Flat Worms

In the West Coast garage punk scene, Flat Worms operate as something of a supergroup, a sharp-witted and good-naturedly abrasive three-piece proving that effective punk rock need not require youthful rage. Their style revolves around jagged guitar lines drenched in feedback and distortion alongside robust, pulsing beats, allowing the group to project gravity while plainly reveling in low-fidelity disorder; the 2017 self-titled album and 2019 EP Into the Iris stand as effective blends of punk disruption and indie intelligence. On 2020’s Antarctica the trio refined their approach toward greater restraint while retaining prior force, and 2023’s Witness Marks piled rugged, skronky guitar textures atop a taut, aggressive rhythm section.

Singer-guitarist Will Ivy, an alumnus of Bridez, Wet Illustrated, and Dream Boys, launched Flat Worms after working on his 2016 solo debut Scrap Plastic and drawing fresh impetus from vintage Swell Maps LPs to pursue raw, urgent rock. He enlisted bassist Tim Hellman, known for tenures with Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, and Sic Alps, plus drummer Justin Sullivan, whose credits include The Babies and Kevin Morby. Under the Flat Worms name, Ivy promptly booked studio time, yielding the April 2016 three-song 7-inch “Red Hot Sand.”

By early 2017 the members cleared schedules for initial live shows and began tracking a full-length release. Castle Face Records issued the self-titled debut album in October 2017, prompting tours across the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe. The six-song EP Into the Iris arrived in February 2019, produced by Ty Segall and revealing greater tightness and accuracy while preserving vitality. That refinement carried into the 2020 album Antarctica, recorded with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago; two additional Albini tracks, “The Guest” and “Circle,” surfaced on a single released in May 2021. Frontier Records handled 2022’s Live in Los Angeles, a limited vinyl document of a 2019 performance at L.A.’s Zebulon Cafe also offered digitally. Ty Segall returned to produce Witness Marks, which God? Records—his own imprint distributed by Drag City—issued in September 2023; the advance track “Time Warp in Exile” was accompanied by a music video spotlighting the band’s choreography.