SCOWL ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM ‘ARE WE ALL ANGELS’ AND DROP VIDEO FOR ‘NOT HELL, NOT HEAVEN’

Photo credit: Silken Weinberg

Santa Cruz hardcore outfit Scowl have officially announced their highly anticipated new album, Are We All Angels, set for release on April 4th via Dead Oceans. This marks the band’s debut with the renowned indie label, which boasts a roster including Phoebe Bridgers, Mitski, and Japanese Breakfast.

The album, produced by Will Yip (Turnstile, Title Fight, Mannequin Pussy) and mixed by Rich Costey (Fiona Apple, My Chemical Romance, Vampire Weekend), sees Scowl pushing their sound into new and uncharted territories while maintaining their signature raw intensity. A record fuelled by themes of alienation, grief, and self-discovery, Are We All Angels reflects the band’s evolving place within the hardcore scene—a space where they’ve been both celebrated and scrutinised.

Accompanying the album announcement is the release of its first single, “Not Hell, Not Heaven”, a defiant rejection of the labels and expectations imposed upon the band by outsiders. Frontwoman Kat Moss explains, “It’s about feeling victimized and being a victim, but not wanting to identify with being a victim. It’s trying to find grace in the fact that I have my power.”

The track arrives with a gripping music video directed by Sean Stout, filmed at the iconic 924 Gilman venue in Berkeley—the same place where Moss, guitarist Malachi Greene, and drummer Cole Gilbert first crossed paths before forming Scowl. Watch the video here:

On this album, Scowl embraces bold experimentation, with Moss delivering her most dynamic vocal performance to date. Known for her ferocious bite, she now introduces a more textured and melodic approach, drawing influence from a diverse array of artists including Billie Eilish, Radiohead, and Julien Baker.

“The majority of us were really not proficient musicians when this band started,” Moss admits. “It was very Germs-esque in that way, like baby’s first hardcore band, which is awesome. But now, we still might not know what we’re doing, but we have a better idea of what we want to do.”

Instrumentally, the band cites a wide range of influences, from punk legends Negative Approach and Bad Brains to alternative icons Hole, Mudhoney, Garbage, and Sonic Youth. Bassist Bailey Lupo highlights the collaborative nature of the songwriting process, saying, “The songwriting on the new record was the most collaborative to date in Scowl’s history. Everyone brought so many ideas to the table, and we were able to dissect it all and take our time.”

Despite their evolution, Scowl remain deeply rooted in the ethos of punk and hardcore. “Hardcore and punk have sculpted how we operate, what we want to do as a band, and how we participate,” says Greene. “At our core, we are a punk and a hardcore band, regardless of how the song shifts and changes.”