Photo by Daniel Topete

It’s doesn’t have to be 4/20 somewhere in order to get that limitless feeling that hits whenever Militarie Gun breaks through yours speakers. The band – initially the post-hardcore powder keg side hustle or Ian Shelton, the frontman of powerviolence makers Regional Justice Center, and now his main creative squeeze alongside guitarists Nick Cogan and William Acuña, drummer Vince Nguyen and bassist Max Epstein – has been chasing that feeling through the daily horror shows of life in extended play form, and ultimately arrives at a chillout point tempering existentialism on “Very High”, the lead single from the Los Angeles quintet’s forthcoming debut full-length, Life Under The Gun. This isn’t an instance of self-pep talk that’ll just lead to toxic positivity down the line, though. Though it’s sun-lit punk-pop riffs cranking their way through the rough of subliminal hardcore angst (add in a signature “OoH! OoH!”,) Shelton’s way of lifting himself up from the lows is escapism that sets the world out of view entirely. “I’ve been feeling pretty down / So I get very high,” he sings. Maybe it isn’t the answer, but it sure as makes for a great imitation of life that gets you through the day unscathed.

Directed by: Mason Mercer

Militarie Gun’s Life Under The Gun will be released June 23rd on Loma Vista Recordings.