The members of one of the newest Coachella Valley bands reflect their decision to remain substance-free in their music.
XrecoilX identifies as a straight-edge band. Straight edge is a subsection of punk culture that advocates abstinence from alcohol and drugs, expressed through X’s drawn on hands, and music that hits hard—while uplifting the choice to live a life free from substances.
The band recently released their debut EP, Demonstration, a four-song, nearly 10-minute rager. Lyrically, the songs shout out straight-edge pride and Coachella Valley pride between moments of deeply descriptive emotion surrounding addiction, suffering and trauma.
XrecoilX will host a release show for Demonstration on Sunday, April 26, at the Dune Room.
Killfloor vocalist Jack Harris is the primary songwriter for XrecoilX. During a recent phone interview, he explained how writing on guitar for one project led to the creation of another.
“I’ve been doing vocals for the last 2 1/2 years, which has been fun, but there were a lot of times when I would write songs on the guitar for Killfloor or certain things, and it never really came out the way that I wanted it to,” Harris said. “I always said that I don’t want to play guitar in a band, but I kept writing, and one day, I went through this spur where I just wrote those four songs (on Demonstration), and I was like, ‘These are actually really sick.’”
The decision to form a straight-edge band came from a deep love for early ’00s straight-edge punk that Harris shared with XrecoilX bandmate Hector Martinez.
“That type of hardcore—the early 2000s straight edge stuff and beatdown—was our favorite stuff,” Harris said. “We both really, really like that type of hardcore and wanted to make a band like that, so we got the guys together, went through those songs, and threw them out pretty quick. I wanted to start a straight edge band, because there hadn’t been a straight-edge band here in a long time—shout out All Your Might,” a Coachella Valley straight-edge band circa 2010.
Comparisons to Killfloor are inevitable, so Harris detailed the differences between the projects. Apart from the lyrical contrasts, XrecoilX has a clear musical direction from the jump, whereas Killfloor has navigated through various genres and influences throughout the first few releases.
“My worry at first was I don’t want people to be like, ‘Oh, this just sounds like Killfloor, but straight edge,’” Harris said. “In Killfloor, I always tried to go for the earlier 2000s stuff, but I’ve also been very confused throughout the band so far, so there wasn’t a clear, definitive sound. You can hear a lot of different influences in Killfloor, where this (in xRecoilx) is more cut and dry. We’re pulling from a lot of different influences, but we’re basically setting off the vibe straight away. … I feel like it came out pretty well. It sounds a lot different than Killfloor, but you can hear similarities.”
Some standout lyrics from the EP include straight-edge mantras such as, “Immersed in poison / Designed to confine / Save yourself (Save yourself) / And don’t be left behind,” from the intro track, and more poetic lines like “I live in the shadow / Of a memory not my own / Of an unsung victim / To this unforgiving world,” on EP-closer “Eulogy.”
“One thing that always spoke to me was that every straight-edge band has something to say—and not that other bands don’t, but it was something that I feel like I utmost related to more than anything.”
XrecoilX’s Jack Harris
“I’ve kind of let Hector just do his thing with lyrics, because I’ve been writing my own lyrics for the last few years, and I just want to handle guitar,” Harris said. “I’m letting him handle the vocals, and in some of those demo songs that we just put out, he’s very clear and to the point about being straight edge—but on the last song, he has some deeper meaning in that, and I think that he’s going to lean a lot more into not just talking about being straight edge, but other things going on and stuff that he wants to get off his chest, which we all stand behind. He’s really good with words—maybe even better than I am—and has a lot to talk about.”
Harris’ deep adoration for straight-edge bands lies in the messaging.
“One thing that always spoke to me was that every straight-edge band has something to say—and not that other bands don’t, but it was something that I feel like I utmost related to more than anything,” Harris said. “It feels a little bit different playing these songs. I believe in being straight edge more than anything, so to be able to play songs that represent that, it feels a little more personal. We all have something to say, and we are all straight edge for a reason. It’s emotional sometimes when we play the songs, and it doesn’t matter to how many people. It means so much to everyone in the band, where it just kind of has a different spark.”
Harris hopes the themes of the music will offer a gateway into the straight-edge lifestyle.
“There are kids out here who don’t really understand straight edge that much. The hopes of these songs, and just in the band in general, is to inspire kids,” Harris said. “Not everyone has to be straight edge, but if we could even inspire one person to maybe just try to do better in their life if they’re struggling in areas, that’s the goal.”
Harris said some people have expressed an interest in learning more about substance-free living thanks to XrecoilX.
“There have been a couple people who have come to us, or to me, and they were more interested in straight edge, and they ended up finding it through what we’re doing, but also through what me and some of the other kids in the Coachella Valley who are straight edge are representing,” Harris said. “Some people have realized that they identify with that, and have decided to go that route, which is really cool.”
Heavy punk and hardcore music often carries profound messaging within its brash sound.
“In most hardcore music, there’s always something to say about what that they believe in, or what they’ve gone through,” Harris said. “There are multiple things that can be accomplished through hardcore music. There are so many bands that have helped me through hard times, and it’s not even straight-edge bands. The band can simply just talk about them feeling like shit, and it’s like, ‘Yep, I relate to that,’ and it could make you feel a little bit better.”
The release show for Demonstration will double as a fundraiser for Harris’ father’s extended hospital stay, and it will also be the first show by Hot Stuff Booking (run by Sage Jackson, with help from Harris and others) since January.
“There hasn’t been a show in the Coachella Valley in some months through Hot Stuff, and I don’t know when there’ll be another one after this,” he said. “It would just be really cool to see some people I haven’t seen in a while.”
XrecoilX is set to perform on Sunday, April 26, at the Dune Room, at 82707 Miles Ave., in Indio. The time and cost are TBA. For more information, visit instagram.com/recoilstraightedge.
