Riding high on a wave of acclaim, MILITARIE GUN are plotting their next moves.
Words: Ali Shutler.
Photos: Frances Beach.
“We’re very willing to be in conflict,” says Militarie Gun vocalist Ian Shelton. Today, he’s gearing up to play a show at Reading Festival, a place where hardcore has become increasingly rare over the years, but it’s not like his music follows the rules of the scene either. “If you didn’t know that we came from the hardcore scene, I don’t think you’d necessarily call us a hardcore band,” he explains. “We are more aggressive than a lot of the other bands playing today, but the foundation of rock music is aggression. I guess we’ll see what people make of it,” he grins.
Since the release of their debut album ‘Life Under The Gun’ last year, Militarie Gun have quickly discovered a whole new audience. Driven by aggression but wrapped around big anthemic hooks, the album has seen the band crossover beyond the DIY punk scene where they first cut their teeth. “We’ve not had a moment off since the record came out; it’s just been twelve months of constantly moving,” Ian offers. As well as touring the album, they’ve also recorded the song ‘Gun Under The Gun’ for Post Malone’s collab with wrestling game WWE 2K24 and released a selection of reworked ‘Life Under The Gun’ tracks featuring Manchester Orchestra, Bully, and Mannequin Pussy. “It’s been awesome to experiment, try stuff and unpack those songs in a new way,” says Ian.
It does mean that the band haven’t had much time to reflect on their breakout year, but playing a festival like Reading for the first time is a reminder that things are progressing. “It’s a case of knowing you’re farther than you were but still being far from where you want to be,” he explains. The band want to push things even further. “We’re just really focused on the next thing. Any time we have off between shows, we’re in the studio demoing, so that’s where my head is at right now.”
“It’s never about chasing expectations”
Despite how big things have got with ‘Life Under The Gun’, the band aren’t worried about living up to what’s come before. “It’s never about chasing expectations,” says Ian, with the band working on this new material long before their debut was even released. “That way, it’s just about what my interests are. We try to stay far ahead of what the audience hears, so the music remains untainted by those feedback loops,” he says. “I never intend on doing the same thing twice.”
The band shared their first taste of new material in July with the dreamy ‘Thought You Were Waving’. “It’s the best version of the type of song we’ve been trying to write for a long time,” says Ian, pointing to ‘Life In Decline’ from their 2020 demo ‘My Life Is Over’, ‘Don’t Pick Up The Phone’ from ‘All Roads Lead To The Gun’, and ‘All My Friends Are Having A Hard Time’ from ‘Life Under The Gun’. “It just felt like the right thing for summer,” he continues. “We wanted a song that was peachy in its imagery but sad in its intention. That conflict is something we want in every Militarie Gun song. It’s either a poppy song with a sad lyric or an aggressive song with a positive message. We’re constantly trying to make this yin-yang split-brain thing into something that makes sense.”
“‘Thought You Were Waving’ is just about misunderstanding when someone needs help and not knowing how to ask for help either,” explains Ian. “It’s a really hard thing when you think you’re telegraphing how hard of a time you’re having, but nobody notices because everyone’s so caught up in their own lives. It’s a dangerous miscommunication as well, so that song is all about encouraging people to ask others how they’re doing and maybe also choosing to ask for help when you need it, too. We wanted to make a pop song that was a little more sad or challenging and people seem to be responding to it.”
Ian knows exactly what the next Militarie Gun record is going to be, but ‘Thought You Were Waving’ doesn’t give much away. “Every song just has its own intention. Our goal is just to be wholly ourselves and keep pushing our own boundaries,” he explains. “I want us to feel uncomfortable and then see if that discomfort is worth what’s being created.” If it is, it gets released. If it’s not, it gets scrapped. “I just want to keep wading into the depths of what pushes me emotionally and musically.
“It’s either a poppy song with a sad lyric or an aggressive song with a positive message”
The members of Militarie Gun all take inspiration from different things as well. “It might be Sabrina Carpenter, it might be a grindcore band,” says Ian. The other day, he heard a Brian Eno rendition of Johann Pachelbel’s ‘Canon In D’, which sparked something in him as well. “I played that song in orchestra in school, but then to hear it done in a completely different way… I’d just never thought about it like that before.” There’s nothing orchestral in new Militarie Gun just yet. “But it’s just about being open to influence at any moment,” he offers.
Militarie Gun have broken through alongside the likes of Scowl, Gel, Turnstile, and Knocked Loose, with all those bands toying with the traditional idea of hardcore and being championed for pushing the genre into bold new directions. “I love celebrating everyone’s success in the scene, but I’m not looking over my shoulder and having that be the fuel on our fire,” says Ian. “We’re too focused on our own thing.”
“That appetite for heavier music doesn’t do anything for me, honestly,” he continues. “It’s always just about how we feel about what we’re making, and what we’re making now is very different to what people would probably expect from us.” But that was the same with ‘Life Under The Gun’ as well. “It would be very easy for us to just write catchy, aggressive songs that feel more traditionally hardcore, but we’re more interested in tapping into what is actually exciting and inspiring us and reinterpreting that. All we care about is making the sort of songs that we want to hear.”
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