ALBUM REVIEW: Life Under The Gun — Militarie Gun

The path towards your dreams is usually a volatile one; that’s how you’d describe Ian Shelton’s journey toward MILITARIE GUN and hardcore. In the past three years the quintet have shocked on to the scene with their signature sound that straddles traditional hardcore and pop melodies, summoning struggle into songs. Perhaps that’s the most enticing thing about the outfit, they aren’t just one sound in a genre that would previously want them to be straight-laced. Their debut album Life Under The Gun takes advantage of being free of any constraint.

Showcasing their catharsis and melancholy through avenues other than with unrelenting force and speed, My Friends Are Having A Hard Time opens with a sombre chord progression, the crushing loneliness in the music is amplified by Shelton’s lyricism. Shouting “I can’t do anything for anyone, not me” coldly isolated and helpless connects Shelton to childhood trauma once again and is the pain that fuels a perpetual perfect storm. Whilst there is doom and gloom amongst the tracks, MILITARIE GUN haven’t suddenly become shy of searing hardcore. 

The debut record is full of bitter little pills to swallow; Will Logic finds a sweet spot between high energy and woeful subjects, whereas Think Less finds time to be blistering, defiant and firm. Short but full of attitude, it resuscitates the melancholic atmosphere as it follows My Friends Are Having A Hard Time. Taking no time to swagger into Return Policy once again they subtly merge in pop tendencies and looser guitars at points — even sneaking in a relaxing backing vocal that takes off any pressure to fit into one box. 

More than anywhere else, the back end of the album really shines, making it hard for it to not stick with you. Tracks feel like they have real stories sewn into them; MILITARIE GUN seem to have distilled parts of their lives into them giving it some juicy substance. Never Fucked Up Once could fit on an American Pie soundtrack making it stand out already, having that coming of age, high school drama edge to it. Big Disappointment is as cathartic it gets, self-loathingly admitting to flaws in oneself with a wonderfully anthemic chorus and a bridge that kicks things back into gear. It’s seriously rewarding. 

See You Around embodies a lump in your throat, your chest tightening for the worst reasons. Alternating between the usual yells and spoken word, a metronomic hum lingers in the back. It’s very simple with no complexities. Yet it summons an indomitable sadness, the type you feel when you know you’ll never see somebody again. Title track Life Under The Gun sticks to, well its guns, firing on all cylinders and making sure to finish on a high note as to remind us that we aren’t all hollow inside. 

This debut is structured spectacularly, creating not only musical nuances in its narrative but also emotional ones. In places it can absolutely tear you apart with its own trauma or sadness, and that vulnerability is why MILITARIE GUN are so essential to even a small part of the hardcore resurgence. They’re a perfect band to begin easing yourself into the genre, but still no less formidable than anyone else. 

Rating: 9/10

Life Under The Gun is set for release on June 23rd via Loma Vista Recordings.

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