by Jare C (@jareccurtis)
Historically, hardcore has always been queer. Intrinsically, the genre, and its multitude of adjacent sub-genres, has been an open corner for those of marginalized identities to find expression, and in many cases, let their freak flag fly. No other group of artists in the scene of late has done so with such visibility and acclaim as The HIRS Collective, (HIRS being a possessive neopronoun, pronounced “heers”), an absolute powerhouse of grindcore, metalcore, powerviolence, and all things queercore. Driven from the efforts of core members JP (vocals, beats, co-owner of Get Better Records) and Essem (guitar), HIRS Collective has grown from a formidable two-piece into a DIY collective that truly holds no rival. The group has remained prolific since inception, with queerness, abolition, and socioeconomic injustice at the forefront of their creative mind.
With We’re Still Here, The HIRS Collective boasts a truly impressive roster of collaborators that span all across the world of punk and hardcore. With contributions from collaborators such as Frank Iero of My Chemical Romance, Melt-Banana, Thou, Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females, AC Sapphire, Shirley Manson, Escuela Grind, SOUL GLO, Pain Chain, Sunrot, Ghösh, and Gouge Away - just to name “a few” - this record from the onset sets out to platform the voices of as many individuals and identities from the scene as possible. In this construction, the record is very intentional in its presentation: create a backdrop of collaboration to demonstrate a unified front of queer resistance; one that is intrinsically anti-prison, pro-choice, pro-BIPOC, and undoubtedly punk.
From the very first track, "We're Still Here," the haunting, chanting chorus of the song coaxes the listener into its spell by proclaiming the very obvious, “we’re still here”. As queer people, you haven’t gone away, we’ve always been here, and we’re not going anywhere. This, in many ways, serves as the thesis of the record, and the foreboding guitars and pounding drums signal the introduction of the record in a fashion that is all at once atmospheric, ephemeral, disquieting, and charming. The very next track, “Sweet Like Candy,” is an explosive exit from the previous mood, with a provocative look at the ugly side of queer media representation. Many of the tracks on We’re Still Here follow this pattern, with gritty and piercing insights to the commodification and restless survival of queer identity.
“Waste Not Want Not”’s driving intro gives way to a thundering shout of depth and emotion, with an outro that chills out the experience, only to drive back into the noise with the intro of “Judgement Night”. That track features a dueling vocal performance between JP and Yasuko Onuki of Melt-Banana, while the percussive instrumental opens a truly earth shattering arena of noise. The quiet, almost childlike introduction of “You Are Not Alone” gives way to a wailing moan that is as endearing as it is unsettling. Throughout the record, there are several media samples and quotations that set the political, cultural, and emotional intentions of each section of the record, livening up the progression and giving the listener a break from the grime to rest and process the ideas the music is bringing to them. These moments of sonic diversity, with profoundly well balanced and insightful production, are what set The HIRS Collective apart from their contemporaries.
With We’re Still Here, The HIRS Collective has accomplished an astonishing act of queer resistance. Through every second of the album’s runtime, the listener is presented with an unalienable fact: queer people aren’t going anywhere, and they will fight for their rights to the very end. In this time of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, where trans, nonbinary, GNC, and queer rights as a whole are under attack, the Collective makes it very clear that rainbow capitalism is not the way out of this crisis. The primary means of liberation is not through participating in ownership - it’s through expression, organization, and collectivism. The HIRS Collective has raised the bar for queercore as a whole, and it will be incredible to see where they bring this energy next.