Band: Duel
From: New Jersey
Their formation story:
(Lauren, vocals): "Kate (guitar) and I are close friends who have been looking to start a band together for years before the start of Duel, probably around 2022-2023. After we’d both finished college and had more time to dedicate to music, we’d get together to jam and start looking for other people who might be interested in joining.
"One night, Kate sent me a picture of a flyer on the wall of the Meatlocker (Montclair, New Jersey venue) that stated that a hardcore band was looking for a vocalist and guitarist. We actually ended up texting the number, but schedule Issues got in the way, so it didn’t work out.
"However, a few months later, we asked our friends, Alijah (bass), Pat (drums), and later on, Creasen (second guitar) if they wanted to start a band together, and that officially kicked everything into gear. For almost a year before our first show (Oct. 5th, 2024), we spent many nights together after work writing songs and finding our sound. For 3 out of the 5 of us, this is the first band that we’ve ever been in or could contribute to writing-wise, so it took us a while to get acclimated.
"As of September 2025, Creasen has since moved over to drums, and we had another friend, Bret, step in on bass."
Their sound in their own words:
"We would describe our sound/style as fast hardcore punk with some surfy parts intertwined here and there. Some of our influences include early Ceremony, Warthog, G.L.O.S.S, BIB, and GEL.
"We love the melodic and bouncy yet vicious and hard-hitting sound that each of these bands portrays. We wanted a sound that would make people want to get up and let themselves go, to escape their minds and live in the moment."
Latest release info:
"We independently released a two-song single on October 30th, 2025 called Counting Sheep/Cost of Living. This was the first project that Creasen and Bret appeared on as well so we are super excited that it’s finally out. We recorded it at Sound Acres in Pilesgrove, New Jersey with the amazing Anthony Dignazio.
"'Counting Sheep' was written out of frustration with society's ignorance and allowance towards a ridiculous, regressive, hate-filled political agenda. The lyrics are directly written to extremists as a way to symbolically grab them by the shoulders and shake them out of their trance in hopes of disillusionment.
"'Cost of Living' is about the concept of our economy depending on tragedy and loss to perpetuate corporate greed and religious ideation. This was written as a way to cope with these thoughts and hopefully make someone who shares this hopelessness feel less alone in their thoughts."
Future plans:
"We're currently writing a 6-8 song EP that we plan on releasing in 2026 under RTF Records. We're super excited to be working with RTF and are so thankful for the opportunity."
What other bands from their region should we check out?
We love these bands and totally suggest checking them out. All from NJ: Heathens, Quiz, Manik, Bodylock, Defy You, Depressionista, Sovnya, Hard 2 Kill, Eric Raven, Buffout.
Duel on social media: Instagram
Tagged: duel
