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<\/p>\nCo-led by guitarist Violet Mayugba and singer Alexia Roditis, Sacramento punk band Destroy Boys debuted with the 2015 studio EP Sorry Mom<\/i>. The band\u2019s profile got an early boost when they were favorably mentioned in a 2016 Rolling Stone<\/i> feature on Green Day. And by 2018 \u2014 around the time of the release of their second LP, Make Room<\/i> \u2014 the group had cultivated a loyal and growing base of followers. That support led to their pick as a fan-selected act to play the 2018 Noise Pop Festival.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
While the pandemic sidelined Destroy Boys from live performance, it doesn\u2019t seem to have blunted the group\u2019s forward momentum. Now based in San Francisco, the band released two singles in 2020: \u201cFences\u201d and \u201cHoney I\u2019m Home,\u201d and this year they\u2019ve signed with Hopeless Records, cranking out three new singles. The first was a minute-long adrenaline blast called \u201cMuzzle,\u201d which earned nearly a million plays on Spotify alone. Released on August 4, \u201cLocker Room Bully\u201d was accompanied by a new video and the news of a forthcoming full-length.<\/p>\n
\u201cLocker Room Bully\u201d is timely and topical, exploring the consequences of misinformation spread via social media. But Roditis rages rather than ruminates on the subject, and the band \u2014 Roditis, Mayugba and drummer Narsai Malik \u2014 provides instrumental muscle to match.<\/p>\n
The most fascinating of this year\u2019s trio of Destroy Boys singles is \u201cDrink.\u201d Released in June, the song displays impressive lyrical depth. On a casual listen, it sounds like a love song wrapped in a pop-punk arrangement. Closer inspection reveals that \u201cDrink\u201d is describing something closer to a love-hate relationship, and the subject of affection and revulsion is alcohol. It\u2019s a candid, nuanced look at addiction. And right from the start, Roditis delivers a line full of self-awareness: \u201cI\u2019m about to turn this confession to a smoke cloud,\u201d they sing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love some nuance,\u201d laughs Roditis, the group\u2019s primary lyricist who co-writes with Mayugba. \u201cThings are always more complex than one opinion or another.\u201d Roditis says that they made a point of working multiple perspectives into the song. And while the tune explicitly mentions alcohol, booze is meant as a wider metaphor for anything that\u2019s the focus of addiction. \u201cWhatever you\u2019re addicted to can be like a little sanctuary,\u201d Roditis says. \u201cBut then you also feel like garbage for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Destroy Boys put thought into their lyrics. \u201cI really like to have an arc of some sort, so that there\u2019s a change,\u201d Roditis says. \u201cThe two perspectives \u2014 \u2018She loves me \/ she loathes me\u2019 and \u2018something isn\u2019t right \/ she holds me tight\u2019 \u2014 that inner conflict is really important.\u201d Roditis says that in the case of \u201cDrink,\u201d a nuanced approach was the truthful one. And it\u2019s one that \u2014 in Destroy Boys\u2019 experience, at least \u2014 isn\u2019t often found in popular music. \u201cI hadn\u2019t heard a song that showed that, aside from Interpol\u2019s \u2018Read My Chemistry,\u2019\u201d Roditis says.<\/p>\n
Destroy Boys\u2019 music is the result of a collaborative creative process, though, and how a song eventually turns out might not closely resemble the form in which it began. \u201cThe original intention of the song was different,\u201d says Mayugba. The song was more literal: \u201cDrink understands me.\u201d Changing that third \u201cperson\u201d to a \u201cshe\u201d not only made the metaphor less heavy-handed, it subtly introduced the idea of same-sex love. Even though that\u2019s not what \u201cDrink\u201d is about either, the multilayered lyric ends up working on a number of levels.<\/p>\n
The fact that it\u2019s all contained in a dramatic, catchy melody doesn\u2019t hurt a bit. Listeners who trill along to the \u201cShe really loves me\u201d chorus may miss the song\u2019s point entirely. And that\u2019s OK: In Destroy Boys\u2019 world, there\u2019s room for messages and melodies. \u201cOur band is a very lucky example of being able to do both simultaneously,\u201d says Mayugba. \u201cEverything that we write about is super important to us. And music is the way I communicate who I am; without it, I wouldn\u2019t be able to function very well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Destroy Boys haven\u2019t released any music that\u2019s overtly political. But at the same time Roditis subscribes to the personal-is-political philosophy. \u201cWhat we’re trying to get to is life: interpreting being queer and being mad at the patriarchy and trauma,\u201d they say. \u201cThat can all be seen as political. And I don’t really know what to do about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Alexia Roditis does<\/i> in fact know what to do about that. \u201cI hadn\u2019t written an explicitly political song until recently,\u201d they say. That song isn\u2019t out yet. \u201cBut it\u2019s a banger,\u201d Roditis teases with a smile. \u201cWriting about our own experiences can be seen as controversial by some people, but I think [music and politics] go hand in hand. Music is a vessel to communicate my thoughts on society.\u201d<\/p>\n
The upcoming Open Mouth, Open Heart<\/i> promises to build on the catchy music and thoughtful lyrics of the albums, EPs and singles that preceded it. Due October 8, the band\u2019s third LP will be its first for Hopeless Records. Destroy Boys approached the prospect of a label change with caution. \u201cI was really worried about a label trying to make us do something that we don’t want to do,\u201d Roditis explains. \u201cBut it was clear that [Hopeless] wanted to give us a lot of creative control. And they haven\u2019t tried to infringe upon our vision; they trust us as artists to know what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Destroy Boys\u2019 lineup has changed over the years, with rhythm sections coming and going, but Roditis and Mayugba seem to have found the right mix with drummer Narisi\u2026 and without a full-time bassist.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had a lot of fun playing bass parts in the studio,\u201d says Mayugba. And the idea of rotating bass players suits the band. \u201cWe get to play with all of our friends and bring them out on the road whenever we can,\u201d Mayugba says.<\/p>\n
With the kind of candor that characterizes Destroy Boys\u2019 music, Roditis cuts straight to the heart of that subject: \u201cWorking with three people is easier than working with four!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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