Scowl

Scowl emerged as a key player among the early-2020s wave of California hardcore punk bands, balancing ferocious riffs with bright alt-rock leanings. Their concise explosions of vocal fury paired with unexpected melodic hooks drew attention from an eclectic roster of supporters, securing opening slots and endorsements that spanned Limp Bizkit and Post Malone.

The group came together in Santa Cruz with vocalist Kat Moss, originally from Sacramento, alongside guitarist Malachi Greene, bassist Bailey Lupo, and drummer Cole Gilbert. These scene devotees drew inspiration from Black Flag and Adolescents while sharing stages and camaraderie with peers such as Drain, Gulch, and Sunami. Their debut self-released EPs—a self-titled recording and its successor Reality After Reality…—appeared in 2019. Once live hardcore performances resumed after the 2021 easing of COVID-19 restrictions, Scowl delivered the brisk How Flowers Grow, a fifteen-minute set that highlighted Moss’s raw delivery on “Bloodhound” alongside more accessible alt-rock material like “Seeds to Sow.”

Momentum built sharply the next year when the band supported Limp Bizkit at the direct invitation of frontman Fred Durst, an outspoken admirer. By year’s end, additional endorsements arrived from Post Malone, who appeared onstage in one of their shirts, and Paramore’s Hayley Williams. Scowl followed with the 2023 EP Psychic Dance Routine, which featured more melodic material, and played major festivals such as Coachella and Sick New World while joining Australian hardcore outfit Speed on a co-headlining tour Down Under. That same year they welcomed second guitarist Mikey Bifolco, who had already spent twelve months on the road with them. Their profile rose further in 2024 with the release of “Special,” their debut single on Phoebe Bridgers’ Dead Oceans imprint.