Ex-Cult

Ex-Cult emerged from Memphis as a ferocious punk outfit whose lean, taut, and frantic sound fueled raw anthems steeped in resentment and finger-pointing. Vocalist Chris Shaw, previously of Vile Nation, and drummer Michael Peery, formerly of Magic Kids, launched the band in 2011. They soon added bassist Natalie Hoffmann along with guitarists J.B. Horrell and Alec McIntyre, initially adopting the name Sex Cult and issuing their debut single on the Memphis punk label Goner Records in September 2011. Shaw had already befriended Ty Segall, the San Francisco garage punk figure, who caught the group at the 2012 South by Southwest Music Conference and offered to helm their first album. Before heading to San Francisco to record with Segall and engineer Eric Bauer, the band switched its name to Ex-Cult. Goner issued the self-titled debut album in late 2012, drawing strong notices from critics. After extensive road work that included several shows supporting Segall, the group completed its follow-up, Midnight Passenger, which appeared in April 2014. In July 2014 they announced a personnel shift that saw Frank McLallen replace Hoffmann on bass. Returning to the studio yielded the EP Cigarette Machine, issued by Castle Face Records in February 2015. After Shaw paused to cut an album with GØGGS, the side project he shares with Segall and Fuzz guitarist Charles Moothart, Ex-Cult spent a week back in California tracking with Segall once more. The resulting album, Negative Growth, came out on Goner in September 2016.