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Scowl Keep It Heavy but Refine Their Sound on the Bruising ‘Are We All Angels’: Album Review

NoCal rockers grow their sound far beyond hardcore but keep it heavy on their second full-length album, 'Are We All Angels.'

Yet as they’re evolving their sound from the tight boundaries of hardcore into something more melodic and refined, they’re getting cries of “sellout” from more puritan corners, exacerbated by their move to a larger indie label (Dead Oceans) and collaborations with brands like Converse and Taco Bell (which is even more ironic, considering that they’ve pulled out of festivals that were sponsored by the U.S. Army and Barclays for political-leaning reasons). But the main focus here is on the songwriting, with Moss shifting between a haunting alto, TK and her trademark demon shriek, and it’s not as if the band has dropped one style for another — instead, you’ll get several in a single song. Production from Will Yip (who’s also helmed recent recordings by Turnstile and Mannequin Pussy) and a mix from Rich Costey (My Chemical Romance, Fiona Apple, Interpol) give the sound a clean but powerful punch.

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