Militarie Gun are a difficult band to label. Their hardcore roots are worn on their sleeve, with frontman Ian Shelton’s shouted vocals dominating their sound backed by dual guitarists Nick Cogan and William Acuña’s hard-hitting riffs. Despite this, there’s a tenderness to the band’s sound, with a number of the tracks on their debut album slowing down the pace with a melancholic, melodic feel. Militarie Gun fluidly and effortlessly shapeshift between different genres throughout Life Under The Gun while keeping their hardcore ethos intact.
Launching right into their debut on the track ‘Do It Faster’, Militarie Gun show off their songwriting chops with a masterclass in catchy, cathartic hardcore. Shelton’s combative, spitting vocals shine on this track, pushed into the foreground by Vince Nguyen‘s equally aggressive drumming, with lyrics that eloquently capture Shelton’s experience with ADHD and paint a picture of his past dreaming of the life he now lives. The angular guitars and punchy rhythm section on Do It Faster are far more reminiscent of classic hardcore punk bands like Descendents or Black Flag than modern acts who take the genre to extreme lengths, Militarie Gun aren’t reinventing the wheel here, instead taking hardcore back to its personal, emotionally charged roots.
“Militarie Gun fluidly and effortlessly shapeshift between different genres throughout Life Under The Gun while keeping their hardcore ethos intact”
Life Under The Gun acts as an exploration of genre, with Militarie Gun bringing in an incredibly wide range of influences, this is clearest on the single ‘Will Logic’ where the band’s hardcore background is married with alt-rock and pop sounds. The jagged guitar riffs, energetic drums and Shelton’s snarling vocal delivery are all still present, as are new elements like a melodic, wandering bassline from bassist Max Epstien, brooding backing vocals and a soft piano accompaniment brining an almost retro, post-grunge vibe to the track. Shelton’s lyrics scrutinise his own interpersonal relationships and his regrets about them in an incredibly blunt and self-aware way with anger at former friends turned around to himself and his own insecurities. The mindful and deliberate lyrical choices are a consistent strength of Life Under The Gun, continually giving glimpses into the frontman’s troubled past and allowing him to delve into and work through his problems.
Despite their retro influences Militarie Gun aren’t trying to relive the past, steering clear of the pitfalls of hardcore bands who too often devolve into testosterone fuelled machismo by interrogating the genre’s complex history and vibrant present. The tracks ‘Think Less’ and ‘Return Policy’ are fantastic back to back showcases of Militarie Gun’s ability to keep the spirit and energy of hardcore intact while incorporating less brutal sonic elements. ‘Think Less’ features punchy hardcore verses alongside an alt-rock style intro composed of distorted broken chords and an anthemic chorus complete with subtle gang vocals which flows directly into the next track. ‘Return Policy’ picks up the pace with a choppy, angular guitar riff Shelton’s attacking vocals before giving way in the chorus to clean chords and soaring, sing-along vocals. These genre mashups are an integral part of Militarie Gun’s sound, with hardcore acting as an undercurrent to their explorative approach to songwriting rather than dominating it.
“Genre mashups are an integral part of Militarie Gun’s sound, with hardcore acting as an undercurrent to their explorative approach to songwriting rather than dominating it”
The track ‘Never Fucked Up Once’ is a darkly comedic, self-aware and cathartic encapsulation of everything that makes Militarie Gun special. With an almost rock ballad feel, Shelton focuses his lyrics on his own relationships and need for human connection despite the pain he’s inflicted on himself and others to fulfil this need with a conscious sense of irony as he explores his own mistakes in the second person. Putting together that he’s referring to himself and working though his own mistakes throughout the song is an emotional gut punch, the juxtaposition of these brutally honest lyrics on one of the album’s lightest and most melodic tracks is a genius move that really elevates the song to one of Life Under The Gun’s best.
The one-two punch of the album’s closing tracks ‘See You Around’ and ‘Life Under The Gun’ delivers an intimate and cathartic ending to an already standout album. See You Around is the most subdued track on ‘Life Under The Gun’, replacing the hardcore riffs with a soft mellotron keyboard and subtle, clean guitar chords. Shelton’s vocals are delicate but not stripped of their edge, drifting between almost whispered crooning and powerful, emotive shouts in the more emotionally charged moments of the track. With an effortlessly clean transition the closing title track fades in, a far more upbeat, anthemic punk track which ends the album on a hopeful, personal note. One of the longer tracks on the album, yet still only clocking in at under 3 minutes, ‘Life Under The Gun’ is an uplifting and hopeful statement of personal growth that, despite its layered harmonies and snarling hardcore aggression, comes off as a deep and profound celebration of personal progress.
Militarie Gun’s debut album Life Under The Gun may not appease puritanical hardcore elitists with its genre hopping exploration of the genre but those willing to look under the surface will find an intimate portrait of frontman Ian Shelton’s troubled personal life. With a backdrop of alt-rock, pop, punk and of course hardcore, Militarie Gun deliver a debut brimming with charm and catharsis bound to go down as one of the year’s highlights.