You love to see a great, buzzworthy hardcore punk band on the rise deservedly get more ears and eyeballs on them. Los Angeles quintet Cosmic Joke broke through back in 2024 behind the energy of their Hardlore-backed self-titled debut — a sunshine fusion fix of ’90s skate punk and Bad Religion worship — and they’ve been finessing that formula into their own ever since, last heard on last year’s summer highlight Forced Perspective EP. It’s been enough to gain the attention of revered hardcore label, Revelation Records, who’ve since signed them and plan on releasing their sophomore follow-up this fall.

Until then, we get two sneak peek tracks from the band to hold us over on the singles “Referee” and “Agnostic (One Size Fits All)”. As the temperatures outside heat up, it’s fitting that so is Cosmic Joke’s intensity, with the former calling out community corruptors and smashing through misguided gatekeeping in a fast thrash. “All ages / All genders / We break down the walls!,” Mac Miller leads the anthem. On the flip side, “Agnostic (One Size Fits All” is shorter in length, but just right in its impact as it kickflips itself into that classic melodic SoCal punk scene sound that at once refutes any conformity. Throw down with them both below…

Cosmic Joke’s “Referee” b/w “Agnostic (One Size Fits All)” single is available now on Revelation Records.