All photos by Nicole Goodwin
Melbourne band COMBAT ROCK have announced the upcoming release of their debut 7 inch in April set to be released through the label of frontman Moose. Given they've already pumped out two demos, with another 10 songs set to appear on the 7 inch, we figured it was high time to catch up for a chat.
At what point did COMBAT ROCK form and how did it all come together?
In 2024 Jake was over at my house a lot helping me make tapes for my small business and we'd watch a lot of hardcore footage on YouTube of bands like Youth Of Today, No Tolerance etc and I think maybe I floated the idea of doing a straight edge band. We jammed some tracks before a RAT BAIT practice then asked Zach and Jimi to join and that was that.
Would readers recognize the members from any other bands?
Zach and Jake are both in the sick bands IMPLODE and WHO'S TO BLAME at the minute and they also run the label THE OMISSION together. Jimi hasn't played any music for a long time so it's been cool to play with him, I've been going to gigs with him for years and years and he has great taste and is as dedicated a punker as you'll find. Sadly I've done ten trillion bands 😃. At the moment I'm also playing in RAT BAIT, SCREAMING TARGET and ARMOUR.
In your own words how would you describe the sound of COMBAT ROCK?
Fast thin x straight edge hardcore punk hell yeah.
Given the reference to the Clash, COMBAT ROCK doesn't sound much like them so who is influencing the sound of the band?
Probably the usual classic refs like Youth of Today, Minor Threat, Straight Ahead, Agnostic Front etc. but I also like bands that bring a bit of snot like Adolescents and Verbal Abuse and there's definitely some modern New England influence there (i.e. Rampage, The Rival Mob, Mental, No Tolerance, Peacebreakers et al.)
The attitude and ethos of The Clash I think at times is sorely lacking from hardcore though. Even in a songwriting sense, I'll see a hardcore band and think where the hell are THE HOOKS. A breakdown isn't a hook - I wanna hear some god damn SONGS! Also some lyrics about literally anything!
What would be a dream line-up of bands to play with?
We've been pretty lucky honestly, we've only played four shows and our third one was with IRON LUNG, EXTORTION and STRAIGHTJACKET NATION. Three of my all-time personal faves. I really like playing with young bands because kids come out and lose their mind to everything and are so much less cynical and jaded than I am. I'd really like to play in Adelaide and Perth because there's a real groundswell of DIY shows there that look like good fun. I think eventually you realise playing with your favourite overseas band is often more stressful and less enjoyable than a good local show so I'm happy with that these days! All that being said, we're playing with MURPHY'S LAW in a few weeks with VICIOUS CIRCLE, IMPLODE and RAT BAIT - I can't wait for that. If you're reading this, come out! We don't play much.
Two demos and a 7" in what feels like a less than 12 month period, who and what's driving the song writing process of COMBAT ROCK?
I write most of the songs, but Zach wrote the music for THE ONLY WAY IS THROUGH and we lifted the riffs for the song INSTANCE from a song by the band... INSTANCE. Our songs are short and get to the point pretty quickly so it's straightforward enough for me to pump out songs, I'll demo them at home and flick them to the group chat. Writing songs and recording is the best part of doing a band for me, I could really take or leave playing shows all the time the older I get. That being said, when you're on vocals and a show is going good... That's an unmatchable buzz.
You recently announced your debut 10 song EP, how did the recording process come together and how was the studio experience?
Kind of on a whim really, I booked a rehearsal room on a Sunday morning and Jake and I tracked the drums and a rhythm guitar track, then Zach and Jimi did their parts at my house and I did vocals whenever I had some free time and felt up to it. I've done a lot of recording for my own stuff and other people's bands so I'm very relaxed about it, but doing vocals really does take it out of me these days, I can warm up as much as I like but after I've belted out a few tracks my voice will be shot! Not sure if it's because I've thumped it over the years or I'm just getting old - maybe both. I sent the songs off to Will Killingsworth at Dear Air who has been making my crummy recordings sound listenable for years, so a massive shout out to him. He's got the right touch that's for sure.
Got a fave track on the EP, why that one in particular?
NOT MY SCENE is my favourite song of ours, I just think it is illustrative of how we sound as a band and it's got corny straight edge lyrics. But I like all of the songs!
How can people get a hold of a copy of the EP?
You can pre-order it here: https://evolvetougly.bigcartel.com/ or if you wanna suss out the MP3s https://evolvetougly.bandcamp.com/album/ten-song-7
Deposit is dropped at the pressing plant so the 7s should be ready to send out very soon! No streaming sorry, that's NOT MY SCENE (ha ha)
What else is in store in the foreseeable future for COMBAT ROCK?
Honestly I dunno. The 7" was the goal I had so I guess I'll see how people respond to that and go from there.
How can people get in touch or keep up with what’s happening with COMBAT ROCK?
Good question, we don't even have an email address which is pretty slack on my part, maybe I'll tee that up now. In the mean time you can follow me on Instagram (@evolvetougly), I'll post if the band is up to anything. Thanks for the interview, appreciate it as always!!
Preorder the COMBAT ROCK 7 inch here: https://evolvetougly.bigcartel.com/product/combat-rock-10-song-7-pre-order
Listen below: