Add another incredible Chicago based band to the Act Like You Know Fest coming up this November —Snuffed will be gracing the stages of the annual punk and hardcore fest coming to Oklahoma this winter. The four piece band just released their much anticipated full length, “Coping Human Waste,” this summer and headed out on an epic East Coast tour to showcase what they’ve been working on. Snuffed is fronted by a tenacious singer Karly Soto, whose vocals will rattle your core. Pair those same vocals with an accompanying energy of enticing guitar riffs and memorable drum tempos, and you create a controlled chaotic experience, that is sure to keep you a lifelong fan.
As a native Chicagoan myself, I was thrilled to sit down and learn more about the influence of such a dominant city with an extensive music scene.
Where in the world is Snuffed right now – physically are you home or touring perhaps? Enjoying summer? Writing? Prepping for a show? We’d love an update!
As of right now we’re home, but we hit the road at the end of August to do a week and a half on the east coast, which we were stoked for. We’re also finishing up writing for a split we’re working on!
I was catching up on the band by reading various articles and checking out your social media online. Growing up in Chicago myself, having access to live music constantly is one of the best parts of this city. Are you all from Chicago/live here/have lived here? Tell us a little about that.
Karly is from Indiana, and the rest of us grew up outside of Chicago but started going to shows in and around the city at a super young age. Ryan, Joe, and I met in Bloomington, IL (a couple hours south of Chicago) when we were going to school down there and played in some bands together. But living in cornfields got old for all of us, so at a certain point we all migrated to Chicago because, just like you said, Chicago shows cannot be beat.
Has this influenced your style at all? What would you describe Snuffed as, when it comes to specific influences, scenes or anything in between that inspires you.
I definitely think so – Chicago has long had really robust punk and hardcore scenes, but one thing that was frustrating to me growing up was that these scenes often felt mutually exclusive – punk kids went to punk shows, capital H hardcore kids went to heavier hardcore/metal core shows, but it felt like there was no crossover whatsoever. We all came from fucking with both sides of the coin, and I think that is apparent in the way the songs play on the new record.
The good news is that the walls that separated the scenes in the past really feel like they’re falling down nowadays, there’s been a ton of crossover and mixed bill shows in Chicago as of late. I know that isn’t part of the question, but definitely wanted to call out how fucking awesome the Chicago scene has been recently.
I have to know — what’s your favorite venue in Chicago?
Bricktown, without a doubt. Good sized room, skate bowl in the back, a little DIY stage, and an excellent rooftop to kick it on in between bands. For non-DIY spots, probably Subterranean because it is the most dive-able stage in the city overall (I sound like Scott Vogel right now).
Your latest debut LP, “Coping Human Waste,” just dropped in May. Congrats on the release! How was the recording and writing process?
The writing process was actually a pretty long affair – while we had maybe half of the songs written prior to the pandemic hitting, the whole societal shutdown thing gave us the opportunity to really try and perfect every single part, and time to step away from some song ideas and come back to them to really figure out if they hit or not.
The recording process was super seamless. Andy Nelson at Bricktop Studios is incredible to work with and we really can’t thank him enough because the record turned out far beyond our expectations.
Does this release differ from previous works? How has Snuffed changed or developed their sound?
The writing for this record was definitely more well thought out and drew on more ideas and influences from everyone in the band. It’s definitely a natural evolution from Mind’s Eye and the two-song tape, but I think this record embraced our love for the heavier, riffier side of hardcore a bit more than the pretty straight-forward hardcore punk from the previous releases.
What’s to come for Snuffed the rest of the year? I noticed you played The Rumble a few weeks ago, here in Chicago!
We’re were so hyped for the Rumble – it’s a Chicago mainstay and been wanting to play it since the first one, so finally to being able to is incredible. After that, we hit the east coast at the end of August, Dreary North in September in Chicago, Act Like You Know in Tulsa in November, and some other stuff that hasn’t been announced just yet. Plus some recording since we never stop writing!
Finally, ketchup on a hot dog or no ketchup.
I’m pretty sure most of the folks in Snuffed are on the mustard train. Except Ryan – the rest of their body matured into adulthood but their tastebuds stayed in the first grade.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Shout outs to Squint, World I Hate, Si Dios Quiere, Sarin, Prevention, and all the other midwest hardcore bands absolutely tearing it up right now. The midwest has some absolute fucking heater bands out right now and you’d be an idiot if you kept your listening to only the coasts.
We’re super excited to catch Snuffed perform on Sunday of the Act Like You Know Festival! When you wait for our on-site coverage, check out the two videos of Snuffed performing thanks to hate5six.
