Band: Look Away
From: Oakland, California
Their formation story:
(Ben, vocals): "Adam and I have been friends for more than 20 years. We played in a band together in the mid-2000s, but over the years we kept writing songs and not doing much with them because adult life kept getting in the way. In 2024, we set out to start a hardcore band and wrote a batch of songs that would become our demo.
"That began the search for a drummer. After a year of looking—and feeling at times like it just wasn't going to happen—Gregg reached out to us through Craigslist and was the perfect fit for what we were trying to do. Dan and Victor came along shortly after, and Look Away was formed."
Their sound in their own words:
"We're a hardcore band. Traditional in approach, more modern in execution. We like to keep it fast, simple, and to the point. No chugging slam here, but just enough slow and mid-tempo to get you stomping side to side.
"We draw a lot of musical influence from the classics like Negative Approach and Siege, as well as bands like Coke Bust, Let Down, and Carry On."
Latest release info:
"Gregg, Adam, and I recorded the demo last year at Blindspot Studio in San Jose, and we dropped it in November 2025. It has four songs and a cover of Grimple's 'Think' that shows more of our punk roots and ethos.
"We screen-printed our own covers and self-released the cassettes. DIY is how we operate this band."
Future plans:
"We're finishing up six new songs for an EP and heading into the studio in August. Hopefully, we'll be releasing it as a 7" this fall.
"We're also excited to be playing more shows around the Bay Area this summer, with possibly a small California run later this year."
What other bands from their region should we check out?
"The Bay has so much cool shit going on, as always. Luv and Blood Compact are two awesome bands that we've been honored to play with so far, and Straggler fucking rips."
Look Away on social media: Instagram
Tagged: look away
