Santa Cruz based hardcore darlings Scowl just dropped a brand new track, “Tonight (I’m Afraid)” from their hotly anticipated album Are We All Angels, due out April 4th via Dead Oceans. The track features lead vocalist Kat Moss’s visceral screams vulnerably slicing through sing along choruses and punchy bass lines that they’re known for.
The band tapped Will Yip (Turnstile, Title Fight, etc) once again to produce after their last partnership on Psychic Dance Routine was a homerun. Will’s ability to capture Scowl’s aggression and venomous delivery at every turn in the studio as it oozes through their on stage presence is a feat in and of itself.
Are We All Angels is a record that tackles alienation, the loss of control, and grief as the band navigates their way through their quick rise to the top of the hardcore scene and the community that has embraced them and fashioned them into a lightning rod.
That electricity is what’s so inspiring personally as a fan and seeing how Scowl are quite literally growing up and shifting before your eyes with every move they make. “The majority of us were really not proficient musicians when this band started,” Moss admits when speaking of their evolution. “It was very Germs-esque in that way, like baby’s first hardcore band, which is awesome. But now, we still might not know what we’re doing, but we have a better idea of what we want to do.”
That evolution is also highlighted by the band members each bringing their own sometimes very different influences to the songwriting table on the new record. Citing artists like Billie Eilish, Car Seat Headrest, Bad Brains, Hole, Garbage, The Pixies, and more, bassist Bailey Lupo notes, “Everyone brought so many ideas to the table and we were able to dissect it all and take our time. We all have such eclectic tastes, influences and personalities and you can really hear that in every corner of the record.”
Moss’s vocals are shifting also from the sharp bite showcased on early work, she’s adopted a more delicate, textured approach. She flexes elaborate harmonies and melodic sensibilities but is careful to not lose the viciousness that helped illuminate their path. Scowl are able to convey the anger and frustration that lies within and still remain committed to the punk ethos and sense of community that’s so desperately needed in today’s landscape. When asked about it, guitarist Malachi Greene says, “Hardcore and punk have sculpted how we operate, what we want to do as a band, and how we participate. At our core,” he continues, “we are a punk and a hardcore band, regardless of how the song shifts and changes.”
Check out the tracklisting for Are We All Angels below and pre-order your copy now!
Are We All Angels Track Listing
SpecialB.A.B.E.
Fantasy
Not Hell, Not Heaven Tonight (I’m Afraid)
Fleshed Out
Let You Down
Cellophane
Suffer The Fool (How High Are You?)
Haunted
Are We All Angels
Watch the official video for “Tonight (I’m Afraid)” illustrated by Adam Fuchs, the creative director of AdultSwim.com!
Scowl - Tonight (I'm Afraid) [Official Video]
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