Drive. Chaos. Passion. That’s what bleeds from the songs and souls of SHIIVA, a hardcore punk band from Lancaster, California. Calling inspiration from their collective funk, pop, and punk background–and their location in the Mojave Desert–band members Cole, Jabrill, Alex, and Jimmy have come together to release their newest EP, Cyclone, described by lead vocalist, Jabrill, as “a beautiful, monstrous punk rock record.”
SHIIVA’s style is the product of their hometown in the Antelope Valley of the Western Mojave Desert in Southern California. The band’s thrashy, driven sound is shared throughout the punk music community, with members of SHIIVA also playing with other local bands. Late-night jam sessions, email exchanges, and a pandemic later, the four members of SHIIVA further explore and define their own sound through Cyclone.
“The point [of the EP] was to show how many different avenues of hardcore and punk there really is,” says Jabrill.
Formed in early 2020, SHIIVA recorded and self-released their debut EP GROOV(E). Post-pandemic has been a special time to reintroduce SHIIVA to the masses with Cyclone, starting off with an incredible hometown show. Supported by fellow punk bands from Antelope Valley, they premiered Cyclone at a free show under an overpass of the main freeway when plans for the house they were performing at fell through. Band members and friends came together to build a stage and set lights with generators.
“It was something from a movie,” says Jabrill, “Something to be remembered for sure.”
Cyclone delivers the many facets of SHIIVA’s sounds and influences. The frenetic, amped energy from the title track of the EP ticks every box for a kick-ass punk hit: fast baselines and head-bang worthy guitar riffs topped with the band screaming at you to challenge and break societal norms. TTG–a personal favorite shared by the band–calls upon the sounds of the early aughts (think the nostalgic lyrics of Blink-182 and the heavy melodic guitars of Rancid).
“[The songs] show that we have a harder edge, but we also have a softer side,” says Cole.
Through drawing inspiration from their hometown and punk band pillars of the past, SHIIVA is a tour de force in the music scene, and the beautiful, dynamic chaos of Cyclone is just the beginning of their whirlwind.
SHIIVA performs at the Act Like You Know festival this November in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They perform Saturday at the festival with Gates To Hell, Gridiron, Amnesia Garden, Squint, Rejection Pact, Ozone, Chemical Fix, Living In Fear, and more. Their EP Cyclone is now available to listen to.
