Are you ready for the madcap chaos of Australia’s largest travelling music festival? Good Things season returns with a head-spinning line-up fit for a fever dream. Across three East Coast dates, this year’s Good Things Festival will deliver a trip down the rabbit hole with a stacked bill of international heavyweights, old favourites, hungry up-and-comers, and Aussie staples. And in a boon for younger attendees, Sydney’s Centennial Park festival date will be a 16+ event for the first time!
In the lead-up to Good Things 2024, HEAVY will be running a small feature on the bands playing so you can get up to speed before the big day. Today we bring you DESTROY BOYS.
Punk rock might have been the force that brought Destroy Boys together, but it’s far from the only touchstone for their music. From their first record through the beginnings of their fourth, they have continued to write and sing about what they know. School drama and elitist cliques encountered in their teens have given way to the pain of relationships and the inherent feelings of misunderstanding and isolation that is all too common for young people navigating a hybrid of physical and digital worlds.
Started in Sacramento in 2015 by Alexia Roditis and Violet Mayugba while they were still in high school, initially the band released acoustic demos on Bandcamp. Destroy Boys first proper record, Sorry, Mom remains a classic for the band’s fans, having spawned the underground hit I Threw Glass At My Friend’s Eyes and Now I’m On Probation. The follow-up record, Make Room, recorded by Martin Cooke (Death Cab for Cutie, Of Monsters and Men) was tracked in just 4 days and yielded favourites such as Crybaby and Duck Eat Duck World (later featured on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater soundtrack.)
Adding drummer Narsai Malik to the fold in 2018, Destroy Boys began to tour in earnest, venturing as far as the UK, opening for numerous up-and-coming indie bands. As their own songs took off on Spotify and TikTok they signed with Los Angeles label Hopeless Records in 2020. Working with Philadelphia producer Will Yip (Turnstile, Circa Survive) their first Hopeless release was the snarling, one minute ripper, Muzzle. The eventual LP Open Mouth, Open Heart, released in late 2021 chronicled a band dealing with familiar pandemic frustration and the rise of online gossip and bullying – and they dealt with these head-on with songs ranging from Escape to Locker Room Bully.
Despite that year-long setback, the band returned to touring in the summer of 2021, suffering the obligatory headache of Covid-cancelled shows, re-booking and re-reroutings. But their fanbase, which had been locked up as the band grew sevenfold online, came out in droves. Headlining for the first time brought a succession of sold-out shows and the reassurance that their connection with their audience was never stronger.
Rolling into 2022, the band toured the UK with Alkaline Trio and Taking Back Sunday before criss-crossing the US several times as they continued to support the LP. With lauded performances at Riot Fest, Dia De Los Deftones, and more, they have since begun work on their fourth album. Working with Carlos De La Garza (Bad Religion, Paramore, The Linda Lindas) the recordings dig further back to embrace everything from garage punk to 90’s college indie rock.
2023 held yet bigger experiences for Destroy Boys. Following appearances at Coachella they returned to the UK and Ireland for Slam Dunk Fest, several headline shows and then multiple runs in Europe, taking in notable festivals including Roskilde, SBAM! and Sziget.
This year saw Destroy Boys unleash their new album Funeral Soundtrack #4, which captures the band at their most evolved, miles ahead of the scrappy, teenage sound that a new generation of rock fans fell in love with on their 2016 debut Sorry, Mom, but without losing their identity in the process. Recorded over the course of 2023, de la Garza pushed the band into new sonic territories. It’s still grounded in the band’s punk rock roots but leans into the members’ more eclectic influences, like salsa and bossa nova. De la Garza also helped highlight their gothier inspirations, like The Smiths, Cocteau Twins, and Siouxsie and the Banshees.
Focus song Duck Eat Duck World. Get your Good Things tickets HERE
