garbagebarbie is tired of being “punk”

Los Angeles four-piece garbagebarbie is back with their first single of the year, “punk,” out today along with the official music video. Recounting overheard confessions at Los Angeles dive bars, “punk” is an amalgamation of the characters the band encounters on nights out together: the rowdy, drunk men crowding the pool table, the regulars sharing cigarettes on the patio, the failed talking-stages whispering in the bathroom line. “The song holds up a mirror to ourselves. It pokes fun at the LA bar scene which even though we can make fun of, it doesn’t change the fact that we are still in that scene,” says drummer Dan Karasev. “In a way, it was method acting. We stepped into the character the song creates while drawing from the absurd things we’ve overheard in LA bars—the kind of comments that make you do a double take and wonder who in the crowded room could have possibly said something like that,” continues bassist Anson Knopp.

The raucous track pulses with crunchy synths and punchy drums as frontman Fletcher Milloy complains about his woes as a dive bar regular: “beer makes me fat and I can’t get laid / walk to the bar to stay in shape / kind of dude to ask for hugs / I use my mom’s credit card to buy drugs.”

LISTEN TO “PUNK”

The official music video for “punk” was shot in the band’s favorite Los Angeles dive bar, Crawfords, and features the locals who frequent it. “The star of the video, our buddy Sam, was the obvious choice for the role because he is exactly the type of character you’d want to find at your local dive. He’s a rowdy local legend and loved by all at Crawfords,” says guitarist Braedon Huff. “The community at this bar is so important to us because this band essentially started out of it,” continues Karasev. “Matt, the owner of Crawfords, has also been so supportive of us since we started making music. After we played our very first show in 2023, we didn’t know how to follow it up because we spent all this money throwing a warehouse show for people to come to for free. Matt opened his doors to us and let us throw a DIY show at the bar. The community has backed us ever since.”

WATCH THE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

Since releasing their last single “kiss” last summer, the garbagebarbie boys have been hard at work as hired guns on tour with Charlotte Lawrence and Mustafa, while simultaneously working on writing their debut album. This fall, garbagebarbie is slated to perform at Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta, taking place September 18-20, and Vans Warped Tour in Orlando, November 14-15.

ABOUT GARBAGEBARBIE:

garbagebarbie has carved a space for themselves in Los Angeles’ DIY scene, gaining a reputation for hosting rowdy, and oftentimes free, themed shows. Combining elements of Britpop, glam, punk, French disco, and garage rock, garbagebarbie’s confrontational racket refuses to be confined by genre. Over the past three years, they have cultivated an immersive and theatrical live show, consistently drawing crowds of over 400 people at LA venues like Zebulon, The Paramount, The Echo, Silverlake Lounge, and Non Plus Ultra.

Fletcher Milloy (vocals/guitar), Braedon Huff (guitar/synth), and Anson Knopp (bass) met in Phoenix, where they spent years cutting their teeth playing house shows and local venues in their respective DIY bands. After relocating to Los Angeles, they met drummer Daniel Karasev and bonded over shared influences from Blur and the Rolling Stones to LCD Soundsystem, The 1975, and The Garden. They instantly had a vision of what they wanted their own band to sound like; they wrote and recorded their first EP in two weeks.

“We wanted our music to feel nostalgic; like songs you think you’ve heard before but you’re not quite sure where,” said Huff. Lyrics explore themes of surrealism, a yearning to both change the past and control the future, and reflections on the characters they meet in Los Angeles. Their shared desire to manufacture nostalgia in a world drenched in technology also permeates their visual aesthetic – they use their love-hate relationship with modern technology to build their visual universe both online and onstage, creating unique visual narratives for every show that complements their performance.

From the start, the band prioritized throwing free shows and “garbageparties” to bring people together, shouldering all costs themselves in an effort to establish community. “Seeing people make friends with each other at our shows and then hang out outside of our shows is just the most rewarding feeling,” said Milloy. “That’s what this music and this band is all about. Play it loud. Use it in your Tinder profile. Don’t be trashy, be a garbagebarbie.”