Biography
Formed across international borders as a punk supergroup, Fake Names unites four seasoned players whose extensive track records in the underground prompted them to craft lean yet richly textured music that stays melodic and subtly inventive at high velocity. The roster draws from Minor Threat, Refused, Bad Religion, Embrace, Girls Against Boys, and Dag Nasty; what began as a casual exchange between two longtime friends eventually expanded into a full band that delivered its self-titled debut album in 2020. On the follow-up LP, Expendables, issued in 2023, the quartet merged its raw drive with a sharper production and pop-inflected hooks.
The project originated in 2016 when Brian Baker and Michael Hampton, friends since second grade and both veterans of the Washington, D.C. punk and hardcore era, convened at Hampton’s Brooklyn residence to trade ideas and sketch possible material. Baker had served as guitarist in the seminal D.C. outfit Minor Threat before joining the Meatmen, Dag Nasty, and Bad Religion, while Hampton first performed in S.O.A. alongside future Black Flag singer Henry Rollins and later contributed to Embrace and One Last Wish. By day’s end the pair had resolved to start a new group and contacted Johnny Temple, an elementary-school acquaintance who had built his reputation through Soulside and Girls Against Boys. Temple agreed, and several months afterward, while both Bad Religion and Girls Against Boys appeared at Chicago’s Riot Fest, Baker and Temple watched Refused perform; they invited vocalist Dennis Lyxzén, a longtime admirer of classic D.C. punk, to join, and he accepted.
Baker, Hampton, and Temple then convened in a New York City studio to lay down basic tracks, with drummer Matt Schulz—previously of Enon, Holy Fuck, and SAVAK—participating. The recordings traveled to Sweden, where Lyxzén added lyrics and vocals. In January 2019 the ensemble, now operating as Fake Names, made its live debut at New York’s Union Pool alongside Hammered Skulls, the side project of Helium and Ex Hex’s Mary Timony with Faith and the Warmers’ Alec MacKaye. After Bad Religion guitarist and Epitaph Records founder Brett Gurewitz heard the demo, he offered to release the material unchanged, convinced no further refinement was required; the band consented, and Epitaph issued Fake Names in May 2020.
Following a three-song EP in 2021, the group pursued a cleaner, more melodic direction for its next album and enlisted producer Adam “Atom” Greenspan, known for prior work with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and IDLES. With Brendan Canty—formerly of Fugazi and Rites of Spring—replacing Schulz on drums, the band tracked ten songs in a single week; Epitaph released Expendables in March 2023.
The project originated in 2016 when Brian Baker and Michael Hampton, friends since second grade and both veterans of the Washington, D.C. punk and hardcore era, convened at Hampton’s Brooklyn residence to trade ideas and sketch possible material. Baker had served as guitarist in the seminal D.C. outfit Minor Threat before joining the Meatmen, Dag Nasty, and Bad Religion, while Hampton first performed in S.O.A. alongside future Black Flag singer Henry Rollins and later contributed to Embrace and One Last Wish. By day’s end the pair had resolved to start a new group and contacted Johnny Temple, an elementary-school acquaintance who had built his reputation through Soulside and Girls Against Boys. Temple agreed, and several months afterward, while both Bad Religion and Girls Against Boys appeared at Chicago’s Riot Fest, Baker and Temple watched Refused perform; they invited vocalist Dennis Lyxzén, a longtime admirer of classic D.C. punk, to join, and he accepted.
Baker, Hampton, and Temple then convened in a New York City studio to lay down basic tracks, with drummer Matt Schulz—previously of Enon, Holy Fuck, and SAVAK—participating. The recordings traveled to Sweden, where Lyxzén added lyrics and vocals. In January 2019 the ensemble, now operating as Fake Names, made its live debut at New York’s Union Pool alongside Hammered Skulls, the side project of Helium and Ex Hex’s Mary Timony with Faith and the Warmers’ Alec MacKaye. After Bad Religion guitarist and Epitaph Records founder Brett Gurewitz heard the demo, he offered to release the material unchanged, convinced no further refinement was required; the band consented, and Epitaph issued Fake Names in May 2020.
Following a three-song EP in 2021, the group pursued a cleaner, more melodic direction for its next album and enlisted producer Adam “Atom” Greenspan, known for prior work with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and IDLES. With Brendan Canty—formerly of Fugazi and Rites of Spring—replacing Schulz on drums, the band tracked ten songs in a single week; Epitaph released Expendables in March 2023.
Albums
