured. With their third record, Fontaines D.C. have created a heartfelt ode to home – both the one that shaped them and the one they shape for themselves.

The notion of home is a complex one. The struggle to find it, to hold on to it, to find peace with it… These emotions sit at the heart of ‘Skinty Fia’. Driven by a sense of displacement and unease, the record is laced with a simmering intensity that lingers through every echoing bassline and searing refrain.

Album opener ‘In ár gCroíthe go deo’ (‘In Our

Hearts Forever’) sets the mood for the record with chilling grace. Beginning with a simple bassline and gentle vocals, the track bubbles with a barely restrained anger that feels clearer and more volatile with every listen. Mired in turmoil, this song – and, indeed, all the songs on this record – use the poetry that Fontaines D.C. are so versed in creating to portray the sentiment of home in all of its gruesome technicolour glory.

Love and fire crackle hand in hand throughout, from blistering fixation (‘How Cold Love Is’) to relentless romance (‘I Love You’) and every degree in between.

The mood is bleak, even brutal in places (as catchy as ‘Jackie Down The Line’ is, the story it tells is a doomed one), but despite this, the songs never fall completely into darkness.

The album’s bounding rhythms and droning melodies are perfectly primed for dance moves in dark venues, for flashing

lights and swaying bodies and flailing limbs (the album’s title track in particular). There’s beauty too, and plenty of it (accordion-led number ‘The Couple Across The Way’ feels purpose-made to tug at your heartstrings and enchanting enough for you to let it), while the band’s ability to spin a tongue-incheek turn of phrase into an anthemic chant-a-long is as strong as it’s ever been.

Nuanced but no less ferocious, ‘Skinty Fia’ is Fontaines D.C. at their most sincere. As much of an ode to the community the band found for themselves in London as it is the country they come from, their answer to what (and where) home is might be conflicted, but their grasp on it is just as assured as it always has been. “When they knock for ya, don’t forget who you are,” sings Grian Chatten on ‘Roman Holiday’. Rest assured, theirs isn’t a conviction that will be forgotten any time soon.

Jessica Goodman

Bob Vylan

Bob Vylan Presents The Price Of Life ★★★★★ Fiercely (and rightfully) proud of their independent status, Bob Vylan are the perfect example of how you can achieve success without compromising what makes you special.

Debut ‘We Live Here’ was a revelation, a thrilling collision of grime and punk. Here, they’ve taken that template, tweaked it and perfected it. ‘…Price Of Life’ drills down on what makes them such a visceral and vital force in the punk scene and beyond. Exceptional. Jamie MacMillan

seismic shifts, but those long-seeded, more personal developments that have been coming a long time regardless. The Cold Years that greet us on ‘Goodbye To Misery’ certainly find themselves in new territory.

Frontman Ross Gordon’s relocation from Aberdeen to the bright lights of Glasgow comes with a mental shift. As he puts it himself, “I’m not selfdestructive or miserable anymore”. A bigger, more ambitious Cold Years are aiming for something massive, simply because they can. Defiant, deliberate and ready to take direct action; nobody’s gonna keep them down. Stephen Ackroyd

Forgiveness ★★★★

The Girlpool of 2022 is a very different concern from the one that initially pushed through the Psychic Jailbreak zeitgeist seven years ago. ★★★★ ‘Forgiveness’ doesn’t just It feels like Cancer Bats provide a crescendo to are ready to start again on that journey, but also one ‘Psychic Jailbreak’. With draws in the strands to songs about touring and create something radically screams of “My life was new. Creatively vibrant saved by a skateboard” on and diverse, every vision ‘Hoof’, they utilise hallmarks and creative itch is fully of bands far more junior realised. From the sultry, than these well-travelled silky ‘Lie Love Lullaby’ to bats, sounding refocused the woozy ‘Faultline’, each with a youthful punk edge. track has something new Elsewhere, the titular to revel in. ‘Forgiveness’ track and the sludgy finds Girlpool finding joy ‘Hammering On’ tap into in expression, and in the some transcendentalism process making an album as they begin to explore that redefining their the possibilities of what own musical identity. A this new era of Cancer crowning glory. Stephen Bats could be. It makes for Ackroyd a sensational album that sounds like a band in midmetamorphosis: there is still a long road ahead for them.

