Hidden beneath the insistent pound of drums and scratching riffs on Psychic Dance Routine is the sound of the cogs in Scowl’s brains turning. They’ve got more to do than just accept the mantle of being hardcore’s shiniest future hopes – they’re thinking out loud about what else they can be beyond that, across the smaller, less pressured scope of an EP before the Difficult Second Album comes looming. It’s a testament to their ambition, sure, but on top of that, they’ve made themselves all the more intriguing in the process. The Californians’ schtick has become a two-pronged attack – a similar kind of blistering hardcore that made 2021 debut How Flowers Grow so compelling, but interestingly, it is counterbalanced by a more melodic alt-rock sensibility. It’s pu...