Since last appearing on No Echo in 2023, the Singapore hardcore band has kept active across Southeast Asia, playing shows and building momentum throughout the region. “We’ve played quite a bit across Southeast Asia,” guitarist Farza tells No Echo, pointing to appearances at Concrete Jungle Festival in 2024 and a return this year, along with an Indonesia tour and multiple weekend runs.
Even as members stayed busy with other projects, such as Mystique and Blacklisted Productions, the band never fully stepped away. “Things slowed down a bit… but Wreckonize never really stopped.” That consistency carries into their latest release, which finds the band refining what they’ve been building from the start. The approach is stripped down and intentional. “The writing is more direct, just straight to the point,” Farza says.
Just a few days ago, Wreckonize dropped a 2-song single: "Dead 2 Me" and "Nowhere 2 Run." I dare to say that it's their best material yet, drawing heavily from late ’90s New York hardcore, particularly the Castle Heights era (learn about the Queens, New York venue here), pulling influence from bands like Everybody Gets Hurt, Billy Club Sandwich, and Irate.
This time around, Wreckonize have pushed even further into that sound while still making it their own. “This release is just us continuing to emulate that sound, diving in much deeper while still adding our own touch.” That connection to a very specific pocket of NYHC didn’t come from proximity, but from digging.
“A lot of it came from going down rabbit holes online,” Farza says, but points to a more defining moment: picking up a NYHC zine at Sound and Fury in 2018. “When I got back, I went through every band in it and locked in on the ones that stuck with me,” he says. “That zine basically shaped what became Wreckonize and Mystique.”
While their sound is rooted in New York, Wreckonize are firmly part of a Southeast Asian scene that’s growing quickly. “It’s been pretty wild to watch,” Farza says. “We’ve got more bands coming through the region, more kids are showing up to shows, and we have new bands popping up constantly.”
That positive vibe is something the band is clearly feeding off. “There’s a really good energy right now,” he adds, “and it’s nice to see the younger kids getting involved.”
True to hardcore form, the new release was handled entirely in-house. The band tracked everything at a friend’s venue, with Sean handling engineering, mixing, and mastering, while Farza handled the artwork. “Everything was done by us,” he says.
For a band pulling from one of hardcore’s most specific lineages, Wreckonize aren’t just paying tribute. They’re translating that energy across continents and pushing it forward on their own terms.
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"Dead 2 Me" and "Nowhere 2 Run" are out now via Divied We Fall Records.
Wreckonize on social media: Instagram
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