Portland punks make defiant statement in fast-paced, turbulent release!
After a nine-year wait, it’s finally time to get excited about Triple Lutz’s debut album. Dropping on 26th June, ‘In the Hands of an Angry Mob’, is coming in hot. Nothing is off limits: from internet rage and public shaming to societal injustices and even religion. They’ve got plenty to be pissed off about and show it through a slew of lyrics that pack a politically charged punch of the same epic proportions as their abrasive sound.
Founded in Oregon in 2017, the band have already made a sizeable dent in Portland’s hardcore DIY scene. It’s clear that they care about the fanbase they’ve cultivated, often playing all-ages gigs to ensure younger fans aren’t left out. Now, they’re expanding their audience reach right into the heart of Europe, signing with Austria’s SBÄM Records. Dirt Cult Records have also got involved with the new release, supporting with 50 limited-run cassette tapes.
Triple Lutz are:
Asher – vocals
Kay – guitar
Sean – bass
Lily – drums
If you’re wondering how Triple Lutz define themselves, “half queer, half femme, and half bald” is how they proudly reply. Though, they’ll also accept “Tonya Harding-core”, (Harding being a popular figure skater, also from Portland) – with the band’s name itself a nod to a technical manoeuvre from the same sport. Adopting a queercore identity and heavy presence at underground Pride shows throughout their almost nine-year tenure, the band position themselves right at the heart of the LGBTQ+ community. Ever outspoken and unfiltered, key messages from the liner notes of their three EPs follow the rhetoric of: “no violence, no homophobia, no sexism, destroy racism!”
And, speaking of discography, fans might recognise a few of the album entries from prior EP releases. Tracks ‘Trigger Warning’, ‘Don’t Wake Daddy’ and ‘Slumlord Millionaire’ were also rolled out over the last two months to mark the upcoming album drop.
Kicking us into gear, with chugging guitar and guttural barks, is ‘Trigger Warning’. Without notice, the track drops like a bomb into an onslaught of high-energy aggression at breakneck tempo. “Every misstep is a screenshot from a never-ending circus of shame” projects frustration at online cancel culture and the damage a mob-mentality effect can have. Beyond that, there’s a reflection of despair evident in the vocals, growing in intensity as the song progresses.
Equal parts anger and disappointment, it mirrors a kind of raw desperation that reminds me of Dead Boys-era Stiv Bators. Fast-paced, combustible energy, married with snaky bass runs channel the spirit of first-wave 1980s hardcore – echoing fusion bands like Bad Brains by weaving threads of funk and jazz into the mix.
‘Brainwashed’, from start to finish, is a highly flammable, snappy anthem that makes you want to shake your fist at the world. ‘Don’t Wake Daddy’ is where things get really interesting though. Triple Lutz are known to embrace creative projects – and there’s already a music video for this one. Heavily inspired by the 1979 cult movie ‘The Warriors’, it’s complete with a pulsing synth theme that soundtracks the characters’ journeys through the urban underground whilst navigating turf rivalries.
The band describe the song as “a foreboding prophecy for religious hypocrites on their judgment day”. Musically, it has a Dead Kennedys feel to it, with a searing opening guitar line, dirty grooving bass and a frantic vocal assault. Even as they downshift from their usual formula, it’s impossible to ignore their rage.
We know by now that Triple Lutz have energy in spades, but the grunge-inspired ‘Dead Grass’ proves they can deliver on vulnerability too. Piercing shouts and chants are largely avoided, in favour of an exhaustedly impassioned spoken word; “Am I so scared of being stepped on that I won’t ever let myself be loved?”. This is easily the album’s most emotive entry.
Wasting no time, standout track and venomous tirade, ‘Slumlord Millionaire’ shows that Triple Lutz never sit still for long. Here, the vitriol is dripping off them – it might just be the angriest we’ve seen them yet. “It’s a deal with the devil you bloodsucking leech” shows just how pissed off they are at housing exploitation. There are more mid-tempo lurches that build to anticipated attacks, before a chaotically abrupt end. One of the musical highlights is undoubtedly a reverberating bass solo, something this four-piece experiment with often, and do well.
Another hardcore crusher, named after the hair-pulling compulsion, ‘Tricho-Tillo-Maniac’ focuses on mental health and inner struggles; “If I get a grip I’m gonna rip that shit (…) I like the way it feels when they’re putting up a fight”. Blistering through a juddering, high-speed rhythm, you might think you’ve caught the gist by now. But, in a flawless left turn, the refreshing use of deliberately discordant sax is an absolute clincher. As if cut from the same cloth as The Fear’s ‘New York’s Alright if You Like Saxophone’, it brilliantly complements the contrasting, barrelling guitar and fraught lyrics beneath it.
Approaching the record’s end, it’s worth noting that the band’s energy hasn’t depleted in the slightest. ‘R.I.D.’ (short for ‘Reconciliation Is Dead’) tackles trans panic against a bludgeoning backbeat with an extra helping of distorted guitar. Lurching forwards into final number ‘Ultraviolet’, Triple Lutz are calling out capitalist corruption, with more rallying drums and another formidable bass solo. It’s an excellent album closer, one with such momentum that it leaves you itching to see them live.
For a band driven by race-against-the-world urgency, they pack a lot into the twenty-minute run time – proving they’re more than just by-the-numbers hardcore. If you’re a fan of political punk with a purpose, or, musically, a lover of quick tempo switch-ups and unusual bass interplay, then you’ll be all about Triple Lutz.
‘In the Hands of an Angry Mob’ drops on 26th June 2026. Run, don’t walk, to grab your copy! Preorder on vinyl HERE, purchase on limited edition cassette HERE, and on digital download HERE.
This summer, Triple Lutz are appearing live at:
4th July – Pride at Full Volume, Portland, OG
22nd August – Volume Bomb Block Party, Portland, OG
29th August – Glizzathon III, Portland, OG
Main Photo Credit: KAO SAEPHAN
- Trigger Warning
- Brainwashed
- Don’t Wake Daddy
- Dead Grass
- Slumlord Millionaire
- Tricho-Tillo-Maniac
- R.I.D.
- Ultraviolet
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Writer and wannabe guitar whizz – with a playlist for just about every genre and occasion. Fuelled by an eclectic, life-long love of music through the ages, though my heart will always belong to seventies punk and gothic rock. You can usually find me at a gig or some kind of DIY music exhibition. At my happiest finding new music (and rediscovering old gems) to write about, and a firm believer that everyone should have at least one upcoming gig to look forward to.
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