Alternative Press teamed up with Militarie Gun for exclusive translucent blue vinyl of God Save the Gun, limited to 300 copies. Head to the AP Shop to grab yours.
Militarie Gun’s 2023 debut album, Life Under the Gun, made them blow up, featuring melodic hooks steeped in hardcore ethos. They found peers in new-gen bands (Scowl and Spiritual Cramp) as well as veterans (Anthony Green and Bob Mould, who’ve both joined them onstage). They toured at warp speed, racking up as many miles as freshly converted fans. They landed the cover of this magazine.
Along with the buzz came sneaking anxiety. “I can’t watch videos of myself anymore,” vocalist Ian Shelton revealed in the band’s AP cover story. “I’ve got fatigue surrounding those elements, specifically social media. All of the success is great, but we are all going to be thrown away by our audience. Being in a moment means that moment will someday dissipate.” Militarie Gun enter their second full-length, God Save the Gun, with the same realness, moving through the heaviness of addiction, expectation, and self-loathing against arena-sized choruses.
Read more: Spiritual Cramp: Growing up punk
“I’ve been slipping up,” he begins on “B A D I D E A,” turning miserable decision-making into a cheer for throwing down. Later, he gets painfully specific — “I’ve been drunk every day for a month” — while backed by a swirl of strings and acoustic guitar that proves their sound is constantly evolving. For all its adventurous swings, though, God Save the Gun is an album equally uplifted by family and friends — a reflection of the community they’ve built out since their beginnings in Regional Justice Center. “God Owes Me Money” features both Marisa Dabice of Mannequin Pussy and Shelton’s brother, Max, who caps the song with a rap. James Goodson of Dazy co-wrote/produced “Fill Me With Paint” and “Kick.” The list could go on indefinitely.
It’s a theme that carries into their headlining tour, beginning next week, where they’ll be joined by many of their contemporaries on various dates, including Death Lens, MILLY, Angel Du$t, Fleshwater, Liquid Mike, and Public Opinion. See the full tour routing here and stream Militarie Gun’s God Save the Gun below.
