The West Coast’s contribution to hardcore punk is undeniable. That tradition of aggression, passion, and scrappy melodicism continues with The Barbarians Of California, an engaging new manifestation of iconoclastic spirit and true bombast. Featuring Aaron Bruno of Awolnation and Eric Stenman of Tinfed, as well as being a noted producer, TBOC are equal opportunity iconoclasts, gleefully thrashing the left and the right in the hardcore-punk tradition of nonconformity and raw fury. The band isn’t “political,” because they aren’t advocating for anyone’s platform. The central message is defiance.
Today, the band has announced its debut album ‘And Now I’m Just Gnashing My Teeth’ – it arrives on October 4th via ONErpm. The band also announced its first show on October 19th at the Troubadour in L.A., with Strife, Will Haven, and Berthold City also to appear.
As for the gnarly and gritty new track ‘Bazooka’, he continues: “I was psyched when Aaron gravitated towards this piece of music. It’s a bit of a departure from a lot of what we’re doing… but, it’s definitely a sound I think we’ll pursue more in the future.”
The video also nods to an adjacent aspect of the hardcore scene’s culture, as it’s comprised of some incredible skateboarding footage. Stenman says: “Putting this video together was also a blast. I first became passionate about music when I began to learn about bands in the back of Thrasher magazine. The fact that Aaron’s cousin happens to be Mike Mo Capaldi, one of the coolest skaters ever, is just amazing. Mike and his friends had all this extra footage lying around and we were more than happy to make use of it. Lastly, the simple fact that we have a song titled ‘Bazooka’ makes this whole project worth doing!”
‘And Now I’m Just Gnashing My Teeth’ tracklist:
01. The Library
02. No Sir I Won’t Wear Your Jacket” (Feat. Rick Rodney of Strife)
03. The Walrus
04. Bazooka
05. Dopamine Prophecy
06. Three Letters (Feat. Tim McIlrath of Rise Against)
07. Where Are the Punks
08. By The Time I Get To Mexico
09. Mr. Microphone
10. Far Out, Bro (Feat. Daryl Taberski of Snapcase)