Scowl Enters a New Era with Psychic Dance Routine EP
by Hannah Kozak / Photo by Alice Baxleyvert
Santa Cruz hardcore band Scowl releases Psychic Dance Routine EP on April 7th via Flatspot Records. The highly anticipated EP is produced, mixed, and mastered by Will Yip. Scowl is Kat Moss (vocals), Malachi Greene (guitar), Bailey Lupo (bass), Cole Gilbert (drums), and Mikey Bifolco (guitar).
Scowl has made a name for themselves since forming in 2019. They are constantly pushing the boundaries of what a stereotypical hardcore band sounds and looks like; with flowers scattered throughout their branding and Moss singing completely clean on some songs, Scowl is paving their own path in the hardcore scene in a way different from many other bands. Their debut album How Flowers Grow, released in 2021, opened new doors for the band and led them to a period of non-stop touring. Scowl has shared the stage with bands like Limp Bizkit and Destroy Boys, and they are playing huge festivals such as Coachella, Reading and Leeds, and Sick New World in 2023.
The band traveled from California to Pittsburgh, PA in September 2022 to record at Studio 4 with Grammy-nominated producer Will Yip. Scowl says Yip helped bring the songs on Psychic Dance Routine to life while helping Moss hone in on her voice. The EP is focused heavily on the idea of performance, a reflection of how extensive touring has impacted the band.
“I chose to revolve the main theme around performance,” says Moss. “This is both literal and figurative, as the band has been on tour practically all of 2022. My perspective of being consumed as the version of myself that is ‘performing’ has shifted dramatically, while simultaneously grappling with the experience of being a feminine artist in a world that doesn’t always take you seriously.”
“Shot Down,” the first track on Psychic Dance Routine, is a high-energy track that sets the tone for the remainder of the EP. Moss switches between rough and clean vocals effortlessly, and the instrumentals follow her lead as the main guitar progression slows down slightly during the chorus. Moss sings completely clean on the second track/title track, “Psychic Dance Routine,” and lead single “Opening Night.” The band had one song on their debut album where Moss sang clean, and listeners can hear how much more comfortable and confident Moss has become in her voice since the past release. Moss’s clean vocals throughout the EP are incredibly strong and fit just as well in her writing as her rough vocals. “Wired” talks of the struggles with technology and social media, as Moss sings, Staring at a screen instead of talking to me / Don’t want a wasted life, there’s really no way out. The final track on Psychic Dance Routine, titled “Sold Out,” talks about being dragged down by others, and potentially the fear of others wanting them to sell out. When talking about the EP as a whole, Moss states she wanted to explore her own emotions and feelings of alienation/loneliness.
“The best way I can define Psychic Dance Routine is that it represents the mental gymnastics or ‘dance routine’ one might have to participate in order to telepathically project their feelings or emotions to another person because they no longer have the ability to express themselves with words” says Moss. “The overarching theme of this EP lies heavily in the definition of the name— I wanted to lyrically express feelings of alienation and loneliness as well as questioning my own reality. I made an effort to speak more with metaphors as I wanted these topics to be relevant to other people.”
Scowl is one of the most impressive hardcore bands rising in the scene. The band is constantly proving they are open to evolving while still remaining true to themselves. Psychic Dance Routine perfectly maps out a new era for Scowl and shows the path the band is paving for themselves in 2023.
