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Scowl is a band that sounds exactly like their name implies.Venomous, fierce, antagonistic. A sneer not to be crossed. Over the last fiveyears, the Santa Cruz, California, band has firmly planted their flag in thehardcore scene with their vicious sound and ripping live show, sharing stagesaround the world with Circle Jerks, Touché Amoré, and Limp Bizkit, and fillingslots at prominent festivals like Coachella, Sick New World, and Reading andLeeds. But with their new album, Are We All Angels (Dead Oceans), Scowl isaiming to funnel all that aggression through a more expansive version ofthemselves.Much of Are We All Angels grapples with Scowl's newfound place inthe hardcore scene, a community which has both embraced the band andmade them something of a lightning rod over the past few years. Standoutsingle InchNot Hell, Not HeavenInch outright rejects the narratives cast onto them byoutsiders. InchIt's about feeling victimized and being a victim, but not wanting toidentify with being a victim,Inch explains vocalist Kat Moss. InchIt's trying to find gracein the fact that I have my power. I live in my reality. You have to deal withwhatever you're dealing with, and it ain't working for me.Inch The band breaks froma sense of disassociation to seek deeper connections on InchFantasy.Inch InchIt'sincredibly challenging to try to balance my love for the scene while also feeling,in some spaces, extremely alienated and hated,Inch Moss says. Inch'Fantasy' is aboutfeeling like I don't know how to connect with these people anymore, because Ihave shelled myself away so hard.InchThe album ends in a philosophical place on the closing, titular track,InchAre We All Angels,Inch asking questions like, InchIs this all there is?Inch and ultimatelyputting it on the listener to decide. InchIt's about the personal struggle betweengood and evil. It doesn't matter how 'good' or 'bad' you are, there
