Stereo Six: Santa Cruz Hardcore Punks Scowl Choose Six Albums Inspiring Their Breakneck Music

Hailing from Santa Cruz, hardcore punk band Scowl is set to drop their scathing new album, How Flowers Grow, today via Flatspot Records. The album, described as “a masterclass in how to write authentic, heartfelt punk and hardcore,” sees the quartet inspired by a slew of great punk and hardcore bands from Negative Approach to New York Dolls so, we got the band to dig back through their record collections to pick out six albums which had the most impact on them.

Before you do that though, check out their recent video for their breakneck new track “Bloodhound.”

1. The Stooges – Raw Power (1973, Columbia Records)

“The Stooges are just aggressive and have a raw sound that has always inspired us. They are able to make things sound massive and creative without overcomplicating the melodies, riffs, or songs in general.”

2. The Ramones – Rocket To Russia (1977, Sire Records)

“The Ramones are a perfect band that took a stripped-down approach and made some of the greatest songs of all time. The use of catchy hooks and driving riffs is flawless through this whole album.”

3. Negative Approach – Tied Down (1983, Touch and Go)

“One of the greatest hardcore albums of all time and the energy it has inspired us a lot with the new album.”

The albums listed by Scowl in this Stereo Six

4. Camera Silens – Réalité (1985, self-release)

“This particular album really inspired the use of the saxophone on ‘Seeds to Sow,’ and helped lead us into a softer but still aggressive direction in some songs.”

5. Nirvana – Nevermind (1991, DGC Records)

“The noisy and edgy aspects of our record are heavily inspired by Nirvana. The angsty delivery of the song ‘Territorial Pissings,’ in particular, really demonstrated how punchy we wanted our record to be.”

6. Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher (Dead Oceans, 2020)

“This record inspired the lyrical and vocal style specifically for our song ‘Seeds to Sow,‘ I (Kat) listened to it non-stop around the time How Flowers Grow was recorded. Phoebe’s soft-spoken delivery is so powerful.”

Tour Dates (w/ Comeback Kid, Be Well, Devil In Me):

01/19 – Belin, DE @ Hole44
01/20 – Hanover, DE @ Faust
01/21 – Bochum, DE @ Matrix
01/22 – Karlsruhe, DA @ Weisse Rose
01/23 – Utrecht, NL @ Tivoli Pandora
01/24 – Bristol, UK @ Fleece
01/25 – Birmingham, UK @ Mama Roux
01/26 – Leeds, UK @ Key Club
01/27 – Manchester, UK @ Rebellion
01/28 – London, UK @ The Dome
01/29 – Hasselt, BE @ Muziekodroom
01/30 – Paris, FR @ Gibus
01/31 – Wil, CH @ Gare De Lion
02/01 – Milan, IT @ Legend Club
02/02 – Munich, DE @ Backstage
02/03 – Prague, CZ @ Futurium
02/04 – Leipzig, DE @ Conne Island

Artwork for ‘How Flowers Grow’ by Scowl