Scowl Expertly Blend Alt-rock and Hardcore » PopMatters

On Are We All Angels, Scowl seamlessly weave in alternative rock influences on a crossover-ready set of melodic hardcore bangers.

Are We All Angels Scowl Dead Oceans 4 April 2025

Scowl’s debut, How Flowers Grow, was a blast of traditional-leaning hardcore that showed promise. However, the follow-up EP. Psychic Dance Routine, suggested they were already outgrowing a classic hardcore sound, incorporating more sung vocals from lead singer Kat Moss and embracing Riot Grrl and indie rock influences. This trajectory continues on Are We All Angels, so fans hoping the band would build on the evolution of Psychic Dance Routine will find a lot to like here. While there are flashes of classic hardcore, Scowl have fixed their gaze upon transcending the genre’s conventions. 

Even though Scowl have signed to Dead Oceans for this record, home of Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski, they haven’t mellowed out. This is an urgent, catchy, aggressive record with big riffs and choruses. The group reunited with producer Will Yip, whose resume includes essential records by Tigers Jaw, Title Fight, and Turnover. His expertise with artists who blend heavy and catchy sounds is a terrific match for the songs that make up Are We All Angels.

Some of the most exciting heavy music of the past few years has been made by bands like Scowl, Gouge Away, and GEL. These bands stretch the boundaries of hardcore and incorporate influences like shoegaze and 1990s alternative rock to freshen up their sound. Are We All Angels is another example of how successful that mix of sounds can be. Scowl’s embrace of influences like Riot Grrl and groups like Pretty Girls Make Graves blend seamlessly into the strengths they have shown since their debut.

There are flashes of the Scowl of How Flowers Grow, but they are woven into the new sound. An example is “B.A.B.E.”, which stands for “burnt at both ends”. It begins like one of the ragers from the debut, but builds to a huge chorus. Lead singer Kat Moss can still conjure those powerful screams from their debut, but what is truly impressive here is the range of her capabilities. Her singing is bold and confident, recalling the range of Andrea Zollo of the aforementioned Pretty Girls Make Graves.

That influence is most apparent on “Not Hell, Not Heaven”, one of the record’s highlights. The same goes for “Fantasy”, a relentlessly catchy song that pushes the band into some of their poppiest territory.

The best songs on Are We All Angels find that sweet spot of heavy and accessible, but some of the experiments in the record’s back end don’t deliver the same rush as side one. While tracks like “Tonight (I’m Afraid)” and “Fleshed Out” keep the momentum going, tracks like “Cellophane” and “Suffer the Fool (How High Are You?)” don’t have the same drive as the best moments.

However, the record ends strong with “Haunted”, a catchy, mid-tempo track that sets up the absolute ripper title track. It is a perfect way to close the LP, reminding listeners that Moss and her bandmates can still rage out. Are We All Angels proves that blending hardcore and alternative rock from the 1990s and 2000s is still a potent combination.