Band: Likewise
From: Bay Area, California
Their formation story:
(Eli, guitar): "We met each other just by going to shows. Me and Skee (Vocals) had been plotting on starting a project since early 2024. Mafi (drums) and Pat (bass) were also trying to start a band around the same time. Once we started talking to each other more we realized we were trying to play pretty similar styles of hardcore so we combined the ideas and Likewise was born.
"Me and Skee already had rough versions of the demo tracks which Maf and Pat were stoked on. We started off practicing in my room with an e-kit plugged into a guitar amp which is DIY as fuck but also probably sucked for Maf."
Their sound in their own words:
(Patrick, bass): "We’re definitely trying to write songs in the style of Cold World, Backtrack, Trapped Under Ice, and Soul Search. I think we’re trying to emulate the attitude of those records as much as the sound - all those bands are incredibly hard without taking themselves too seriously, especially Cold World.
"Sidenote: we’ve covered some songs from the 2010's era and people have come up to us afterwards to say that we made them feel really old, which is hilarious (sorry tho!)."
Latest release info:
(Eli:) "This newest release was written a bit more collaboratively and the songs are very fun to play live. We tried to incorporate the things we felt worked on the demo tracks while still switching things up. We’re also super stoked to be working with Big Bite Records for the physical release of the promo."
Future plans:
(Patrick): "We’re hoping to do a SoCal run in the Fall and eventually play a local show with all the other bands on Big Bite. We also would like to write and record new songs by the end of the year but have some other individual projects that might take priority."
What other bands from their region should we check out?
(Patrick:) "The list is long, which is a great problem to have. We just did a PNW run with 7Dragons (Sacramento) and Wise Guy (Stockton) and we love those guys to death. Incredible bands made up of dudes who make equally incredible contributions to their scene.
"Bay Area bands that we love are: Stand Tall, Invocation, Opposing Force, and Fever. And finally, shoutout to our label mates Bad World, One Last Prayer, Bad Onez, and Phazed Out."
Promo 2025 is available on cassette via Big Bite Records.
Likewise on social media: Instagram
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