Band: Aggravate
From: San Diego, California
Their formation story:
(Nick, vocals): "Marcus and I became friends over a decade ago. I don’t quite remember how we met, but I’m pretty sure it was after my old band Impulse played with his band, Remain in Vain. We hit it off instantly as two fat minorities in the San Diego punk scene [laughs]. We’d half-joked for years about making an all-fat hardcore joke band.
"So when he asked me to do vocals for a project that needed a singer, it was a no-brainer, even if half the lineup had a normal BMI. Jon and Gabe were familiar faces, but I never really knew them until joining Aggravate. Marcus is definitely the nexus of the band, the one who brought us all together."
Their sound in their own words:
"I worship the ’80s. The rest of the band has their own tastes and influences, but we all honor the classics. I like it fast and old school, while the others pull from crust and heavier sounds. Think Negative Approach, Poison Idea, Discharge, and SSD — raw, angry, and old school, with a heavy dose of crust influence."
Latest release info:
"Raw, blasting hardcore crust. It’s got a little bit of all our styles and influences intertwined. This was our first release — it feels like a demo to me — and it’s been cool watching our sound evolve and develop as we figure out who we are as a band. I’m stoked on the next release; it should capture our direction musically even better."
Future plans:
"We just want to play shows with our friends and make the kind of music we want to hear. We’re happy just expressing ourselves, especially while the world keeps diving headfirst into fascism. It feels valuable to release angry, anti-authoritarian music while the world chokes itself out."
What other bands from their region should we check out?
"Definitely check out Violencia from Tijuana — old friends of ours, always bringing that raw, aggressive energy they’ve honed. Also, anything coming out on Human Future Records deserves your attention. That label’s doing cool shit for our city and beyond, keeping things loud, dirty, and punk.
"Don’t sleep on Subversive Intent — a brand-new band I’m stoked on. Tourist, Axe Collector, The Seize, Intermission, and Rival Squad are all out there putting in work and keeping the scene alive and well. San Diego and Chula Vista have always had this big-little-city feel that makes me proud to have grown up in punk here."
Aggravate on social media: Instagram
Tagged: aggravate
