A few months back FRANK got to sit down with punk band Rebelmatic to talk music and pre-gentrified New York. Born and bred in NYC, the band had been doing pop-up shows in Bushwick a little while back during quarantine. On the reason for the shows, bassist Karnage said, “We still gotta continue bringing it to the people live, which is always the best way to see Rebelmatic completely.”
“I saw a quote somewhere that said, ‘I don’t know whether to twerk or slam dance.’”
Their latest album Ghost in the Shadows was recorded a year ago and came out in August. ”It may seem like the album was recorded during the pandemic, but that’s because musically we always have some kind of prophecy when we’re writing. [Creature] writes about things without even knowing that something’s going to happen before then.” Branching out from their previous hip hop influenced sound, Rebelmatic has evolved into a hybrid of punk, hardcore, and aggressive funk. A New York City band to the core. “That’s the sound of pre-gentrified New York, choosing your adventure,” said frontman Creature.
Watch the entire interview above.