“It’s pretty listenable,” explains vocalist Lexi Reyngoudt with a laugh. “I don’t know if this is taboo to say, but I feel like we’re really good gateway hardcore. I feel like people who don’t really understand hardcore at first, if they see us, they’re like, ‘oh, this is awesome.’”
It all started with a little oomph. Spaced started writing and recording some new work earlier this year, with big dreams in mind. Inspired by hardcore as positive aggression, the signature ethic from Terror frontman Scott Vogel, the next era signifies a massive step forward. It’s a labor filled with love, but also the heaviness that we all have in our lives. It’s the epitome of what it means to be a part of the corner of the industry.
“We’re not here to beat each other up; we’re here to embrace each other and lift each other up,” emphasizes Reyngoudt. “That’s just hardcore. That’s the ethos for me. That’s what this is all about. We are a community. We should be helping each other and sticking up for each other and fighting for each other.”
Their new EP, No Escape, is out now on Pure Noise. After a few independent releases and a 2024 mini-album via Revelation Records, This is All We Ever Get, No Escape shows the growth and serious evolution of the group. It takes aim at today’s dystopian world and doesn’t hold back, not for a second, on what it means to fight for what’s right. It lives on the precipice of the true essence of hardcore, yet poignantly displays the ideals of standing by your craft.
“A lot of our music is about who we are, and if you don’t like that, fuck you,” she says. “You can’t tell me what to do. I’m going to do what I want to do, and you’re going to have to deal.”
This EP was recorded and mixed by producer Jay Zubricky (Every Time I Die / Terror / Age of Apocalypse). Sounds stemming from shoegaze and psych blend with classic hardcore, quenching the thirst of anyone who will listen. It’s a testament to what can be done with the right people behind the wheel. This project also saw Reyngoudt focus on writing lyrics by herself rather than the normal collaboration with the rest of the band.
“This is my first band. I don’t have any lyric-writing experience prior to this, so this was kind of my chance. It was scary, for sure, but I’m happy I did it. I had a lot of fuel for the fire because I started writing basically after the election,” she laughs. “It helped me channel some of the anger that I had into our music.”
The band formed almost five years ago in Buffalo and has been seeing the fruits of their labor ripen perfectly. Reyngoudt, guitarists Joe Morganti and Donny Arthur, bassist John Vaughan, and drummer Dan McCormick are quickly realizing Spaced is the real deal. From stacked runs left and right to a promising future, it’s all boiled down to a tight-knit sense of family. It’s really only a matter of time before the formula they’ve been using launches them into the stratosphere of what it is to be lucky enough to be a part of this industry.
“As a band, we figured out we work really well together,” beams Reyngoudt. “We’re a very well-oiled machine.”
No Escape is out now, and you can order it from Pure Noise Records. Follow Spaced on Instagram and Twitter for future updates.
Photo Credit: Sarah Potter
