I love to see hardcore kids make it in the music biz. From AFI in the early 2000s to Turnstile more recently, it’s awesome to see bands go from screamy 2-minute tracks to (semi)mainstream success.
Hardcore is arguably the purest form of rock music, based entirely on feel with little production interference. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that bands who have mastered the genre are able to transition into writing more accessible songs with incredible hooks.
The latest hardcore band to make this incredible (yet always controversial) leap is Scowl. The Santa Cruz group led by vocalist Kat Moss have made the transition beautifully with their most recent album “Are We All Angels.”
The record is full of incredible pop-punk (and surprisingly, 90s alternative rock) hooks, but loses none of the intensity of their previous work. Yes, there’s still screaming, but even when Moss is singing in a more conventional style, she still demands the listener’s attention. Her lyrics have lost none of their confrontational rawness and her delivery is goosebump-inducing, regardless of the style.
An incredible record, and easily my favorite of the year (so far). Scowl are a band with incredible talent and integrity, and I’m so excited for the success this album will inevitably bring them.
Speaking of success, this F1 season continues to surprise, delight, and break hearts. Bahrain qualifying results were as unpredictable as ever, and the race was, in my opinion, the best of the season so far.
From Hamilton’s climb to Russell’s hold on P2, the top-5 was just as exciting as quali (minus Oscar Piastri’s predictable, unbelievable weekend). There was pretty consistent battling between P2 – P18 the entire race and tire strategy played a huge role. It was great to see Gasly and Tsunoda in the points, and no major crashes is always a good thing. Bahrain fell between the total chaos of Australia and the squeaky clean race of Japan, which is the perfect sweet spot for me.
BTW, my wife and I bought tickets and booked a trip to the Vegas GP this November. It’ll be my first time seeing a Formula One race live and to say I’m excited would be an understatement.
Stuff sucks big picture right now, but there’s still joy to be found if you can resist despair.
Resist despair,
Ryan
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