Alex Bradley

Cancer Bats

Halestorm

Back From The Dead ★★★★ Goodbye To Misery ★★★★

Life changes: not just in those big, post-pandemic

HEALTH

DISCO4 :: PART II ★★★★

Girlpool

Cold Years

guitar, Halestorm have released am impressive album of rock ballads with an eye-watering intensity that only lifts for the few acoustic tracks sprinkled throughout. These are still badass in their own way, backed by an empowering emotional rawness colossal closing track ‘Raise Your Horns’ is a call to arms, feeling like a love letter to all the fans and a perfect conclusion. Kelsey McClure

“I’m back from the dead!” frontwoman Lzzy Hale roars on the titular opening track. Her voice is so powerful that it threatens to shake your speakers.

Sharp and full of shredding

It’s 15 years since HEALTH first broke through the nascent blogosphere. Most of their peers of that time have aged out, drifted away or lost their relevance - and yet, with their ‘DISCO4’ project, that’s a fate yet to befall a trio whose influence is still felt keenly - something perhaps best shown by the cast of collaborators found on this second instalment. From relative but impressive new talent Poppy, Ekkstacy and Ho99o9 to certified legends Nine Inch Nails and Lamb of God, their ability to pull others through their glitching, grainy digital filter remains as compelling as it is impressive. Stephen Ackroyd

point - within the vastness, you might even find some answers. Steven Loftin

The Linda Lindas

Growing Up ★★★★★

Impossibly young and rising to mainstream awareness via a viral video clip recorded in a library, the ascent of The Linda Lindas might feel like the kind of narrative pre-written for a film, but there’s nothing fake or pre-destined about a band able to deliver a debut album this good.

Mixing righteous garage punk with a wholesome optimism, lead single ‘Growing Up’ lays down a manifesto - one that proves that, while their youth may be notable, it doesn’t require any caveats or asterisk. As the song that initially catapulted them into the spotlight, ‘Racist Sexist Boy’, closes the album, The Linda Lindas prove that beyond everything else, they provide hope for a scene that can sometimes feel like it has lost its way. The kids aren’t just alright - they’re brilliant. Stephen Ackroyd

(watch my moves) ★★★

Remaining as effortlessly cool as ever, Kurt Vile comes spouting his tales once more. This time on his ninth outing ‘(watch my moves)’, he’s bursting things wide open, taking them as panoramic as they can get. Offering up vast scenes (some clocking in at more than seven minutes!) if you need a bit of escapism, here’s what you’re looking for. At times it can feel like there’s no real direction, but that’s the

Peaness

World Full of Worry ★★★★ For anyone embarrassingly late to the Peaness hype, their debut record ‘World Full of Worry’ acts as the perfect introduction to their signature soft but strong, sweet but stern style of pop-punk-ish indierock. Opening with all the charm of Adventure Time’s closing theme in ‘Take a Trip’, the album whisks into a wistful escape. In an instant, they give a shot in the arm with the electric ‘Kaizen’ - a cripplingly catchy track about our power as individuals to be a force for positive change.

Peaness possess an inimitable ability to deliver genuine insights on the neuroses of powerlessly enduring your 20s, while maintaining remarkably optimistic. Connor Fenton

Prince Daddy & The Hyena

Ocean Grove

Kurt Vile

exactly what it says on the tin; it makes you feel like you’re flying through the air at a thousand miles per hour. Steven Loftin

Up In The Air Forever ★★★★

Prince Daddy & The Hyena ★★★★★

Prince Daddy & The Hyena’s double-album Australian wild boys Ocean breakout ‘Cosmic Thrill Grove and their unique Seekers’ had all the blending of explosive subtlety and nuance of a positive-punk consistently rather blunt sledgehammer. tackling the trials of life A dizzying dervish of are certainly a sight to punk-rock hits, it was a behold. Care-free till the breathless and exhilarating end, it’s always a maximalist endurance test, complete affair, even down to the with knotty themes and a ALL CAPS SONG TITLES. relentless attitude. ‘Prince Featuring fellow Aussie’s Daddy & The Hyena’ is Dune Rats (‘BORED’), along a world away, displaying with American emo sprite enormous growth in Lil Aaron (‘HMU’), the latest songwriting and pacing. offering from Ocean Grove Just as Joyce Manor wrote is as filled with ludicrous their best material when braggadocio (‘SEX DOPE they realised not every GOLD’) as it is heartfelt song needed to be 90 meaning (‘SILVER LINING’). seconds long, the maturity ‘Up In The Air Forever’ does displayed here makes for

