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Summary:
The second full-length release (and its first on the Dead Oceans label) for hardcore group Scowl was produced by Will Yip.
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- Record Label: Dead Oceans
- Genre(s): Punk, Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Hardcore Punk
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Score distribution:
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Positive: 10 out of 11
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Mixed: 1 out of 11
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Negative: 0 out of 11
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Apr 4, 2025It’s absolutely fantastic. Where previously their records had sounded like a moment captured, a document of a fire blazing away, this is more controlled and deliberate, where everything arrives with the confidence of a heavyweight champ.
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Apr 4, 2025Production from Will Yip (who’s also helmed recent recordings by Turnstile and Mannequin Pussy) and a mix from Rich Costey (My Chemical Romance, Fiona Apple, Interpol) give the sound a clean but powerful punch. But like all of Scowl’s material, we expect the new songs to find their true definition in a live setting.
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Apr 10, 2025The result is an album that feels expansive and unshackled, while still boasting a gnarly punk heart. Love it or hate it, one thing’s clear here: this band’s ambitions are soaring skyward.
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Apr 4, 2025These 11 tracks are relentlessly melodic, channeling the soulful pop-punk of Descendents and anthemic grunge of Hole rather than any of Scowl’s pit-stomping hardcore peers. Moss’ ruthless scream makes a handful of notable appearances, such as on ‘B.A.B.E’ and titular closer, however, the main focus here is an elegant sense of rock euphony that manifests via a range of differing but cohesive songwriting approaches.
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Apr 28, 2025Just as No Doubt succeeded as being the ska band that wasn’t always a ska band, Scowl is succeeding as Scowl- the structures built around them are irrelevant, which makes me think again of the image of the moth breaking free of its cocoon, which is necessary for its survival and evolution.
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May 19, 2025Fans of contemporary punk upstarts like Lambrini Girls, Turnstile, Amyl and the Sniffers, and the Linda Lindas should find plenty to love on Are We All Angels, a refreshing dose of no-frills, youthful punk energy.
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Apr 4, 2025Things start promisingly on opener Special, with the equally rip-roaring Fantasy shortly after. The problems emerge in the album's latter half, starting from the latest single Tonight, which feels sadly very safe and leads to songs that wouldn't feel out of place on an early 2000s generic pop-punk album.