Known for their blend of hardcore and powerviolence, Zulu is pushing the boundaries of those sounds into new territory on their forthcoming album, A New Tomorrow. Formed as a solo project by vocalist Anaiah Lei in 2018 and then joined by guitarist Braxton Marcellous, the Los Angeles based band has since been rounded out by guitarist Dez Yusuf, bassist Satchel Brown and drummer Christine Cadette. A New Tomorrow (Flatspot Records) serves as the band’s first full-length, following EPs Our Day Will Come (2019) and My People..Hold On (2020). Taking on the task of self-producing the record, the band immersed themselves in collaborator Zach Tuch’s (Dare, Trash Talk) studio in the valley. After spending months toying with different instrumentation and samples, and pulling influences ranging from reggae to death metal, the result is an eclectic 15 tracks.

Zulu builds a sense of community throughout A New Tomorrow that is also apparent at the band’s fun and chaotic live shows, which have been almost non-stop for the past year. Sharing the stage with acts ranging from Sasami to Comeback Kid, labelmates Scowl and Buggin, to playing an array of festivals like Denmark’s Rokslide and LA’s Sound and Fury. 2023 will be no different as the band is already booked for a tour supporting Show Me The Body and festival appearances across North America and Europe.

In pushing the limits of standard chaos, Candy has been a transitory force within the hardcore music scene since their debut in 2017. Refusing to adhere to the paradigms and principles of hardcore, punk, metal, pop, or whatever genre the listener has tried to assign them; they’ve manufactured a space all their own.

During the fall of 2017, Candy ushered it’s audience into their dystopian soundscape with the breakout 7” Candy Says. Synthesizing global influences from across the punk/hardcore spectrum, from forefathers such as Bastard, Discharge, Cro-Mags, and Integrity, the group demonstrated their ability to match the energy of their inspirators while providing a uniquely visceral experience all theirs. Front man Zak Quiram’s guttural bellows propelled with Michael Quick’s contemplative guitar work, we see all the working parts of a band hell bent on warping the reality of its listener. Use of chorus pedals over down-tuned guitars further affirms the saccharine & grotesque dichotomy that has become Candy’s calling card.

Aligning with the esteemed engineer and producer Arthur Rizk, Candy achieved the type of artistry that transcends the confines of its own medium, with their first full length record “Good to Feel.” “A psychotic joyride” one could argue, “only one misstep away from self-induced obliteration.” Noise and image bled together throughout the albums’ brief but resounding 9 song track list. Lyrically, Quiram addressed the rampant environmental devastation, suicidal ideation, police violence, and corruption that plagues the news cycle, while fellow band members provided its soundtrack.

Following the release of their debut full-length, Candy left an impression on spectators near and far with their brooding and bloody performances. Touring alongside contemporaries, such as Fucked Up, Terror, and Harms Way, as well as making appearances with hardcore icons like Quicksand and Iron Age, showed bystanders that the company they keep reflect their larger rejection of genre conformity.

In their latest lockstep along the yellow brick, Candy has found an ally in Relapse Records. Having shared the stage with acts from Relapse’s roster, such as Full of Hell, Nothing and Gatecreeper, the band is geared to make some of their most jarring, yet satiating, musical offerings to date.