Photo by Darren Nanos

Restraining Order crushed their way onto the scene as a meat and potatoes hardcore band, through and through. The Western Massachusetts and Connecticut-based quintet’s 2019 debut full-length, The World Is Too Much, honored hardcore traditionalism and its purpose when throwing fast, politically and socially-charged firebombs into the pit. “Mislead”, the lead single from their forthcoming sophomore follow-up, Locked In Time, keeps that energy, but there’s something different going on here, too. The roots they spawned from are now beginning to grow their own and break through the sidewalk, too, and we’re not just hearing their influences, but their own burgeoning impact on the modern hardcore scene. Beefier riffs stem from some areas and artsier flourishes fill in the gaps elsewhere, all while doubling down on a punk anthem for the fuck-up who talks off your ear and then leaves you on read. The cycle rotates bad habit after bad habit through the bemused mind of vocalist Patrick Cozens in a sound that pits him against his worst enemy: himself.

Directed by: Ben Clinton

Restraining Order’s Locked In Time will be released July 21st on Triple B Records.