DEMOTED
New York Hardcore
Cullen Gallagher / Phil Harrington / Chris Hopkins
photo by Laurin Paradise
Hart Bar, Brooklyn, NY, May 2022
New album, Shit For Brains, now streaming on ROQBOX, YouTube, SoundCloud, or buy it on Bandcamp!
The critics have spoken:
"Brooklyn’s Demoted has a rough and immediate DIY sound. Simple, but carefully composed."—Maximum Rocknroll
"A tasteful mix of early and later-period hardcore tunes, everything from high powered sleaze-punk jams to sludged out droners are packed into this 9 song mini-LP, and it is not to be ignored... filled to the brim with dark infectious riffs accompanied by devilish shrieks." —CJ Robison, Strange Reverb
"Keeping the old school hardcore sound alive."—Paul Silver, Keep Track of the Time
"Snotty punk that sounds like it could have come off the Killed By Death Hardcore comps."—Razorblades & Aspirin
"An excellent hardcore punk record with some great songs, imbued with a raw power that is difficult to find today, to the point that it seems catapulted into 2024 from another era....The pieces are quite varied and unafraid of slowdowns and tempo changes reminiscent of Black Flag, which I really appreciate."—Marco Borgatti, In Your Eyes Zine (Italy)
"Really cool that a band like this exists in 2024. This band from Brooklyn, NY could have easily been playing shows in the 80's with L.A. bands like Modern Warfare, Secret Hate & Rhino 39. Skewed as fukk Punk Rock with completely angular & twisted guitar lines."—The Switchblade New Wave
"The garage rock solo and analog feel makes this feel like I'm back at a Sunday afternoon Hardcore matinee in NYC. For you punk hardcore fans the nostalgia of this one will make you right at home."—Blood Makes Noise
"Punk to the bone. Really fast, short and angry. In the mix of hardcore and punk that will remind you of Minor Threat. This is true DIY... Fast riffs and guitar distortion and adrenaline, good to listen to your gym sessions."—mptyzine (Constanta, Romania)
"Hits you like a punch to the gut, drawing clear inspiration from the likes of Minor Threat. With lightning-fast riffs, loads of guitar distortion, and abrupt changes that’ll have you catching your breath one moment and then diving headfirst into a wave of adrenaline... Unmistakable New York grit, honed in basement shows and dive bars, that permeates every riff and lyric. “Demoted” isn’t holding anything back—they’re throwing themselves into the fray with all the ferocity of a Brooklyn street brawl."—Punk Rock Mag (Costa Rica)
"Shit, after listening to this new album I have to listen to the band's other stuff too. Here you'll get raw, raucous old school hardcore like Minor Threat! I'll tear the place apart for something like this! Fuzzy guitars, driving drums, raw anger and lots of power! I like it!"—Steff / Crossed Letters punk zine (Germany)
photo by Georgina Richardson
Bar Freda, Oct 2023, Brooklyn, NY