Not many hardcore punk bands' visual images are filled with flowers and pastel colors, but there aren't many hardcore bands like Scowl. Fronted by vocalist Kat Moss, the Santa Cruz, California, quartet released their debut album, Hot Flowers Grow, in November 2021, and their album is anything but sweet-smelling roses. Overflowing with frenetic energy and chaos, the album addresses heavy themes including troubled childhood, taking revenge on an abuser and anger at the state of the world.

Most of the 10 songs on Hot Flowers Grow clock in at just under two minutes, taking listeners on a whirlwind ride of aggression and rage to a cathartic musical release. In an interview with Brooklyn Vegan, Moss describes the tune "Idle Roaring Room" as "literally just a minute of me yelling for people to actually listen to themselves and those around them," and somehow it works. Make your way to Scowl's live shows and headbang out your aggressions when they tour through your city next.

Scowl Live in Concert

Inspired by punk bands including Black Flag, New York Dolls and Justice League, Scowl deliver hardcore punk with a refreshing twist and a magnetic lead singer, Kat Moss. The four-piece band are an integral part of the Northern California hardcore scene where they got their start. Growing up in the small, scenic town of Rocklin, California, just north of Sacramento, Moss was drawn to the rawness of punk and hardcore music in a town where she felt like an outsider. She was dating guitarist Malachi Greene when they decided to perform in a band together, and realized they had incredible chemistry both on and off stage.

Malachi and drummer Cole Gilbert wrote the music for the five songs that would become their debut recording soon after, and Moss reportedly penned the lyrics for all the songs in just one day. They put it out as a self-titled EP in 2019, and had booked their first show less than a week later. Bass player Bailey Lupo came onboard that year and they released another EP, Reality After Reality, later that same year.

After a brief tour supporting Absence of Mine, a series of backyard and basement gigs followed and Scowl quickly made a name for themselves.

Now considered critical darlings of the indie scene, the band is known for their fiery live performances, boundless energy and earnest delivery that make crowds go wild. Brooklyn Vegan says the band are best seen live, busting out "fuzzy power chord riffs that toe the line between classic hardcore and garage punk, and Kat Moss tops it off with a vicious bark that avoids typical hardcore clichés." This is all delivered with a fury and intensity that make Scowl one of the most exciting and promising hardcore bands of their generation.