Acrylics Mix Volatile Punk and Noise For a Heated Barrage

Acrylics are a bunch of hoons from Santa Rosa, California, who aren't afraid to wear the occasional pair of Crocs or stir up the punk rock pot.

Led by vocalist Mark Nystrom, the five-piece bring a weirdness to the meanness and their music is as refreshing as it is loud and unhinged. Comparisons have been made to Gag and legendary Texan psychopaths Stick Men With Rayguns, and from all accounts they seem pretty accurate.

A seven-inch released on Iron Lung records earlier this year was one of the strongest of recent times, and reports from a tour they did with Icelandic punks ROHT and visual artist J.Party – who did the cover for their single – was that things got fast and things got hard.

As well as organising dates for an upcoming European tour they are playing an upcoming Bay Area benefit gig for Jimmy, the legendary guy/dog behind the celebrated punk You Tube punk channel, who needs help to sort out some unfortunate medical bills.

Take a listen to 'Despair' below and read an email exchange we had with Mark.

Noisey: You've been out on tour. Do you find shows in the Midwest much different to those in Bay Area or California?

Mark Nystrom: Generally people in the Bay Area and California shows sometimes feel kind of rigid, a lot of just standing around not that it's a necessarily a bad thing, but it makes bands feel like the bay area isn't very energetic, but the more the bands come back, the better the shows will be. A lot of bands who have been around or who are really popular, like touring bands usually get a well received response, and sometimes things can get wild, but you have to earn it. In the small towns of the Midwest, people get incredibly wild. From our experiences the shows are a lot smaller, but the energy and interest in the room is always amazing, the fact that at all the shows we played in the Midwest, everyone was always engaged, not one person was just standing around, or on there phone, they were watching us or the people moving in the crowd.

You are touring Europe later this year. As well releasing records is this one of the best things a band can do? What are you most excited about Europe?

I think releasing records is definitely ideal and crucial for any band, whether it be through a label or DIY. Not having to spend money by yourself on vinyl really helps out, considering how much more we have to pay for, but we were going to make records with or without anyone's help eventually. I think the thing were all most excited about is meeting new folks, and seeing all the bands, and just seeing how the shows are over there.

You have an upcoming LP on Iron Lung. As far as labels go they are one of the best operating. How did your relationship with Jensen and the guys come to be?

We are writing an LP, keep your eyes peeled. It is always a matter of opinion when saying something you think is the best, but when it comes to a label that has such a diverse catalog of great music we think it is one of the best, especially considering how much effort they put into every shirt, pin, and release. We first started emailing Jensen [Ward] about potentially putting something out for us, and then trying to see if maybe they would re-release our self-titled record, which led to us releasing a 7" a couple months ago.

You have been involved in the punk and hardcore scene for a while now. What direction are you most excited about seeing bands go?

It's exciting seeing new bands that don't stick the same standard hardcore/punk formula and bring outside influence into the mix or doing something that could be considered "against the grain". It's even more exciting seeing a band that does this unintentionally, just people getting together and trying to express themselves, unknowingly stumbling into something truly unique.

Not to say "standard hardcore/punk" is bad, clearly it's a subjective point of view and it varies between people, but there are a lot of materials out there to build with and it doesn't always have to be from one pile. In short, we're excited to see bands do things in new and innovative ways. It's also incredibly refreshing and exciting seeing more POC and women/femme/trans folks being represented and playing in the hardcore/punk scene, we really hope to see more of that.

'Despair' is available now from Iron Lung.

Image: Sarah Foremski