How Flowers Grow is the first full-length studio album by American hardcore punk band Scowl. The album was released on November 19, 2021, through Flatspot Records.
| How Flowers Grow | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 19, 2021 | |||
| Recorded | Late 2020[1] | |||
| Studio | The Panda Studio, Fremont, California, US | |||
| Genre | Hardcore punk[2] | |||
| Length | 15:29 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | Flatspot Records | |||
| Scowl chronology | ||||
| ||||
“It’s cool that hardcore is seeing just this creative renaissance. It means that there’s more young people who are getting involved in hardcore, who are gonna start their own bands and keep the spirit alive... I feel really lucky to be watching it all happen, and being able to participate a little with my band.”
—Vocalist Kat Moss on the success of How Flowers Grow and commercial viability of hardcore punk in 2022.[3]
Reception
editAn overview of the album with vocalist Kat Moss in BrooklynVegan found critic Andrew Sacher calling this release "a fun album, overflowing with energy that feels genuinely addictive" that also features "purpose" and "inner rage" in the lyrics.[4] Paul Travers of Kerrang! rated this album a 4 out of 5, calling it "a dizzying, breathless howl of a debut", stating that Scowl "manage to cram a lot of structure and memorable hooks into their compact explosions of barely contained chaos".[5] Editors at PunkNews chose this for a Staff Pick and critic John Gentile rated it 4.5 out of 5 stars, stating that "they’ve mastered their hardcore style and are applying items from a different galaxy to their own base".[6] A profile in Revolver by Mia Hughes called this album "an awesome burst of aggressive, street-punk-inflected hardcore that also hints at the band's willingness to channel a diverse range of influences, from Sonic Youth to the Stooges".[7] Tom Breihan of Stereogum summed up the music, "it fucking destroys" and told readers that the listening experience "feels like having adrenaline injected straight into your eyeball".[8]
Several outlets included this on best of the year lists. At Revolver, Eli Enis included this among the top 10 hardcore punk albums of the year, placing it ninth for being "stuffed with no-nonsense power chords, sprinting punk rhythms and barked commands".[2] In Spin, Maria Sherman included this among an unranked list of the 30 best punk albums of the year, telling readers, "If you don’t love them now, you will. And soon."[9] Stereogum editors included How Flowers Grow as the fourth of the top 10 hardcore albums of 2021, where critic Tom Breihan calls out vocalist Kat Moss in particular, stating that "she roars and snarls with absolute authority, and she makes her rage feel universal".[10]
Track listing
edit- "Bloodhound" – 1:34
- "Dead to Me" – 1:48
- "Pay Privilege Due" – 0:55
- "Trophy Hunter" – 1:27
- "Seeds to Sow" – 1:46
- "Idle Roaring Room" – 1:12
- "Fuck Around" – 0:56
- "Roots" – 1:35
- "Four Walls" – 1:37
- "How Flowers Grow" – 2:39
Personnel
editScowl
- Cole Gilbert – drums
- Malachi Greene – guitar
- Bailey Lupo – bass guitar
- Kat Moss – vocals
Additional personnel
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Law, Sam (December 1, 2021). "Scowl: "As much as hardcore is for everyone, not everyone is for hardcore"". The Cover Story. Kerrang!. ISSN 0262-6624. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ a b Enis, Eli (November 29, 2021). "10 Best Hardcore Albums of 2021". Music. Revolver. ISSN 1527-408X.
- ^ Hughes, Mia (November 28, 2022). "Scowl: hardcore's hottest breakout band reflect on their whirlwind year". Features > Music Interviews. NME. ISSN 0028-6362. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ Sacher, Andrew (November 19, 2021). "Scowl's Kat Moss breaks down every track on hardcore band's killer debut LP". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ Travers, Paul (November 19, 2021). "Album review: Scowl – How Flowers Grow". Reviews. Kerrang!. ISSN 0262-6624. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ Gentile, John (November 19, 2021). "Scowl – How Flowers Grow". Reviews. PunkNews. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ Hughes, Mia (November 17, 2021). "Scowl: Meet NorCal Hardcore Rising Stars "Making a Mess to Clean It Up"". Music. Revolver. ISSN 1527-408X.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (November 19, 2021). "Stream Scowl's Ripshit 15-Minute Debut Album How Flowers Grow". New Music. Stereogum. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ Sherman, Maria (December 28, 2021). "The Best Punk of 2021". New Music >> Difficult Fun. Spin. ISSN 0886-3032.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (December 16, 2021). "The 10 Best Hardcore Albums Of 2021". 2021 in Review. Stereogum. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
External links
edit- How Flowers Grow at Discogs (list of releases)
- How Flowers Grow at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
