Stunner is a hardcore punk outfit based primarily out of Flint, Michigan but active in the Detroit scene. Their debut demo came out in 2022 via Painters Tapes and also recieved a limited UK pressing on Richter Scale.
“We take inspiration from a lot of punk and hardcore, especially 'roots' stuff,' some Oi! and even some outsider music that’s more on the margins," bassist Grace tells No Echo. "But our sound is just what happens when we come together to write, we try not to push things towards a certain sound consciously. There’s a lot of stuff that happens by chance.”
"We set out to be more straightforward with the tone of the record, compared to the demo," Stunner guitarist Hassan offers about Wage Cage. "There’s bits of that washed-out effect from the demo but we put that in subtly when we mixed the record. Shout out to Cam Frank at Tiger Mountain for really helping us dial in a very classic and reliable sound, especially with guitars. It really came out of mixing a very garage forward tone with a standard kinda high gain one. It’s a little nod to the Detroit area scene.”
Here's what vocalist Matt told me about the songwriting:
“With lyrics, I tried to draw from my deep sense of alienation in the drudgery of work and how growing up in a religious family in post industrial mid Michigan left me ill equipped to cope with it. So self destruction and escapism are pretty much the only things that feel good, or at least offer some kind of respite. My dismal outlook is a reflection of a sick world. I like cutting that serious vibe with funny imagery full of puke and piss.”
Stunner drummer Vinnie is psyched about the punk scene in their region and just beyond it. “In the short time we’ve been around, we’ve connected with a lot of music happening in the Midwest and even Canada and that always inspires us," he says. "There are a lot of bands keeping it real, supporting each other, etc. It’s a thriving scene, for the most part. We’ve gotten to play with bands that sound like Disclose to egg bands to straight edge hardcore, and we love it all.”
The Wage Cage 7" will be out on February 16th via Damien Records (pre-order).
Stunner on social media: Instagram
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