Richmond-based band SUB/SHOP have released their debut EP democatessen, a self-released, seven-track recording clocking in at 28 minutes. The group, composed of five longtime members of the local underground scene, draws on a wide range of influences including Rites of Spring, Shellac, Nirvana, Jesus Lizard, Big Black, and Hüsker Dü.
The result is a sound situated within post–hardcore and noise rock traditions, marked by dissonance, urgency, and a focus on weightier lyrical themes.
Photos by Tony Lynch
The EP was recorded by Thomas “Rusty” Scott at The Ward in Richmond, and mixed and mastered by Lance Kohler at Minimum Wage Studios. The cover art was created by Jason Mazzola. SUB/SHOP have no social media presence and are operating independently, with the EP available via Bandcamp and streaming services. They are currently in the process of booking live shows.
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While the sound takes cues from late ‘80s Dischord-era post-hardcore, with some comparisons to bands like Shellac and Jesus Lizard, the subject matter leans heavily into introspection and lived experience.
SUB/SHOP shared a list of ten records that have shaped their sound. The selection spans several decades and reflects the band’s grounding in emotionally charged, sonically abrasive, and often conceptually ambitious music:
Rites of Spring – Rites of Spring (1985, Dischord)
Shellac – 1000 Hurts (2000, Touch and Go)
Nirvana – Bleach (1989, Sub Pop)
Dillinger 4 – Situationist Comedy (2002, Fat Wreck Chords)
Rush – 2112 (1976, Mercury)
Jesus Lizard – Liar (1992, Touch and Go)
Hot Snakes – Suicide Invoice (2002, Swami)
Into Another – Ignaurus (1994, Revelation)
Big Black – Songs About Fucking (1987, Touch and Go)
Hüsker Dü – Zen Arcade (1983, SST)
The lyrics, written by vocalist Chip Vermillion, deal with addiction, grief, aging, alienation, and dissatisfaction with professional life. Rather than attempting to present a unified political or aesthetic message, the songs read as personal documents shaped by recent history and long-term patterns of disillusionment.
The lyrics reflect struggles with family trauma, particularly the impact of addiction and loss across generations. Others address experiences within the workforce, specifically layoffs, burnout, and the failure of long-term professional commitment to offer stability or meaning. Themes of detachment from old friendships and unease in the face of technological and social change also appear. The tone throughout is reflective, often marked by unresolved tension rather than resolution.
As the band notes in their bio, SUB/SHOP is less concerned with genre classification and more connected to a broader Richmond tradition of basement experimentation and direct expression. Democatessen is not nostalgic or celebratory—it’s an account of private concerns placed in a loud, public format.
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Below is the full track-by-track commentary, written by vocalist Chip Vermillion, offering further detail into the context and meaning behind each song.
Written by singer, Chip:
1987
I grew up with two high functioning alcoholic parents and alcohol was very normalized in my life, to the point where I didn’t fully understand addiction until much later in my life. My aunt took her life due to her addiction, my other aunt barely made it out of her addiction, multiple childhood friends lost their lives to addiction, and eventually both of my parents ended their lives at the hands of their own addiction. This song is an internal dialogue with myself regarding my own addiction with alcohol and the struggle I’ve had over the years to contain it. Beating yourself down mentally on a daily basis only to give in to the addiction to make yourself feel whole again, I describe the thoughts in my mind when faced with my own reflection in the mirror that is addiction. It’s overpowering, sometimes fleeting, but ever present.
Cloud City
Dealing with the anxiety and depression that comes with aging out of your friends group, this song deals with the feelings of avoiding people you love and have known all of your life simply because you feel as if you no longer belong with them. The thoughts that rack your mind over the concept of losing your friends is enough to make you want to hide in your room for days. It’s not as if you have hate for them; you just can’t bring yourself to accept the fact that maybe you both have moved on in different directions. Friends move out of state, friends find other groups to associate with, and you feel as if you’ve been left behind.
Imposter
In 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic I was laid off from a company I had given 10 years to; from the lowest pay grade I climbed my way up into middle management in a large Fortune 500 company. Surely, I thought to myself, I’m protected from these layoffs – all that I’ve given, all that I’ve done. Surely they will find some way to protect me… In reality I should have seen it coming, I should have remembered what happened to my own father. I was using excuses as to why I should stay in this abusive relationship with my employer, fighting mentally that I should have been kept and protected. I thought all along I was special when ultimately I was dispensable; I was nothing if not replaceable. To make matters worse my mother passed away that summer, the same day in fact that I had an interview for a similar job that I felt so strongly I needed to take in order to continue providing for my family. I couldn’t even take a day off to mourn the loss of my mother because I felt I needed to get back to work. All of it left me questioning “Who am I?”, “What am I even doing here?”.
Catch-as-Catch-Can
The phrase “Catch-as-Catch-Can” dates back to the 1800’s and is essentially a type of wrestling made popular in Lancashire England. The more colloquial use is applied to doing the best you can with what skills you have available to you. In this song I explore the horror that was July 21st 2023; the day I found my father dead in his bed. Alone and terrified I traversed the landscape of feeling that was not only the loss of a parent but more importantly having to deal with the everlasting image of finding my dead father. Stravinksy’s Rite of Spring (1913) was a new and shocking style of musical theater which caused a riot in the theater when it premiered.
The thoughts that entered my head and that still remain are that of incomprehensible terror and shock. Moreover, the song deals with the concept of “Home”. Following the death of my mother in 2020 we sold my childhood home and moved my father to Richmond to be closer to my sister and I. We moved him into a house down the street from my wife and I and during that time his house never felt like “Home” and I struggled with the concept of never going back to a place that felt like home. But what of my own home that I created with my wife? I spent so much time anticipating my father’s inevitable death and worrying about something as trivial as needing a place to call home when I had one all along; the clarity of the concept is the root of this song.
Navel Gazer
Originally used to describe meditation by staring at one’s navel, the phrase “navel gazer” is now used to express excessive introspection or being self-absorbed. In this song I express my feelings towards the largest threat to our society and generation; cell phones and social media. In a facetious tone I tell the story of someone obsessed with social media; constantly needing self-confirmation and false affirmation. So much time and effort goes into showing your friends and followers just how great and important your life is, but at the end of the day what good is this doing? The mental real estate social media occupies in our society is disgusting and harmful. Gone are the days of intelligent conversation about books, movies, records, etc. – if you aren’t connected to your friends through social media are you really even friends? The new religion for our generation is online and it’s killing us.
Marble Madness
Sundials were not only used to tell time but also offered philosophical phrases inscribed in Latin. One such is “Vita taediosa brevisque est”, meaning life is tedious and brief. My father worked for the same company for 41 years only to be laid off with no compensation; at the drop of a hat his life was changed permanently. He gave over half of his life to a company that dropped him like refuse. When starting my own career I worked my way up in a company for 10 years only to be laid off in a similar fashion. Understandably I tried to base my understanding of career work off of my own father’s trajectory and tried to be a “company man” only to be inevitably let down. You have one life to live; if you spend the entirety of it working for an employer who doesn’t have your best interest at heart you’re wasting your time and ultimately your life. Life is short, life is tedious – be with those you love and do things that bring you joy.
Negative Discourse
Having been in sales for over 10 years I recently made the career decision to switch course to a job that offered more of a work/life balance. Being away from your home, family, and friends just to see customers and sell your soul for a salary takes a toll on you. The mental distress it leaves you with drains you of any energy you might have left when you finally get home. At the end of the day you are a number, not a name – your employer has never cared about you and never will.
