Militarie Gun Life Under The Gun

There’s certainly a very fine line when it comes to a DIY punk or hardcore band breaking further into more mainstream territory. Countless artists stumble and end up imploding under the pressure of wanting to reach as many people as possible while not alienating the diehard fans who helped get them that shot in the first place. On the other hand you have a band like California’s Militarie Gun, a project formed during the pandemic by Regional Justice Center drummer/vocalist Ian Shelton. They came out of the gate swinging with their 2020 debut My Life Is Over, following it up with 3 volumes of All Roads Lead To The Gun, each release showcasing an insanely catchy and infectious brand of hardcore that felt huge while still retaining the raw, real feeling that’s integral to the genre.

That being said, with several stellar releases and quite a lot of touring which started from the second the band were able to hit the road, it’s safe to say their debut full-length Life Under The Gun comes with a heavy amount of both anticipation and expectations. Crafting a great and memorable EP is a feat in itself, let alone matching that same spark on a full-length. Luckily for everyone involved, this record serves as an extension and refinement of their previous releases and a record that finds them fully coming into their own with a collection of songs that go down easier than ever, while still retaining the energetic urgency that hooked so many in the first place.

Sonically, Militarie Gun consistently blur genre lines, combining the sharpest and hardest-hitting corners of classic post-punk bands such as Fugazi, Hüsker Dü and Wire with the apathy-laced heavy riffs of 90’s grunge legends like Nirvana, and the bong-soaked alt-rock of Blind Melon. These are definitely hardcore songs at their core, but huge, anthemic choruses are around every corner, and in general everything on Life Under The Gun feels massive and immediately impactful. From the trio of extremely infectious singles (“Do It Faster”, “Very High” and “Will Logic”) that open the record to midpoint songs like the hard-hitting “Think Less” or the epic closing title track, every single one of the 12 songs on this record has memorable moments that will reel you in and have you coming back for more. At a brisk 27 minutes, it’s almost astonishing how many great hooks and huge riffs they’ve brought with this release, with the added bonus of being completely devoid of any filler material.

Co-Produced by both Ian Shelton and Taylor Young, Life Under The Gun pushes out an enormous sonic presence, successfully retaining the intensity of the band’s punk and hardcore roots while also feeling like they could easily be screamed back to the band by thousands in an arena setting. Militarie Gun excel at this delicate balance of accessibility and authenticity, and certainly it will aid them in pulling more and more listeners in as they continue to progress and evolve in the coming years.

Bottom Line: Life Under The Gun is a record that finds Militarie Gun delivering on the promise of their stellar earlier releases and then some. They dig even deeper into the catchy alt-rock influences that crept up in their previous material and hone them to perfection while still maintaining the urgent, driving punk and hardcore spirit that turned so many heads in the first place. It’s a record filled with a copious amount of standout moments, one that clicks immediately and is endlessly rewarding with repeat listens.