Public Figures

DC rockers Public Figures use a masterfully inventive mix of snarling hooks, brawny thwack and bare knuckle vocals to drive home the point that the spirit of rock and roll hasn’t even looked at the menu yet. After individually cutting their teeth in various punk bands such as the Harley Krishnas and Cars Under 1000 in the 90's, Van Hillard (drums/vox) and Chad McCall (bass/vox/theremin) have been performing together since Y2K on the dot, spending much of the 21st century in post-punk quartet People Chasing People and more recently DC rock noir outfit Park Snakes. Doing all of their recording/mixing at their own House of Decay studio, Public Figures is spookily prolific, using a comprehensive but user-friendly set up of drums + accessorized bass rig + vocals + the occasional peppering of theremin and synth. From collapsing cyberballads about how the world actually discreetly ended in 1988 (Acid Reign) to sneercore mic-stranglers about entitled customers (N.O.U.N.), the sound of Public Figures is sturdily inimitable and yet endowed with a protean slickness. And their sophomore album Where to Find a Werewolf finds them in total control of their sound, as indicated by the album's first single, the fist-to-face Still a Great Night (from Last Day Leaf, July 5, 2023: "This track defies the hype of passing trends, standing as a pure underground punk anthem. It carries the unyielding attitude of punk while embracing post punk nuances and a spirited rock ‘n’ roll essence."