“Reality Denied writes hardcore music for people who like to mosh like assholes.” states Conner Gibbs, vocalist of the Canadian hardcore/beatdown outfit, when we spoke to them ahead of the release of their latest EP …Comes With A Price. The third EP from the Niagara region five-piece, which was released independently by the band on May 26th, Conner was nice enough to talk to Noizze about the album and chat about being apart of the Ontario hardcore scene.
Having been a couple years since their previous release in 2021, …Comes With A Price is instantly more aggressive and clearly comes from a darker place. “When I was writing the lyrics for this record, I’d be sitting at home or at work and just get worked up over stuff and that’s where a lot of the EP came from,” says Conner. “Thinking about people in my past who’ve went too far, or crazy stuff that’s happened when i was younger. There are a couple tracks about how people pretend to be something they aren’t. That was something that was bothering me a lot at the time. People trying to convince us they’re these hard as fuck gangsters or something but in reality they are as silver spoon as they come- which is fine, but like, just be yourself.”
“I was really trying to step my game up on this one. Everyone brought their A game so I had to match the vibe ”
Always one to promote anyone and any band within the Ontario hardcore scene, Conner made it very clear how the scene makes him feel. With ten years of attending shows – and just as many years preforming – he states exactly how he feels about this music community. “When I was growing up I found myself in a pretty rough place mentally and the only thing i had to look forward to was hardcore,” Conner continued. “I got kicked out of high school, didn’t have a lot of friends, and so the only thing i had to look forward to was playing music. I owe everything to hardcore and all I wanna do is have fun with my friends. I’ve met so many great people in Ontario and I’m super grateful for that.”
A scene on the rise with bands dropping exciting music from bands like Rust, Gavel, and Cold Shoulder, the Niagara troupe isn’t any different. Insisting right now is the time to get involved. A ton of fans, old and new coming to shows, Conner put it simply when he said “Don’t Wait.” as it’s only getting better with each and every gig. “Hardcore is in a great place right now. So many bands are putting out new music, shows are going great, tons of people coming out new and old. For real this is a great time to get involved if you aren’t already,” Excitedly Conner stated. “If you aren’t from Ontario, there is almost certainly a similar thing going on in your own city. Touch bass, make a difference, and meet some people.”
“We got our release show June 16th at the Casbah in Hamilton with a whole lineup of day 1’s,” said Conner about the bands future. “We’re going to Quebec this summer for a few days, and we’re gonna start writing some new stuff as soon as possible. We’ve got a lot of announcements this year so keep your eyes open.”