In the flesh, Justice Tripp often comes on like a sort of lovably overdressed lunk determined to crash the ‘fashion’ world through the sheer strength of his beefy physique, personal connections and boundless enthusiasm. With Angel Du$t, it feels increasingly like he’s using those same attributes to plant himself into the landscape of indie rock. BRAND NEW SOUL is the third Angel Du$t record since his last with Trapped Under Ice – which hardcore aficionados still consider his ‘main’ band – back in 2017. And, with Turnstile’s Pat McCrory and Dan Fang now playing only cameo roles, album number five’s 13 tracks feel very much like episodes of the Justice Tripp show. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Listeners whose favourite examples of ‘modern melodic hardcore’ incl...
