Double Dagger

Emerging from the imaginations of a pair of provocative graphic designers based in Baltimore, the hardcore punk and art-rock trio Double Dagger took shape in 2002. Vocalist Nolen Strals and bassist Bruce Willen, who had earlier shared stages in League of Death, recruited drummer Brian Dubin immediately following that band’s last performance alongside the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Because Willen and Strals held daytime positions at the design firm Post Typography, their decision to christen the new project after the typographic diesis—commonly called the double dagger—felt consistent; the symbol’s striking logo (‡) also generated merchandising avenues that highlighted the members’ visual expertise. After issuing several recordings on their own, the group completed its self-titled debut LP and then joined the roster of Thrill Jockey, an unexpected home that positioned Double Dagger as the label’s most overtly punk act, before issuing the album More in 2009. The musicians spent the following year on the road. During the same period Strals and Willen compiled an art book of the band’s flyers for Soundscreen Design’s Artist Music Journal series. Their visual approach resurfaced with the EP Masks, issued in March 2010 in a limited edition that featured metallic ink and three variant covers.