Band: Torn
From: Burlington, Vermont
Their formation story:
(Logan Allen, vocals): "Back in high school, Thomas and I met through our friend Max who is now in Jerry Bigs World Famous band. The three of us had a band called Siskill but we all went to different colleges after high school. When I got to college, I was feeling lost and left behind a lot of shitty friends at high school, I started going to basement punk shows and it changed my life.
"Eventually, I convinced Thomas to come to a show in Burlington for Jivebomb in the summer of 2022. That was his first real hardcore/moshing experience and we both became obsessed. Nothing comes close to the catharsis and chaos of a mosh pit being conducted by heavy punk. After that show, we knew we wanted to form a band and carve out a spot of our own in the VTHC scene.
"In the spring of 2023, we started Torn as a two-piece, just Thomas and I. I was originally on drums and we started looking for other players. Croft was in one of Thomas’s classes and agreed to play the bass with us, and as luck would have it, Croft was super connected with other musicians at UVM. Soon after that, Dmitri and Zach wanted to join in and we had a full band which transferred me to being exclusively on vocals.
"Thomas wrote four demos and through Dmitri’s connections with his other band, we played our first show at the end of April that year. Our act gained traction for its uniqueness and for being the only hardcore college band in the area. From then on, through the friends I had made at punk shows in Burlington, we were graciously welcomed and started getting show offers and we eventually became a fixture of the local scene."
Their sound in their own words:
"Our sound is reminiscent of '80s and '90s beatdown hardcore riffs with more technical pinch harmonics inspired by modern metalcore. We also love to write heavy breakdowns and rhythmic two-step sections.
"Some of our guitar and drum inspiration comes from classic bands like Billy Club Sandwich and Undying. Our music is likely to be appreciated by fans of bands like Hands of God, World of Pleasure, and Big Boy."
Latest release info:
"Our newest release is a debut three-song EP titled Torn Takeover. This title came from a saying we had when we started the band that people loved to chant during our shows. Two of these songs, 'Slug' and 'Truth,' are actually from the original four demos that Thomas wrote when we started the band. 'Dead Weight' is one of the first full songs that we wrote together as a band.
"The tracks on this release really reflect our sound and tone as a band, exploring topics like mental health, political corruption/police brutality, and oppression caused by religious institutions. When Thomas and I started the band, we landed on the name Torn as a representation of the subject matter of our songs. We like to explore issues of internal conflict and confront societally ingrained value dissonance.
"My personal favorite track out of the three is 'Dead Weight.' This song holds a special place for me and is about dropping toxic friends and learning to grow as a person. I’ve had lots of people tell me they connect with the lyrics of this song and it feels great to have that kind of positive impact on people."
Future plans:
"Currently, our future plans include recording our second EP this summer and doing a New England tour in July. We have been writing a bunch of new songs over the past year and are super excited to share them with everyone soon."
What other bands from their region should we check out?
"As for other bands making waves in the region, be sure to check out Split in Half, Commitment in Pain, Cooked, No Soul, Blossom, and Fundamental Issue."
Torn on social media: Instagram
2024 Hardcore Releases playlist
Tagged: torn
