That Same Militarie Gun You Know And Love But With More Happiness
I was lucky enough to cover White Reaper when they swung through Chicago last year on their tour supporting Asking for a Ride. Opening up for them was a hardcore band called Militarie Gun. Their performance was a mass of bodies colliding (lead singer Ian Shelton included) with an absolutely frenetic performance from the band, but the sound wasn't exactly my cup of tea.
I spent the rest of 2023 seeing Militarie Gun take off like our country's militarie budget (that was awful I'm sorry I had to please don't leave). Their debut full-length Life Under The Gun was released to absolute rave reviews from publications much larger and important than this one. Their album was named to scores of "Best of 2023" lists. Their hit single 'Do It Faster' is currently in heavy rotation on a Taco Bell commercial. They've announced a 2024 headlining tour.
SPOILER: It was me that was out of touch.
That's not to say I'm doing a total 180 and now that Militarie Gun is more popular I'm suddenly onboard. As they make their push to be the next Turnstile and have their brand of pop-hardcore catch on with mainstream audiences, they've also found time to give almost-there believers like myself another reason to revisit last year's release.
This Friday marks the release of Militarie Gun's new Life Under The Sun EP, which revisits some of their songs off Life Under The Gun and radically reworks them. As the EP's title implies, the revised sound aims more toward the melodic and laid back, at least from the two tracks we've heard so far, with Bully helping out on 'Never Fucked Up Twice' and Manchester Orchestra lending a hand on slowing down and taking a more contemplative vibe with 'My Friends Are Having A Hard Time' (both of which I prefer to their 'regular' versions).
Will that chilled out vibe last for the remaining tracks that will be released in a few short days? Ehhhhh doubtful. Also included is a cover of NOFX's 'Whoops I OD'd' as well as a collaboration with Mannequin Pussy, so the chances of something coming from that partnership that won't kick you in the eardrums seem slim.
After you're done consuming the lighter, brighter Militarie Gun, check them out on their headlining tour this spring.
01-31 Phoenix, AZ - The Rebel Lounge #*
02-02 Dallas, TX - Rubber Gloves #*
02-03 Austin, TX - Mohawk #*
02-04 Houston, TX - House of Blues Bronze Peacock #*
02-06 Nashville, TN - Basement East #*
02-07 Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade (Purgatory) #*
02-08 Tampa, FL - The Crowbar #*
02-09 Miami, FL - Gramps #*
02-10 Tallahassee, FL - 926 Bar #*
02-12 Raleigh, NC - Kings #^
02-13 Washington, D.C. - The Atlantis #^
02-14 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church #^
02-15 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom #^
02-16 Boston, MA - The Sinclair #^
02-17 Montreal, Quebec - Les Foufounes Electriques #^
02-18 Ottawa, Ontario - The Brass Monkey #^
02-20 Toronto, Ontario - Velvet Underground #^
02-21 New Kensington, PA - Preserving Underground #^
02-22 Detroit, MI - Edgemen Printing #^
02-23 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge #^
02-24 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry #^
02-25 Kansas City, MO - RecordBar #^
02-26 Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre #+
02-28 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court #+
02-29 Las Vegas, NV - Eagle Aerie Hall #+
03-02 Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst Atrium #+
03-03 San Francisco, CA - Noise Pop at Rickshaw Stop #+
03-05 Sacramento, CA - The Starlet Room #+
03-07 Portland, OR - Polaris Hall #+
03-08 Vancouver, British Columbia - Rickshaw Theatre #+
03-09 Seattle, WA - Neumos #+
06-01 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound Barcelona
# with Pool Kids and Spiritual Cramp
* with Death Lens
^ with Spaced
+ with Roman Candle