Gel

Originating as an offshoot from the New Jersey powerviolence act Sick Shit, Gel builds its approach on traditional hardcore punk foundations laced with D-beat rhythms and post-punk textures. The band surfaced in 2018 with vocalist Sami Kaiser, guitarist Anthony Webster, bassist Matthew Bobko, guitarist Madison Nave, and drummer Alex Salter. Its first two EPs, Gel and Violent Closure, surfaced in 2018 and 2020, followed by a 2022 split alongside the Romanian noise-punk outfit Cold Brats. Considerable acclaim arrived with the 2023 debut full-length Only Constant, whose uncompromising sonic attack and positive messaging placed it in the upper echelons of numerous year-end lists across the hardcore community. Gel maintained that trajectory in 2024 through the release of “Mirage,” the kinetic yet undeniably catchy lead single from the EP Persona, which arrived later that year.