Sand Trap is a Los Angeles-based that formed in 2019 with a penchant for no-nonsense hardcore punk. "Evan (guitar) and I have been close friends since middle school, so we grew up mutually influencing each other’s taste in music," vocalist Cameron Lopez tells No Echo. "We bonded over a mutual love for punk, which eventually evolved into a love for hardcore by high school–right about the time when [Terror's] Always the Hard Way [album] came out. At the time, we had a thrash band that didn’t last very long. I played drums and Evan played guitar, but we had always discussed wanting to form a hardcore band some time in the future."
"Then, about a year ago, Evan introduced me to Kyle (bass) and Robby (drums). All three had already formed another band that had recently broken up around the time we were introduced. So, they needed a vocalist and I needed to scratch the itch, that old itch, so we formed Sand Trap."
Released last month, Insufferable Sinking is a 4-track EP that serves as the introduction to Sand Trap:
How about specific influences? Cameron gives up the goods: "Every member of the band comes in with their own respective inspirations, so that blend of genres helps create a cohesive sound. With that being said, some of the most important influences to us include Integrity, Crowbar, Baptists, Trap Them, Ghostlimb, Circle Jerks, and Buried Alive.
"I feel like it’s always difficult to classify your own sound, but I’d say we are a focused blend of all the music we grew up loving–hardcore, punk, sludge, and metal. For this release, we wanted each song to be anxiety-inducing. Our hope is that when you hear this EP, you feel the clenched teeth and jaws that inspired the four songs on it."
Like every other band featured on No Echo since this past March, the COVID-19 safety guidelines have stalled Sand Trap's plans for the near future, but that doesn't mean they plan on stopping doing what they love. "Since our band hasn’t existed for very long, we haven’t really had the pleasure of playing more than a couple of shows. So, once the lockdown is lifted we’re ready to get out there and integrate ourselves into the local scene. We know that our sound may not be what is conventional or popular right now, but we’re hoping to make a place for ourselves regardless.
"There are a lot of awesome bands out there we’d love to see live and would love to play with. I’d say Scowl, Regional Justice Center, Initiate, Bib, Skullcrack, ACxDC, and Exhibition are probably at the top of that list right now. We would love to play with anyone and everyone who is doing their own thing and sees that we’re doing the same.
"We’ll play to a single person in an alleyway. It doesn’t matter, we just want to play."
Sand Trap on social media: Instagram | Twitter
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Tagged: new artist focus, sand trap
