Revolver have teamed with Scowl for an exclusive colored vinyl variant of Psychic Dance Routine, limited to 600. Get yours now!
No one can accuse Scowl of not being DIY. It's February when Revolver reaches vocalist Kat Moss, and she and her bandmates are carefully driving their van, trailer precariously in tow, through Wyoming's "nice snowy, blizzardy weather." The Santa Cruz hardcore crew have embarked on this treacherous cross-country trek to Philadelphia to join Show Me the Body, Jesus Piece and Zulu on tour because, well, they live for this shit.
Scowl's wintry journey is the most recent entry in an unrelenting campaign that has helped the band become one of the leaders of the burning-hot NorCal hardcore scene. Since dropping their acclaimed 2021 debut, How Flowers Grow, it's been a crazy ride. They've opened arenas for Limp Bizkit, received public support from heroes like Paramore's Hayley Williams, and later this year, much to Moss' amazement, they'll be playing Coachella. "Oh my gosh, I know!" Moss exclaims of booking the Cali fest. "When I started a hardcore band, I never thought that would even be an opportunity we would ever have."
Despite the accolades and high-profile gigs, Scowl haven't lost touch with the grassroots punk community from which they sprouted. The scene's adventurous spirit is on full display throughout their new and fantastic five-song EP, Psychic Dance Routine, which Moss says draws inspiration from some of the heaviest, catchiest Nineties outfits — Nirvana, the Breeders, L7 and Sonic Youth — while exploring some deeply personal subject matter.
"I literally talk about playing, being perceived, being onstage," Moss says of "Opening Night," which examines the singer's public persona versus her "shadow self" out of the spotlight. "I didn't want to overly lean into that because I want it to still feel relatable for people who aren't in that position. But I do think we take a metaphorical stage in everything we do every day." Moss has become keenly aware of this disconnect between perception and reality, and the fallacy that looking good — whether onstage or on social media – is equivalent to feeling good. "Everyone, especially with social media and the way our lives revolve around our images, that's the message we receive."
The one place that always keeps Moss grounded is Santa Cruz. Fittingly, when we approached her for this "Favorite Shit" photo shoot, she immediately knew her home turf had to be a part of it. So, a few weeks before Scowl kicked off their East Coast tour, Moss led us down Pacific Avenue to show off her favorite local hangouts — and shout out some of her favorite beauty products. "I was worried for a second that I'd look silly with a makeup palette, or lipstick" Moss says. "I felt sort of materialistic or something. But at the end of the day, this is stuff that's important to my identity."
FAVORITE RECORD STORE
Streetlight Records
I love collecting vinyl. I'm not in a position to buy every single record I love when I see it. So, I definitely have to be picky. I try to focus on records that I know I'll want to play often, or if it's limited, a first pressing, or something that I might not see again. Streetlight always have a really cool selection of records that are limited — and they also make an effort to support their local scene. They always try to keep Drain and Scowl records in stock. It's really cool.
FAVORITE BIRTHDAY GIFT
original pressing of Pavement's Brighten the Corners
I'm pretty sure I went to Streetlight Records on my birthday last year. Malachi [Greene], who plays guitar in Scowl, he bought me the record as a birthday gift. I was really excited because I don't really own many original pressings of any records. This is one of my favorite Pavement records, and Pavement is one of my favorite bands. The first song that I discovered off of it was "Harness Your Hopes," which is a B-side off of that record. Pavement give me such a nostalgic vibe when I listen to them. It reminds me of being a kid. It reminds me of spending my summers in the backyard and listening to CDs. It just gives me that feeling. I love that Pavement has the ability to do that.
FAVORITE FAMILY HEIRLOOM
grandmother's coat
Oh my god. So this is actually a really special coat. My mom's mom, my Oma, lived in Germany. But I knew her. She used to wear this. She was totally kooky. She always wore ripped tights, and she had the coolest style. I have a lot of stuff from her: jewelry and old, old clothing pieces. She was just a sweetheart. She didn't speak a lot of English, but she made it very clear how much she loved me and my sister. Germany is very cold compared to California, so I don't really get to whip this coat out very often. But it's a real fur, real leather, Penny Lane coat, and it's been handed down. It's probably a hundred years old and it's just gorgeous. It's so cozy, and very, very special to me. It's a keepsake.
FAVORITE BLONDIE-INSPIRED FOOTWEAR
white vinyl go-go boots
They stand out; they're so bright. I didn't realize that they were growing into somewhat of an iconic thing. I am just so inspired by Blondie, Suzi Quatro and Joan Jett. That's been pretty prevalent when we were rolling out How Flowers Grow; I was really, really embracing that. The boots have become this thing, this kind of entity. And it's fun because I think they're badass boots. I run through these boots pretty quickly. These get replaced often because they just get beat up. They get so destroyed on tour. The heels break off once you really stomp around in them. I really feel like I have such a relationship with them, and it feels like an extension of myself.
