Post-Hardcore Outfit Hundred Bliss Enthusiastically Lean into Absurdity
Photo Credit: Marisa Prietto
With its history of strident politicism, abrasive sound and unrelenting intensity, hardcore music is usually categorized by a handful of familiar codifiers—terms like visceral, raw and aggressive almost always make an appearance.
And so obviously, warm and fuzzy are not usually among those descriptors, but that’s exactly how guitarist and vocalist Jeff Day feels about his new band, Hundred Bliss, a post-hardcore outfit from Los Angeles that will be playing at 924 Gilman in Berkeley on September 27.
“I just feel so comfy in this space,” said Day. “I’m better at this kind of music then maybe the softer, indie stuff I’ve been exploring over the past few years. To me, this is how I express myself best. Of course, I like restraint at times, but I love being loud and crazy. This is an opportunity for me to explore that in a way I don’t get to in other places.”
Day’s endearing feeling of snugness is the result of several unique characteristics of Hundred Bliss. The band—composed of Day, vocalist/bassist Garrett La Bonte, vocalist/guitarist Nathan Burger and drummer River van den Berghe—has no sole primary songwriter, with all the members contributing equally. And their music—while punishing sonically—is remarkably playful and funny, full of sardonic humor and ridiculous narratives not normally found within the hardcore universe.
“There were always core reference points we turned to when making our music—bands like Drive Like Jehu and Hot Snakes, and of course Fugazi,” said La Bonte. “And while I don’t think we pull directly from The Fall, we really tried to emulate that tongue-in-cheek humor of that band.”
The first Hundred Bliss release, a four-song collection called “EP1”, came out on June 27 and their second EP, with two additional songs, followed on September 19. The songs are marked by gang vocals, waves of blasting, thunderous guitar riffs and adventurous tempo changes.
For a group still in its early days, the band sounds remarkably tight and locked-in, a focused approach that’s a reflection of the group’s members. Each is a veteran of numerous bands, and Burger and Day most recently played together in a post-rock outfit called Cave Diver. La Bonte records under his own name in addition to performing in other collectives and van den Berghe is the drummer for the scrappy and beloved slack-rockers Pardoner, who formed in San Francisco.
“It felt like such a natural fit from the beginning,” said Burger. “Pretty much right away, it felt good—you don’t get that feeling too often. Just this sense of connection from the beginning.”
The band’s first EP starts off with the thunderous “Bounce,” a clanging, hard-charging number highlighted by staccato bursts of noise and Burger’s cheeky, hip hop-inflected vocal interlude. The breakthrough pace marked by “Bounce” never relents over the four songs, with sinister and spindly guitar riffs melding seamlessly with a propulsive and insistent rhythm section.
All the songs feature surrealist, stream-of-consciousness lyricism and a few are outright hilarious. On “American Motor,” La Bonte muses about being an angel, but realizes he’s “just touring the heavens in a Ford” and on the album closer, “Unreasonable Vibe,” Day breaks free from a bout of existential malaise by screaming out, “It’s fucking Mickey Rooney!,” a keen observation that has nothing to do with the rest of the song. The latter song descends into a gleefully chaotic wall of white noise, capped off by a feral trumpet performance from van den Berghe.
“I don’t know if it was my idea to add that last part in, but I did tell everyone I had a trumpet,” said van den Berghe. “We just piled like 20 – 30 takes on top of each other for that part, which made for a pretty fun day in the studio.”
Although the band’s lyrics don’t comment specifically on the shitshow that’s American society right now, a sense of absurdist anger and exasperation permeates the songs—something that can be only natural, given the dismal state of affairs today.
“It’s hard not to have things bleed into your music, especially these last five years, where it’s been one unprecedented time after unprecedented time,” said La Bonte. “And I think for Jeff and I, we came from these bands that had these overtly aggressive and frustrated lyrics. But Jeff talked about finding ways to kind of joke around with that frustration—to write these goofy lyrics and riff on weird shit. I think it was important for us not to, you know, all wear black and be a moody band.”
It's a formula that is as winning as it is refreshing, especially now, when lighthearted ridiculousness is in short supply. With just a handful of songs under their belt, Hundred Bliss said they’re focusing most of their efforts on recording new music, putting any major touring plans on the backburner, for now.
“I know we are all excited about writing together,” said Day. “We might play some shows in LA, and when opportunities come up, maybe get out of town. But our interests really are in putting out new music. I think we’re all excited to see what comes next.”
Show Details:
Hundred Bliss with Facet, Trough and Animal Planet
Where: 924 Gilman Street, Berkeley
When: 7 p.m., Saturday, September 27
Tickets: $15, available at the door.