Upset 55

making purile wordplay through the TV screen two decades ago. Opener ‘Wake Me Up (When This Nightmare’s Over)’ might be almost painfully on the nose given events of recent years - despite the fact it was actually laid down before the pandemic hit - but it’s also a more mature Simple Plan.

Teaming up with Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley for ‘Ruin My Life’ is enough to successfully turn those clocks back, while ‘The Antidote’ sees the fully band embracing their own sonic identity. Enough to make you feel just a kid again. Stephen Ackroyd

Stand Atlantic

F.E.A.R. ★★★★★

In early 2020, Stand Atlantic’s ascent looked pretty textbook. Debut ‘Skinny Dipping’ had flown out of the tracks, with follow up ‘Pink Elephant’ was ready to go. And then everything went to shit. a far richer experience. of hope, with kernels a healthy drone, while commitment has never Some might have kicked Approachable but not of optimism scattered ‘Wasted Little Heart’ been diluted, no matter their heels for a couple of obvious, smart without audibly struts. Pulling back throughout. Sometimes, how much the Canadian years, waiting until they being condescending, it from the edge and finding like on opener ‘You’re mainstays have tinkered could take their last album is jam-packed with songs solace in themselves, ‘Pure Gonna Be Golden’ this at the edges of their on the road. Not Stand which brim with vitality and Evil’ proves that some means digging in and not sound. ‘Misery Made Me’ urgency. Rob Mair giving up, while on ‘Guest things are worth holding is no exception, seeing the Atlantic. ‘F.E.A.R.’ is the sound of a band grabbing Room’ it’s acknowledging onto, no matter how quintet push their sound hold of their own narrative heavy the storm. Stephen the strength and support more than ever before and using it to channel of others. In finding these Ackroyd – in part thanks to some a world of frustration, flashes of positivity, it’s excellent collaborations anxiety and confidence in easy to root for Maxwell, as (Comeback Kid’s Andrew their own vision. Described his personal stories unfurl. Neufeld, The Devil Wears by vocalist Bonnie Fraser ‘Dent’ is a small, intimate Prada’s Mike Hranica as “an anti-concept album”, beacon of hope but, in and Nothing,Nowhere it’s a record about throwing moments, thrilling all the all appear) – but still Pure Evil same. Rob Mair delivering plenty to excite yourself into the void and ★★★★ seeing what bleeds out. the masses. ‘Misery Made It’s fair to say that the Me’ proves Silverstein still Opener ‘doomsday’ sets the mood, a frenetic, alllast couple of years would have plenty in the tank. too-relatable breakdown.

DENT have any sensible person Rob Mair There’s no romanticising reassessing the point of ★★★★ of grandiose bullshit here everything. Introspection The bruised and battered ‘pity party’ has no time for isn’t just about doubt, heart of Maxwell Stern that - while ‘dumb’ chucks though. It’s also about has been front and centre genre boundaries out the finding the things that of Signals Midwest’s MISERY MADE ME window to make an anthem matter. That’s the process output for several years ★★★★ for the ages. Visceral and that Puppy’s second album now, so it’s little surprise addictive, ‘F.E.A.R.’ is a vital There’s always been ‘Pure Evil’ embraces. to hear the world-weary rallying call. In refusing something grand about ‘The Kiss’ sounds like a resignation behind the Harder Than It Looks to sugar coat the messy Silverstein’s lyrical modern classic from its words “it left a dent on ★★★★ stuff, Stand Atlantic have assertions; few bands can opening seconds, equal me” on closing track made a record that cuts parts melodic brains and Simple Plan have never ‘Dent’. Yet, while the focus deliver faintly ridiculous through the fake façades lines like “If my head stops grungy, scuzzy guts. ‘... really stopped being might be on struggles and spinning will my heart stop Simple Plan, but on ‘Harder of a world obsessed with And Watched It Glow’, on experiences, central to appearances. Embrace the too” with such steadfast the other hand, kicks off Than It Looks’, they’re a these stories are themes conviction. Such all-in with a guttural drop and band evolved from the one chaos. Stephen Ackroyd