FAVORITE HAIR DYE
Lunar Tides in "Neon Lime"
It's my happy color. It was always a dream to nail this "Electric Lizard" color. As someone who likes to express themselves with fashion and makeup, I always dye my hair. This time around, I invested in having a hairstylist, Kayla Macadeag, do my color, because I spent years doing it myself: running into Sally [Beauty] with a half-bleached head, just miserable moments. I thought my hair would always be frizzy and dry. But I now realize with the right products and routines, that's not the case. The hair dye I use, it's like a UV green. It glows in the dark, which is really fun onstage in certain lighting. I feel like it's a really large extension of my personality.
FAVORITE VINTAGE STORE
Virgo Vintage
It's basically a curated boutique. As someone who appreciates thrifting both vintage and designer clothing — it's cool because you have that mix, and it's all very selected. I wanted to focus on Virgo specifically because it's a local business and they also take a lot of pride in their displays inside the store; they're very creative. You can just come and hang out. We sometimes have this rush to get into a store, look at everything, buy what you can, get out and repeat. But don't be afraid to look at everything. And find inspiration in what you like; don't focus on following trend cycles.
FAVORITE EYESHADOW PALETTE
Claropsyche's "Butterfly"
When I got the first palette, it blew me away how high-quality the colors were in the eyeshadows. I'd really never used anything that nice. I was hooked. Now, it's kind of my go-to palette on tour because it's compact enough, it has a mirror and it has all the colors I really like. The blues always have the best color payoff compared to a lot of palettes I've used. Blue is a hard color pigment to get [right] ... And most of the pastels also really stand out from a lot of other brands. I've just become very devout.
FAVORITE PLACE TO TALK SHIT WITH DRAIN
Verve Coffee Roasters
Verve has made a name for themselves in the third-wave coffee world. Before I started touring full-time, I actually had a job at Verve. One of my favorite routines to do when I am home and I have time to kill is go grab my little oat milk latte and an avocado toast. Last summer, every Saturday we'd meet up at Verve with all of our friends in Drain. There was never really a solid plan, but it was just really nice to catch up on everything — and also talk shit and hang out.
FAVORITE TIKTOK MAKEUP TREND
Revlon's "Rum Raisin" lipstick
So I got turned onto "Rum Raisin" back in spring, because it was classic TikTok. Some girl was talking about the classic Nineties lip colors, and it was "Rum Raisin" and "Black Cherry." I was getting tired of the matte lipstick formula and I picked it up and it was to die for. I personally have a hard time with too bright of a red. But this is a perfect, more burnt kind of sienna red. I think it looks good on everyone. The formula is just so creamy, satiny and smooth. But it doesn't bleed like crazy. I mean, Revlon's been around for a while. There's not really any beating it. And it's really affordable. I'm a big proponent of [the concept] that you don't have to spend a lot to feel good and to look good. I think if I get too crazy [onstage], it might smear a little. I don't mind that look — I just think it looks pretty badass and punk.
FAVORITE WAY TO ENJOY THE SILENCE
Sony noise-cancelling headphones
They kind of changed my whole life on tour. I also wear them walking around the grocery store because it's so calming. I almost lost them not that long ago. I left them in the green room, and my friend grabbed them. I was so horrified when I realized I had left them. Swear to god, I was about to have a breakdown … then I felt so ridiculous for relying on technology like that. But wow, they help me so much, because I do some-times get very over-stimulated. It's nice to have those to be able to check out and just have that silence.
FAVORITE CULT-INSPIRED DESIGNS
Havoc Clothing
I love Havoc. [Founder Cheyenne Snider] combines fashion and a DIY approach with hardcore and punk music. She'll take vintage or upcycled pieces, like silk dresses or skirts, and handprint band logos and things on them. Like this dress, I really like the color. I love that silky cream; it's really soft and so flattering. Scowl did a collab with Havoc last fall. It was so cool. We had never done something so fashion-forward with our merch.
FAVORITE TAROT CARD
Three of Swords
The Three of Swords and I have a tight relation-ship. I'm the type of person to pull that card often, when I feel my life is going through major changes. I don't necessarily see the card as a bad thing because I do really respect change — and I closely defend my emotional experiences through my growth. A lot of that ties into our record How Flowers Grow. I was pulling Three of Swords; I was pulling Death. I was pulling cards that represented change, growth and self-realization. I don't view it as negative.
As I grow older, and I learn about myself more, I recognize my own relationship with my spirituality is more important than I've chalked it up to be in the past. Starting to embrace that aspect of myself a bit more publicly was kind of scary. But I realized I have every right to do that because it's my own thing.
