Although Boston is one of the original cities hardcore music originated from, we’ve seen it transform into so much more. Going back to their roots and emerging from Boston’s hardcore scene is a band named Pummel. Originally signed with Atomic Records, they started their journey regionally by releasing their EP “Next In Line” in 2021. While they loved working with Atomic, they wanted to branch out further and reach a new horizon. Pummel recently signed with Sunday Drive Records releasing their first single through them, “Headcase.” At a surface level you can feel the powerful hi-hats and the direct riffs that charge to a breakdown, but the lyrics are meant to resonate. Matt the lead singer describes it as,
“It’s basically about how we deal with our anxiety and mental health; how we’re trying to get through it all. It kind of reflects on how to cut out your own invasive thoughts and opinions from other people that think they know what’s best for you. In the end I feel like it’s on ode to fighting through the inside and outside factors that are working to keep you down.”
He goes on to say that while their music is aggressive, he finds it important to use lyrics that have a bright mindset to them. We all need a little positivity now in then. The band is continuing this journey with an LP set to come out in 2023, but we may get music sooner. Matt and Steve (guitarist) talk about how they have had so many ideas constantly flowing but until recently, haven’t been able to sit down and flush them all out. They are taking some time off from touring to focus on making new music all together. They tease that they have a lot of big plans for 2023, so I will definitely be looking forward to seeing what comes next.
Traveling all over and meeting so many new faces brings memories to any band. New fans or loyal fans, there are always those shows that stick out to you. One that sticks out to Matt is a show in Cleveland where the crowd was crazy, the energy was ecstatic, and the all-around feeling is what hard core is really about. Multiple people in Pummel, including Matt, were very recently recovering from covid and were unsure how the show was going to be. As soon as they stepped on the stage and saw the packed-out venue, they knew they would make it through the night and have a killer show. Steve said one of his favorite shows was a kids 16th birthday on a farm filled with goats, teenagers, and juggalos. And honestly, that sounds like a hell of a time to me.
Pummel is super excited to be playing the Act Like You Know festival in Tulsa. They mention how they love that the location is not where you would typically see a festival, and that so many people are traveling from out of state for the love of music. The festival itself is a wonderful organization fighting for equality. All proceeds from the event go to the Oklahomans For Equality. Matt mentions how excited he is to be seeing so many friends from bands all over. This also is their first festival and they are beyond excited to play for these crowds. Matt says,
“Aaron put together such an awesome lineup of a representative of the whole hard-core scene in sound and identity of the people who are in the bands. I think it’s super diverse not in any forced way at all.”
Make sure to check them out at the Act Like You Know festival November 18-20. And in the meantime, listen to “Headcase” and be on the lookout for more music to come.
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