XCOMM: The Kids Are Alright

“We were playing, we looked up and it was raining fire. And there was nothing we could do about it except keep going.” Reminiscing on one of their more unhinged shows, lead singer Michael Gatto and drummer Rev Ian of hardcore outfit XCOMM, didn’t really know why there was a guy with a flame thrower on the roof. They’re pretty sure he was supposed to be there. But Michael’s right, there’s not a lot you can do.

It seems pretty par for the course for a band of this stature and can be interpreted as a symbolic token of the rampageously blistering carnage that XCOMM have packed under the hood.

Whilst taking massive shows in their stride opening for FOO FIGHTERS and obliterating slots at festivals like Louder Than Life. The band regularly find themselves fronting smaller DIY shows much more accustomed to the hardcore style. The latter bringing forth its own unique blend of anarchy as Michael recollects one particular show.

“I remember looking back at Rev, I looked forward and there were probably around 50-60 people killing each other in this tent on the boardwalk”

With debut album Time to Burn on the horizon, going in blind, you’d be forgiven for mistaking the band for seasoned veterans dishing out crowd killing anthems since the 90s. But just a reminder these guys are literally kids with Rev being the youngest at 14.

The youth of today have every piece of music available in seconds and you don’t even need to take the risk of euthanising your family computer via LimeWire. So why with everything under the sun available are the guys in XCOMM drawn to hardcore?

Whilst the band take influence from cult classics such as BAD BRAINS, MINOR THREAT and BLACK FLAG, the pair recognise that no matter the genre, the youth thrive on chaos. Though the genre may change skins with every generation that passes, the innate desire to burn it down and let it rip remains. As Rev explains, “a lot of younger kids who were really into rap and that whole Soundcloud era 10 years ago, they really liked the craziness of it similar to how kids loved hardcore back in the day.”

It’s those damn phones! The old fogies cry out in an ever-tiresome online discourse. But realistically, if it’s worth its weight in gold then there’s going to be a Lord of the Flies reaction to whatever trend lies around the corner. It’s this tribal instinct XCOMM yearns for as Rev continues, “a lot of kids learn about mosh pits through TRAVIS SCOTT.”

And that truly is a crying shame. Whilst the two share a genuinely intelligent discussion with more nuance than any pea brained podcaster, Michael does want to clarify with an important counter point.

“Popular music doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the correct music.” And this is why hardcore is XCOMM’s preferred weapon of choice. Whilst influenced by the classics, the Californian natives aren’t afraid to look around and digest the bands around them that keep hardcore thriving. Though every 10 years or so, music journos reignite the never-ending debate of what truly is punk, hardcore is arguably the only genre convincingly flying the flag with XCOMM happily stepping up to take a shift. “I loved how you can play an instrument and make everyone in the audience go absolutely crazy.”

In a pulverising debut album, the band dig into the addictive rebelliousness of youth on songs like Fake ID. A love letter to buying beer underage, whether this track strikes as relevant or nostalgic depends on your age.  All the while, the tracks come thick and fast and there’s hardly time to screw your head back on before they unload another round of chaos your way.

Despite the ferocious energy leaping from the record, the lyrics Michael screams out in angst-ridden euphoria offer a compelling narrative of frustration and anger all built into punchy anthems hand-crafted to fizzle your speakers. Though he’s not too worried about the audience missing out on his nuggets of wisdom. “If you’re feeling the music you’ll realise the lyrics.”

Take defiant anthem One and Nothing. When Michael cries out “I don’t want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me!” he offers a scathing shot at the wrong bands taking up valuable space in the scene and is just one example of the spit in your face attitude igniting the heartbeat of the record.

But in a dynamic approach to a hardcore album, XCOMM dare to step away from their roots and took on a busload of surprising influences in the form of THE CARS, TOM WAITS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, IGGY POP and even more bizarrely David Lynch.

Album closer Negativity was recorded on the day we lost the prolific director. Whilst he will undoubtedly continue to inspire film makers for generations, its seems he may more surprisingly find himself in one or two punk records.

“That song you can hear the influences and the soundscapes of it. Little guitar parts sound like parts of the Twin Peaks Soundtrack.”

So, whilst we have an album that rides the wave of icons that came before, XCOMM defiantly set their sights on new horizons to pull the hardcore genre further into the future. When you consider all the bands killing it across the scene. It seems more a necessity than an option.

The obvious example is TURNSTILE. Contemplating their influence on the scene, Michael and Rev argue that to the untrained ear it doesn’t matter what genre they are in. They’ve got great hooks, great lyrics and an addictive energy that crowds can’t help but lock into.

Picking up on another couple of examples, recently they found themselves on the same line-up as heavyweight Australian outfit SPEED where they described the crowds as swarming like ants. Whilst earlier in the day, END IT lead singer Akil Godsey urged the punters to ignore security and jump the barrier.

This no barrier, ‘get out of the way’ punk driven mentality bleeds into this record and will undoubtedly make Time To Burn one of the most compelling and skull-smashing records the genre is going to see this year.

We’re truly living in the golden age of hardcore with bands sprouting from all corners of the globe daring to take a swing at world domination. But with competition comes innovation of an already exhilarating genre.

If this album is anything to go by, make way for XCOMM to step up to the plate.

Time To Burn is out now via Blowed Out Records. View this interview, alongside dozens of other killer bands, in glorious print magazine fashion in DS130 here: