Spill Your Guts

Emerging from Shanghai amid the rising CNHC movement, Spill Your Guts inject raw D.I.Y. punk energy into a scene defined by its fleeting and risky character. The group took shape in 2012 when vocalist Dima Bir (Moscow), drummer Tyler Bowa (Montreal), and original bassist Toshi came together; its current lineup of five expatriates also includes guitarists Larry Miller (Edinburgh) and Zaruf Ezhan (Kuala Lumpur) plus bassist Ian Benot (Quebec). Repeated membership shifts—eight musicians entering and leaving amid fluctuating official restrictions—marked the years that followed, though Ian and Zaruf both entered the fold in 2016.

April 2012 brought the band’s inaugural performance, after which two live EPs appeared on an independent basis ahead of the 2014 five-track Slip and Fall EP. Its visceral approach recalled the intensity of Fucked Up, Pears, and Cancer Bats, and the release was succeeded later that summer by the standalone single “Poisoned Minds.” December 2014 saw the arrival of a split 7" shared with Russian hardcore act Broken Fist. While maintaining an active touring schedule across mainland China, the band reached additional audiences on stages in Singapore, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur. Full Blast, their next EP, surfaced in summer 2016, and a year afterward they unveiled their first full-length album. Recorded in Shanghai by Xander Cheng, Hungry Crows presented nine fresh hardcore tracks.