Washington, D.C.’s Loose Leash is the latest project from longtime scene contributors Rena Hagins and Ben Schultz (Give), two musicians whose paths have intertwined for years across different bands and studios. What started as a shared desire to finally create something rooted in their mutual influences has now taken shape as a heavy, groove-driven outfit pulling from hardcore, alternative metal, and the rich legacy of the DC scene.
“Ben (guitar) and I are partners and have collaborated on each other's musical projects over the years,” Hagins tells No Echo. “Ben played guitar in Give, and I played bass in Bacchae. I did guest vocals on Give's album, Electric Flower Circus, recorded at Inner Ear with Don Zientara. A few Give members joined me for a Rage Against the Machine cover set at a Halloween benefit in DC. Ben also played guitar on a couple of tracks on Bacchae’s last album, Next Time, which we recorded at The Magpie Cage with J. Robbins.”
Even with all that history, Loose Leash is the first time Rena and Ben have started a band together from scratch. “We always wanted to do something together based on our shared interests, and we finally got around to writing and recording these songs,” she says. To fill out the band, they recruited Thad (bass) and Antonio (drums) from Oddbodi, another DC group Ben plays bass in.
People have already compared Loose Leash to Rollins Band and ’90s Dischord, but Hagins sees their sound as a mix of even more influences. “It’s tough to describe a band's sound and everyone will interpret it differently,” she says. “But we love bands like Rage Against the Machine, Faith No More, Living Colour, Leeway, and more—so you might catch hints of those. Ben and I both came up in the D.C. and Baltimore hardcore/punk scenes, which definitely inspired us too. We’ve been working on versions of these songs for years, and now it’s finally all come together.”
Loose Leash recently recorded four songs with Matt Michel at Viva Studio, and Will Killingsworth at Dead Air Studios handled mastering. The themes should feel familiar to a lot of listeners. “Lyrically, the songs are about the general anxieties of existing—i.e. not quite fitting in with people’s assumptions and expectations, navigating loss, and also trying to focus on what’s in your control in the midst of chaos,” Hagins explains.
With her background in politically aware hardcore, Hagins also shared her thoughts on the state of the scene. “There are many people in the hardcore community that are speaking out on injustices and standing up to the blatant fascism overrunning this country (and the world),” she says. “It’s impossible to ignore what’s happening, and if you have a platform, you should use it. But it’s important to really know what you’re talking about—it’s totally fine to dig deeper before you comment on an issue you’re not familiar with.”
Loose Leash will play their first show in Baltimore with Angel Du$t on February 26th, and their music will hit streaming platforms around the same time. After that, Hagins says, the band is all about keeping things moving: “We will be working on new music and hopefully playing more shows this year.”
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Loose Leash on social media: Instagram
Tagged: give, loose leash
