Show Me the Body

Show Me the Body formed in New York as a hardcore trio that layers samples and electronic processing over a stripped-down bass-and-drums foundation, occasionally incorporating banjo. The group channels its abrasive sound into lyrics confronting political repression and societal hatred while actively safeguarding both their local community and the city’s underground music ecosystem. Early ties to the Letter Racer collective yielded a string of well-received EPs and full-lengths, among them the 2016 album Body War that secured a partnership with Loma Vista. In subsequent years the band issued several limited releases, established the collaborative platform Corpus, and produced material for fellow artists within that network before unveiling the politically charged Dog Whistle in 2019 and expanding its electronic palette on the 2022 album Trouble the Water. Their live intensity was captured on 2023’s Live & Loose in the USA, followed in 2024 by the two-part mixtape Corpus II, which paired six original tracks with six collaborative pieces.

The band’s name derives from the legal phrase “corpus delicti.” Its original lineup consisted of Julian Cashwan Pratt handling lead vocals and banjo, Harlan Steed on bass and sampler, and Gabriel Millman on drums and sampler. Pratt and Steed first connected as students at Manhattan’s Elisabeth Irwin High School, where they began playing together under the name U-Lock Justice before Millman joined and the group adopted its current moniker. Affiliation with the Letter Racer collective—which also counted the hip-hop outfit Ratking among its members—helped them cultivate a strong following through performances at informal venues across New York. Letter Racer issued the band’s debut EP, S M T B, in 2015; that same year Millman departed and Noah Cohen-Corbett assumed the drum-and-sampler role.

Body War arrived in 2016, generating strong critical response and prompting Loma Vista to reissue the album later that year. In January 2017 the trio drew attention by first accepting then declining a slot at the Coachella Festival, only to reverse course two days later and confirm their participation while pledging benefit performances for environmental and LGBT causes plus donation of their festival fee to those same organizations. Later in 2017 they released the collaborative mixtape Corpus 1. The experience spurred them to formalize Corpus as an ongoing community initiative; in 2018 they produced recordings for associates including Dreamcrusher, Dog Breath, and Tripp Jones. Their own sophomore album, Dog Whistle, followed in 2019.

Two years afterward they issued the EP Survive, shaped by visits to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum during a Polish tour. The record marked the recorded debut of drummer Jackie Jackieboy, who replaced Noah Cohen-Corbett after the band constructed a new studio and reassessed audience engagement amid the COVID-19 lockdown. Also in 2021 they contributed the track “Stone Cold Earth” to the soundtrack album DC’s Dark Nights: Death Metal. October 2022 brought their third album, Trouble the Water, which foregrounded electronic textures within their aggressive style. Promotion included select U.S. festival appearances before a lengthy trek through Europe, the United Kingdom, and Australia. October 2023 saw the release of Live & Loose in the USA, drawn from highlights of seven concerts. In September 2024 the band delivered Corpus II, a two-part sequel to the 2017 mixtape: Corpus II EP I contained six new band originals, while Corpus II EP II featured collaborations with High Viz, Alli Logout, Spelling, BLACKIE, Regional Justice Center, and additional artists.