Photo by Farrah Skeiky

Buggin aren’t concerned with breaking through glass ceilings through fashion statements (although the Chicago-based four-piece does appear properly fitted…) but rather, with words and awareness that elevate the scene to a place where everyone is on an equal playing level. The scene is making small strides everyday in being all the more inclusive, and yet, it’s also going through a moment of tokenization with certain demos out there that don’t fall under the usual tropes of white male artists which the press at large loves, loves, loooooves to build a narrative around. Bryanna Bennett isn’t having it either way. All they want to do is rock out and be taken seriously in being just as they are. The message delivered is unavoidable on “Not Yours” in the band’s fast and gnarled energy before stomping down a final warning. “I’m not your girl / And I’ll never be.” In writing this at the risk of sacrificing these page’s self-awareness, Buggin is more than your trendy blog fodder. They’re a force of purpose and change.

Buggin’s Concrete Cowboys will be released June 2nd on Flatspot Records.