A sea of stars sets a backdrop for a cacophonic collage of images depicting a seascape with beach loungers perched atop a cluster of old women and doodles that are akin to Diary of a Wimpy Kid illustrations on acid. Atop the cryptic imagery, in a fuzzy handwritten font, is information advertising Antibroth and its EP release show.
A few of these posters still cling to light posts and electrical boxes up and down Denver streets such as University and Evans, although Antibroth is already on to the next show — and the next and the next. Walking past one of their posters on the street or scrolling past them on social media, despite some being even more visceral than others including cutouts of human teeth and animal parts, each Antibroth poster is recognizable as a product of the band. Upon various run-ins with them, a clear commonality in aesthetics makes itself known. An aesthetic that grabs your attention by the throat and refuses to let go, an aesthetic that matches the sound of the band to a tee.
“The stuff that I’ve noticed and liked so much about Jeremy’s art is I think again it’s the same as what’s going on with the music where there aren’t really any wrong turns and things pop into existence that are ugly and weird but they still work,” Dan Switalski, bassist for Antibroth said. The mastermind behind the project, Jeremy Mock, plays guitar and sings for the band as well as creates all the visuals from the posters to the album art.
Three years ago while having a jam session with a friend, Mock was drawn to the idea of starting a punk band. “I really wanted to be in a punk band because I’ve never done that before… all my other projects were kind of more indie,” Mock said. From that point on, the world of Antibroth began to form in his mind. Switalski joined on bass and current drummer Hayden Bosch was introduced to the equation a year later, completing the precise combination of talent and peculiarity fit to make Antibroth the musical car crash you can’t look away from.
On the surface, Antibroth is a punk band, with its aggressive instrumentation and guttural vocals. But look (or listen) a little deeper and the defining elements of the band shine through. “We’re pulling this thing in a million different directions and it doesn’t necessarily feel like it fits with anything,” Mock said.
With each member bringing their own unique musical background to the plate, along with a shared craving for experimentation, Antibroth finds itself at an intersection of different genres and sounds. At this intersection the band is able to flow freely with a musical thought regardless of genre, allowing them to meet the criteria for punk music while also twisting and turning the genre in the best of ways.
At the band’s core (however grotesque and visceral the journey to get there is), lies a safe space for making music amongst friends. “What I like about the music and the lyrics combined is when we’re having a lot of fun doing something and in that, something deeper is happening that you can just watch… You have to actually look for it which I like because it’s not going to attract a wide fan base. It’s only if you sit with it and look at it for a second that you’re actually going to get something out of it,” Bosch said.
The natural chemistry between band members allows for a welcoming space for creativity to bloom, keeping listeners on their toes and cultivating the band’s distinctive sound. “This has always been a group where the people come first. We have a really good time together above everything else and whatever we happen to make together, which happens to be some punk-influenced stuff, it feels pretty natural the way that we all combine with our backgrounds,” Switalski said.
Antibroth released its debut, self-titled album Antibroth on September 23 and is continuing to write and record new material. As for the future of the band, they like to keep the vision simple, taking the process as it comes and having fun with it. “We’re building a body of work that we’re all really proud of whether or not it is on that large scale,” Switalski said. “Obviously, whatever happens, happens. If this did go crazy, for some god-forsaken reason, there’s some weird gas leak across America that makes everyone get into this stuff, that’d be pretty cool. But there’s a lot of good things on the journey that I think we’ve focused on too.”
In the big picture, Mock summed it up as this. “I just want to make fucked up music… hard to listen to trash.”
Listen to Antibroth’s “hard to listen to trash” here and keep up with their antics on social media. See them play at Lost Lake on Oct. 20 with support from Pink Lady Monster, Supreme Joy and Endless Nameless.
All photography by David Cohn