“California punk rock changed my life. It showed me exactly what I want to do and who I want to be,” says Violet Mayugba, guitarist and singer for San Francisco-based punk band Destroy Boys. At the age of 15, Mayugba and band co-founder Alexia Roditis were going to show after show, becoming a part of the vibrant Sacramento scene. “Vi and I were both like, ‘Let’s start a band!’” says lead vocalist and guitarist Roditis. “I was going to play drums and Vi was going to play guitar. I showed Vi a song I had, I didn’t even actually sing it, it was just a voice memo,” they remember.“ Vi said, ‘No. You’re going to be our singer.’” The more established artists in the scene were welcoming to the new kids on the block, and the band began to make a name for themselves. Since those early days playing shows in tightly-packed garages and releasing music on their own, Destroy Boys have made waves from the California shoreline to the UK, sharing stages with up and coming bands like Mannequin Pussy as well as punk stalwarts such as Face To Face and Lagwagon. They’ve also racked up over 120 million streams, with the numbers ticking upward every day without fail. And their visceral, personal tales of scene bullies, elitist cliques, betrayal and unrequited love have won over the hearts and ears of eager listeners ranging from the fervent teens who pack out their shows to Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong. Now, Mayugba, Roditis, and drummer Narsai Malik are embarking on a new journey, last year signing a deal with California-based label Hopeless Records. The group released their third LP “Open Mouth, Open Heart” in October 2021, preceded by a series of singles. “Muzzle,” is a hard-hitting track exploding with aggression and energy, inspired Mayugba’s experience being disregarded and mistreated by a man she was in a relationship with. They followed up with “Drink”, a song that Roditis wrote to address the cycle of addiction that can span generations of a family, “Locker Room Bully” which addresses the half-truths, misrepresentations and bullying that are rife on the internet, and “All This Love”, a plaintive acoustic song which speaks to being true to yourself before involving yourself in a relationship with someone else.

ÖV: Trinity Music