When I was 13, I bought Never Mind the Bollocks with Christmas money from my grandparents, put a paperclip through my already-pierced ear, and called myself punk rock. I probably could have used some guidance from Bay-Area-based hardcore band Ceremony, who weren’t much older than I was when they decided to “be punk rock,” though they didn’t plan it quite like I did—they just did it, playing super-fast “power violence” music, thrashing and sweating and screaming to crowds of equally enthused kids. And they haven’t stopped since, though their sound has evolved over the years.
On their latest album, Zoo, they’ve “cleaned up” a bit, bringing in indie-rock producer John Goodmanson (Death Cab For Cutie, Los Campesinos) to slow the tempos and smooth out the guitar into feedback soundscapes rather than ear-splitting noise (which, of course, still has its place).
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Read the interview over at Noisey.