by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
DC’s Mock Identity are carrying the torch of their cities punk scene and making music that speaks for the downtrodden. It’s bold and brilliant, post-hardcore music that flexes more brains than it does brawn… but it most definitely rips as well. Last year the band released their full length debut, Paradise, to high praise from all who managed to come across it, and the quartet are set to follow it up with the clamoring Where You Live EP, due out on June 21st. Led by the stunning and commanding voice of Adriana-Lucia Cotes, their tightly knotted is rooted in a collective passion for “experimentation, social awareness, and a desire to disrupt the toxicity infecting society.” It’s a welcome interruption and a pointed fuck you to those that stand in the way of common decency. With unpredictable shifts and erratic rhythms, the band at time recall hometown heroes Shudder To Think, Bikini Kill, and even Mi Ami at times, a compliment we do not use lightly.
“Where You Live," the lead single and title track from their upcoming EP, is immediately jarring; brash from the start and relentless throughout. Joshua David Hoffman’s bass line is utterly incredible, ripping along an intricate path, winding itself in the razor sharp grooves of drummer Nate Scheible. While their rhythm is constantly in motion, contorting into new shapes, Jeff Barsky’s guitar is laser focused, slashing into the open spaces wherever it can, whipping around like your favorite Uranium Club riffs. It’s Cotes’ vocals that really cement it all, her determined howl somewhere between Katie Alice Greer and Corin Tucker, each line delivered with an emotional fury, lashing out against people’s “fake politics” and the false ways people look to justify shitty behavior.
The band play 9:30 Club on June 15th with Priests, followed by an upcoming Southeast tour with Permanent Makeup in late June / early July. Stay tuned to the band for more details.