Perseverance and steadfast dedication are the two traits that earn Brockton, Massachusetts its title of “City of Champions.” Those two hallmarks not only bleed into its large population who live through trial and turmoil at every corner as they attempt to get by everyday but also into its culture, its music scene.
Brockton’s birthed some of hardcores most endearing bands, names like Colin of Arabia, Cut Throat, and Brawl Park come to mind. Their names may not be the most famous within the national scene but they’ve outlasted so many who’ve come and gone.
Carrying the torch is Give Up Hope.
Born from the Brockton streets and boasting a sound as heavy and pummeling as the man whose title casts over their city. Forming originally back in the mid-'00s, Give Up Hope played a number of shows and even cut an album in 2010 before having to call it quits as life got in the way for its members. Many of them played in further bands and stayed true to the scene they love so dearly. When guitarist Jared and drummer Pat got together once again however it seemed like the right time to get the band back together.
Enlisting their friend Cam Newton (Burden, Last Sight) into the fold and Give Up Hope revamped themselves for 2023 and wasted no time getting some new material together and playing shows. Their first show back in the scene was opening for Gumskab and Tino Valpa at Sammy’s Patio in Revere and it was immediately clear that they haven’t lost a single step.
With a powerful sound influenced by some of their New England heroes; bands like Death Before Dishonor, Diecast, 100 Demons and Cut Throat, Give Up Hope’s return felt seamless.
Each member has dedicated over a decade to this scene and as talented as they have been in other musical fields, hardcore just fits them like a glove. Cam had recently lent his powerful vocals to the band Last Sight showing his true range as a vocalist but Give Up Hope feels like he’s returning home. Mixing their heavy hardcore influences while maintaining a sound distinct to their region, Give Up Hope is bolstered by charging guitar rhythms into heavy breakdowns to keep the dancers on their toes. Cam’s vocals in particular tower over the backing instrumentals as though he throws his voice in every corner of the room, making sure his lyrics stick with you and move you.
The band released their record titled To Those Who Wait on 1054 Records back in September, immediately showing they came back with a hunger. The album shows an update to their original sound, Pat’s drumming is at its tightest as he’s spent the last few years drumming for the heavy bands Burden and Opposition (originally called Born From Demise). Jared on guitars keeps the heavy sound they had before but also gallops along with Pat’s rhythms into bouncy mosh parts sure to get the side to side going and some serious two stepping.
With this release the band propped themselves up with a perfect return, now it’s time to get out and play some shows. Their next show will be the record’s release show at Sammy’s Patio in Revere on January 6th playing alongside friends and BHC stalwarts for Death Before Dishonor, C.O.A., Concrete Ties and TFR.
I was recently able to chat with them about the record and their return to the fold so check it out below and crank To Those Who Wait up to eleven while you brush up on your mosh moves.
What bands influenced Give Up Hope's musical direction?
Lots of '80s thrash and '90s hardcore. Bands like Anthrax, Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies, S.O.D, Misfits, D.R.I, Cro-Mags, Madball, Sick of It All, Hatebreed.
And of course, we're heavily influenced by the '00s bands like Death Before Dishonor, Full Blown Chaos, Shattered Realm, All Out War, Ringworm, Terror, Diecast, Acacia Strain, E.Town Concrete, Have Heart, Cruel Hand, Trapped Under Ice, Foundation, 100 Demons, Cut Throat, and the list just goes on!
When and how did Give Up Hope come together?
Give Up Hope was originally formed around 2006-2007-ish? Our drummer Pat and guitar player Jared started the band. After about 3 years of playing Jared moved out of the state for around 10 years and the band went on hiatus. After moving back to Massachusetts in late 2019, Jared wanted to get back to writing and playing, so he and Pat started writing all new material. We were calling ourselves Dead Deal at that moment.
My good friend Ryan Kearney hit us up and was siked to jam with us. He was a bass player waaaay back in like 2002 for a band Jared started called Setback. We had a different singer join for a few months but unfortunately didn't work out. We recruited Cam Newton on vocals who previously sang in a band with Pat called Burden. That was roughly around May 2022. And we've been thick as thieves ever since.
When you guys recorded To Those Who Wait, what kind of sound did you want to bring to the table?
We were looking to do something a little more thrashy and fast paced while also keeping that early '00s hardcore sound. Metallic elements in a hardcore setting. Jared went for a more traditional thrashy type guitar tone. Same with the bass tones. The drums always have to be brutal. We wanted the production on the drums to be top notch. Super dynamic tone to accent Pats fills and grooves.
And Cam's lyrics are the icing on the cake. His style is more yelling as opposed to screaming which adds a level of clarity, making lyrics pretty easy to understand. But he also has killer growls and screams which is good to push parts of the music over the edge. Cam is a super versatile and talented vocalist. Plus, he's a riot on stage.
Who did you record the album with and when?
We recorded To Those Who Wait at Old Salt Studio in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. Our good friend, Chris Cesarini, recorded, mixed, mastered, and engineered everything.
Dude is a straight up beast in the studio, and we were truly gifted to have someone with that much talent, and patience recording our debut album. It was kind of a big thing for us, and I know without a doubt having Chris do our album was the best choice we could've made. He also helped deliver some punishing guest vocals on our song "Curmudgeon." Shout out to Street Power!
Since releasing the album do you have more songs on deck?
Yes, absolutely! We are already sitting on enough material for at least another EP. Songs are mostly completed, but there's still some tweaks to be made. But we are always writing and cataloging songs.
What shows do you have lined up?
We spent a lot of time recording the album. And now that it's been officially released on 1054 Records we've kind of just been taking some time to breathe. Let the album get out there and marinate with people. We have our record release show booked for January 6th.
Not going to confirm any names but we have some major bands playing on it. As well as future shows in the works. We are looking and happy to hop on any shows that get thrown our way. We are also talking to friends out of state in NY, CT, ME, and NJ to get some good out of state shows under our belt.
What's the future looking like for Give Up Hope? Merch? Physical copies of the album? Tour?
We've all been playing this kind of music for 20 years at least. We are dedicated to this scene and lifestyle. We have no intentions of slowing down and constantly push each other as musicians to put out the best music we can. Our physical CD should be available soon through Bandcamp, 1054 Records catalog, and of course live shows. We have shirts and stickers available as well.
Our album is streaming on all platforms Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, etc. Like we said above, we're hoping to hit a handful of New England shows and see where that takes us.
Anyone you'd like to shout out?
Anyone we've played with and helped us out over the years. Especially, Bryan Harris and Death Before Dishonor, Chris Cesarini and Street Power, C.O.A, Danny Diatchenko, Cold Case BHC, Choke Out, TFR, Edict, Concrete Ties, DHS, Gumskab, Tino Valpa, The World, Search Warrant, Iron Gate, Clock Out, Neighborhood Shit, Sophisticated Adult, Heavyweight, Hard Target, Risk, Opposition, Cannabis Crypt, Cooked.
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Give Up Hope on social media: Facebook | Instagram
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