A DIFFERENT BREED.

Meanjins ‘Knuckledragger’ are a close knit unit, with bark.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Knuckledragger on their recent release ‘Different Breed’ - My favourite local release of 2023, an EP worth talking about. I was instantly sonically impressed however I found vocalist Mike’s work deeply memorable and noteworthy. From lyrics to expression, ‘Different Breed’ immediately stood out amongst others of its kind and solidified itself (to me) as an instant classic. From its NYHC backbone to its melodic overtones and resonant subject matter - It’s releases like this that make me a proud 614 resident.

Words + Images by

Day West

A SUNDAY MORNING WITH KNUCKLEDRAGGER

Would you be able to give my readers a little background on Knuckledragger & how this project started? 

 The first idea for doing knuckledragger was in around 2019, we were writing the deathbed release “ruin” at the time and it was super intense. I was super into the Never Ending Game demo and the first Three Knee Deep album at the time and felt like it would be super fun to do something like that, simpler and more bouncy. Gith made the suggestion that he would play bass and I sing.

We didn’t really get into the swing of actually doing anything with that idea until mid-way through covid. Brandon had moved to Brisbane and joined Deathbed, and Keldon had moved to drums in Deathbed, so the idea of it being the same people in both bands but swapping instruments was easy cause we all had awesome chemistry writing and playing already. We got in the rehearsal spot and got into writing and it wasn’t exactly that original concept but it vibed and all went from there.

When writing - was the intention to pull inspiration from NYHC  or did that sound develop ‘organically’? I know some bands don’t want to go in with anything preconceived when writing, while others zone in on sonic influences.

We definitely had a sound we were going for and defined influences we were pulling from for this album, a large amount of them being NYHC bands. I very much wanted to have a lot of the flavour of Crown of Thorns, Everybody Gets Hurt and District 9 in the songs without it being too on the nose. I feel the melodic/hard juxtaposition these bands use is so cool, and is a lane that I have wanted to explore in a hardcore band for a long time.

The ‘Different Breed’ EP dropped a few months ago in 2023 - this release resonated with me both sonically and in its sentiments. What was the writing process like? Did you go in with the intention to produce something as personal as this?

So the writing process for different breed was a more streamlined and focused workflow than we have done before in our other bands. I had discussed with everyone before we started writing how I would like it to take a certain path vibe-wise, and that manifested into having a clear, intentional idea of what we wanted each song to be, before even attempting to write it.

As the songs took shape I found the vibe of the album had a certain emotional quality in which I felt needed a lot better lyrics and phrasing than what I had done previously. So we took a lot of time editing and working around each song holistically as on the demo and split I wrote my vocals nearly like an afterthought. I had tried writing lyrics about subject matter that I felt was important and all the previous songs, but besides “Paris is burning” none of them were straight-up personal lyrics.

I feel there is a place where having lyrics about personal subjects (mental health, mindset, finding yourself, and all the dramas those can bring) are as useful and needed as political lyrics. When you’re going through shit it’s nice to hear someone else has gone through it too and come out the other side.

“When you’re going through shit, it’s nice to hear someone else has gone through it too and come out the other side.”

- Mike

Vocally, I was impressed with the approach (Mike) took. I felt the vocal style emphasized the weight of the words and made the EP as impactful as I found it to be. Did it take a while to develop or was it a natural progression (vocally)? I found the melodic nature of the phrasing perfect for the soundscape you guys built. It's tough but remains grounded - massive props. 

The vocals took a lot of trial and error to get them where they are on the album. I took a lot of time getting the lyrics to where I wanted it to be so the delivery and phrasing needed to have as much.

I had only written lyrics to four songs previously and had the luxury of having Gith, Keldon, and Brandon who have all sung in bands to help me with the whole process.

The melodic vocals were something I have wanted to try since starting the band but didn’t feel I could pull it off, but on this release, I just decided fuck, give it a go and see if it’s passable. Luckily it worked well on the songs.

Beyond hardcore, what musical influences played a part in the making of Different Breed, if any? What informed the direction of this EP? 

I’d say all of our varied tastes in music influenced the writing overall. Vocally I definitely pulled from Crowbar with the melodic stuff and The Mark of Cain in the spoken word parts.

The upcoming all-ages show on Jan 20th (The 614 smackdown) sold out in a day I believe?! Was this anything you expected? 

First and foremost I have to shout out the kings at Dropouts and Dead City Barbers for allowing this to happen at their shop. If you’re from Brisbane or are ever here make sure you go support them.

The reaction and the speed it sold out really blew all of us away! We were hoping it would get to that point eventually, but the short amount of time was nothing we were expecting. I think it shows how well the scene here is doing and how much we are in need of AA shows again.

As all things ebb and flow, we are very much in a place where people are coming to shows. Do you intend to continue fostering the AA show environments  + build up the younger HC community this year? There is a clear demand for HC.

I believe that at the core of it, hardcore is a youth movement and the lack of AA venues across the country is something that needs to change. It’s the perfect time to get young people in and participating in the scene again. I think the talk between a lot of people country-wide is that we have to get all ages spaces popping again, inject some new blood into it, and keep the momentum going.

Taking the time to chat with younger members of the scene, show them that there isn’t a pecking order, and offer support and guidance when they want it is what all older people should be open to doing.

How can we support HC in 2024?

In 2024 I believe the best way to support the scene is to keep participating in it. Sounds played out but go to shows, book a show, make a zine, take some photos, start a band, tell your friends about it, bring a new person to a show, have fun, travel interstate, and most importantly have time for new people and don’t be a fuckwit.

Lastly…If there was a ‘dream’ collab for Knuckledragger, what would it be?

My dream people to collaborate with, would be the Mike Dijan (Crown of Thorns, Outburst, Breakdown) Beltsy (Mindsnare) Bursky (No Apologies, Sumuru) Todd Jones (Nails, Terror) Luc Lemay (Goreguts) and Paul Dempsey (Something for Kate).

All of these people have shaped my writing and the way I look at musical composition and would be amazing to pick their brains.

‘Different Breed’ - Here

“I service society by rocking, ok?”

- Dewey Finn