REVIEW: Scowl - Are We All Angels

Everybody rejoice! Your favourite band's favourite band, the wondrous Scowl, are back and better than ever. The Santa Cruz hardcore punk rockers have returned with their latest full length offering in Are We All Angels, and have drawn on a serious range of influences to create a piece that's sonically distinct from their past, whilst still being inimitably themselves throughout.

'Special' sets things into motion with a drum fill, guitar scrape, and angular riff that instantly slaps a smile onto the face of any listener, before almost tumbling into a melodic chorus that's fit to bursting with confidence and swagger. Verse two is prime time for vocalist Kat Moss, as she yells over the top of her softer vocals in a brilliantly paired set of lyrics and melodies. The song opens everything brilliantly, and superbly shows off the dynamic mastery of Scowl.

Second to the plate is previously released single 'B.A.B.E.', which rips and roils through its verses before again opening up into more melodic vocals on the chorus that could all too easily be shouted back by a baying crowd. 'Fantasy' takes the mantle next and starts off a little less direct, although still retains a solidly punked-up groove and rhythm section. Another of the singles comes next, 'Not Hell, Not Heaven', before 'Tonight (I'm Afraid)' starts things off. There isn't much to say for this whole section other than that it's nigh impossible to stop bobbing your head in time, and of course breaking into a two step at all manner of moments.

Before continuing our way through this cracking release, it's worth mentioning the beautiful album cover. It appears to depict a moth, and the shadow it's casting, all within a selection of iridescent colours that aptly display the mix of melodic elements shown off within. The droplets of condensation and slight blur serve to make everything feel a little surreal, and all in all it's a surprisingly artistic representation of everything found within its cardboard confines.

'Fleshed Out' gets into a real groove and stays there for most of the duration, making for easy pit and stagediving material in a similar vein to all that's come before. This changes briefly upon the intro to 'Let You Down', which floats away into dreamy territory for a couple of seconds before coming back down to Earth in a deft and upbeat break up track that feels like it could be the best pop punk track you've ever heard. It sticks to the Turnstile instruction book, being just heavy enough to know it's a punk song but incorporating vast swathes of melody, and atypically punk lyrics, to make it stick out within the album, and within the years releases so far.

Track eight 'Cellophane' is full of riffs and a little bit of a nasty edge, that's let up on 'Suffer The Fool (How High Are You?)'. The latter feels like it could be one of the slightly less dialled in moments on the album, as whilst it's still a very enjoyable listen it does get repetitive by the end of its 3:16 runtime. 'Haunted' mixes things up a little though, with a slower tempo and a more melancholic feel that refreshes the ears a little for this first of the last two tracks. Finally, the title track arrives and it's right back to the piercing riffs and driving drums of side A in a frenetic finale to cap off an excellent return to form.

Scowl may have slightly eased off on their titular facial expression, but by no means have they eased off the gas pedal. Santa Cruz's finest are still right at the top of the punk pyramid, and Are We All Angels is a fine example of why they'll be staying there for plenty of time yet.

Score: 8/10

Are We All Angels will be released on April 4th 2025 via Dead Oceans.

Words: Jake Longhurst

Photo: Silken Weinberg