Puppy

Signals Midwest

Silverstein

Simple Plan

56 Upset

EVERYONE HAS THOSE FORMATIVE BANDS AND TRACKS THAT FIRST GOT THEM INTO MUSIC AND HELPED SHAPE THEIR VERY BEING. THIS MONTH, CODY CARSON OF SET IT OFF TAKES US THROUGH SOME OF THE SONGS THAT MEANT THE MOST TO HIM DURING HIS TEENAGE YEARS. RELIENT K

More Than Useless This song, for me, was like having a best friend next to you to cheer you up on your worst days. I’d come home from a rough day at school and turn this up all the way and scream every word. It gave me selfworth and confidence when I felt like there was none left in the tank. It also shaped me as a lyricist in a subconscious way. The verses are about the tough times; they draw you in and make you feel ok with not being ok. Then the choruses lift you up and remind you that everything is going to get better.

I can’t thank Relient K enough for this song.

MAYDAY PARADE

Miserable At Best This song not only got me through some of my hardest breakups, but it made me really appreciate ballads. It’s actually the first ballad I forced myself to learn on piano and cover, and it heavily influenced me in Set It Off moving forward. Many tears were shed while singing along to this song, and it truly helped me heal over and over. Sometimes you need the sad songs to take your hand and show you how to lean into your pain to push through it. This is one of those songs.

FALL OUT BOY

Sugar We’re Going Down Holy shit, what a memory. MTV spring break. Fall Out Boy did a live performance of this song.

Joe Trohman did a backwards 360° spin with his guitar, and it was game over for me; I was hooked. There began a very long and loyal journey of buying every album and just being an overall massive fan of Fall Out Boy. I learned so much about writing music just by listening and over-analysing every note, melody, and lyric. Patrick Stump will forever be one of my favourite musical influences.

NEW FOUND GLORY

Understatement The first rock instrument I ever

58 Upset

played was actually drums. I got my first kit at 13 and would put on my favourite albums and just play away. ‘Sticks and Stones’ was always in regular rotation. Cyrus Bolooki is a goddamn MONSTER on the kit.

I remember looking up videos of them playing this song live just to watch how he approached the fills in this songs, which hand he started with. This song is too much fun, it’s so quick and energetic in the verses and prechoruses, and then the halftime chorus kicks in, and I fucking DARE you not to bob your head and smile.

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE

Helena This song is single-handedly responsible for me getting into my first real band. I was playing it with headphones on in the gym of my church where this ska band rehearsed, and they heard me play it. They couldn’t hear which song I was playing to, but one of the members

said, “was that ‘Helena’?” and I remember being so happy that they recognised it just from the beat. They shortly offered me the opportunity to be their drummer and thus began my obsession with playing live rock shows.

BACKSTREET BOYS

Larger Than Life Flashback to when I was in 5th grade, one fine Christmas Day. I went to my best friend Jesse’s house, and his mom said she had a present for both of us.

That present was an envelope containing two tickets to my first show ever. The Backstreet Boys millennium tour. WHAT a show! I became a super fan immediately. This song/video got my attention in particular.

I’m not kidding when I say this, I entered a lip sync contest for Radio Disney and did an entire choreographed dance routine to this song. I hope no video exists of it.

DESTINY’S CHILD Say My Name Before I got into any sort of rock or pop-punk, it was all pop or R&B. I would essentially listen to whatever my sister listened to, and she has IMMACULATE taste. I quickly fell in love with Destiny’s Child. I just loved not only how catchy their songs were but the attitude behind them. Just owning how you feel and not being afraid to tell it like is.

FIVE IRON FRENZY Pre-Ex Girlfriend This was my introduction to pop/punk and ska. I was a VERY nerdy kid growing up and had NO clue how to talk to girls. This song kinda allows you to laugh at how awkward you are. Five Iron Frenzy made me proud to be a nerd. They have both hilarious and serious songs, and I was in love with all of it.

Set It Off’s album ‘Elsewhere’ is out now.

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