There was a stretch in the early 00s where ripping a lead in a hardcore band would get you sideways looks. Tough guy gatekeeping, basically. The unwritten rule said solos belonged to metal, and if you wanted to be taken seriously in hardcore you kept your guitar in chord mode and your jaw clenched. Always seemed like a weird thing to police. Thrash and metallic crossover seeped into the conversation later (yeah, I know, it was always there), and these days nobody really blinks. A good wailing high note can fit a hardcore song like mango mousse fits cheesecake. At least it does for me.
Poise sit comfortably in that lineage. Two-guitar d-beat is not the default config for the style, but Mikey and Micah split duties in this band, and the new record runs with it. The band is based across Spokane, WA, and Portland, OR, and on May 22 they’re putting out their second record “Iron Foot” through Discos Enfermos (vinyl) and Human Future (tapes). Today we’ve got the second single off it premiering: “Ill Anguish,” due officially on May 8.
The track sits second on the tracklist, and frontman Ian explains the singles selection process was less industry calculation and more group chat poll: “it’s the second single because I had friends pick which songs they thought were the best contenders for singles, haha.”
On the lyrics: “‘Ill Anguish‘ is about doing your best to get on top financially in a system that’s designed to keep you down. It’s a bit cynical and sarcastic, but that’s kind of my lyric-writing style.”
That sarcasm runs the length of the record. “Iron Foot” the album takes its title from a line in an Emma Goldman essay Ian was reading last year: “Yet our hearts swell with pride at the thought that America is becoming the most powerful nation on earth, and that she will eventually plant her iron foot on the necks of all other nations.” The title track answers it back. “It’s essentially a sarcastic way of saying the U.S. is a bully. The song is somewhat of a battle cry to oppose the ‘Iron Foot.'”
The other titles read pointedly, and they aim that way too. “Toxic Piss” is about population control through the food industry. “Snake Oil” runs a parallel argument about control through alcohol and substance abuse. “Star–Strangled” is, in Ian’s words, “about a certain someone in a position of power being taken care ofβ¦ if you know what I mean.” “Knotted Crown” breaks the pattern: it’s a dungeon synth interlude written by Ian’s brother, who goes by Sanctos and plays guitar in the blackened-punk band Reaping Fields.
The team around the record is built on long-running relationships. Dawson Scholz tracked and mixed it. He and Ian were in a band together years back called The Ongoing Concept on Solid State Records, and Ian has recorded with him on every project he’s been involved in since.
“He’s very comfortable to work with.” Will Killingsworth at Dead Air handled mastering, same as he did for the band’s first release. Artwork came from Adek Jelfi, a friend out of Indonesia who handles most of Poise’s visual design, so the album cover stays in-house in the way that actually counts.
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The label split came together by sending masters to two outfits the band already trusted. Discos Enfermos and Human Future have both released records by bands Ian rates: “Hot Load, Dry Socket, Cockring, Vampire, Hez, Traumitizer, etc. Lots of sick bands.” Vinyl through Discos Enfermos, tapes through Human Future. Two formats, two homes, neither doing it for the resume.
The lineup itself is a bigger shift than it looks. The first Poise record was effectively a Chase and Ian operation: Ian on guitar, bass, and vocals, Chase tracking drums, and Eddie Brnabic of Hippie Death Cult laying down leads at his home studio in Portland. After that record came out, they put the actual band together.
“Iron Foot” is the first thing written with all five members in the room. “Chase and I wrote 100% of the last one, whereas this time around there were three other musicians involved. I like to think it makes things a bit more exciting. IDK.”
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The 7″ of “Iron Foot” is up for pre-order here. The tape goes through Human Future Records. Band on Instagram at @poise.usa.
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