"Drain are fun — energetic and absurdist and all-over-the-place while still maintaining a crucial sense of rigor." - Stereogum
The new blood of Santa Cruz hardcore punk and recent Revelation Records signees, Drain have released their debut for the label, California Cursed, today. In celebration, the band has premiered a performance video for the album’s title track. Frontman Sam Ciaramitaro comments: “The music video embodies everything that Drain is about. We encourage everyone to feel free and to do whatever they want/be whoever they really are when they see us.”
Drain has a fiery, metal-tinged crossover hardcore sound and they’ve quickly gained notoriety for their unhinged live shows. Most notably, their set at Sound and Fury last year captured Drain in their element with over a thousand kids stage diving with smiles on their faces. The video was shared countless times and Drain began to gain popularity on the East Coast. They appeared at This Is Hardcore 2019 and continued to tour throughout the year with the likes of Judiciary, Gulch, Hands of God, and Higher Power, really solidifying their place in the global hardcore punk scene. Drain frontman Sam Ciaramitaro said, “We feel that our shows embody what it means to truly be alive. There is no facade and no cosplay as to who we are. We just play every show like it’s our last and encourage everyone in the room to be whoever they want to be, and do whatever they want to do.”
After sharpening their live show, Drain was more than prepared to write a new record which would become their Revelation debut. The band went into the studio with Producer/Engineer Taylor Young (Twitching Tongues, Nails, Code Orange) to record 10 new songs that comprise California Cursed. Ciaramitaro explains, “With writing California Cursed we kept it very organic and just got into a room together and tossed ideas around until we had songs that we felt were catchy, full of big riffs, and had no filler.” Ciaramitaro continues, “Aside from wanting to have wild live shows, we had no intentions, no connections, and no expectations when we started. We had to start at the very bottom and build ourselves up, and we have been very humbled through the ride.”
California Cursed is out today on Revelation Records. Due to Covid-19, Drain's forthcoming live appearances at United Blood Fest (Richmond) and Wild Rose Fest (Calgary) have been postponed, but stay tuned for shows to be announced later.
California Cursed, Track Listing:
1. Feel the Pressure
3. Sick One
4. Army of One
5. Character Fraud
6. Hollister Daydreamer
7. White Coat Syndrome
8. The Process of Weeding Out
9. Bad Faith