Oakland's DISCOURAGE returns with their most urgent and punishing release yet, In Lieu of Flowers..., via WAR Records. Known for blending the intensity of early 2000s hardcore with the chaotic edge of powerviolence, the band delivers a record that is darker, faster, and more volatile than anything they've done before.
Produced by drummer Matt Tyler with Marc Estabillo (Butchertown Studios, SF) and Alex Jacobelli (Sunsick Studios), the album features guest appearances from Meghan O'Neil (PUNCH/THE ARMED) and Matt Wilson (SET YOUR GOALS/WORSHIP). Lyrically, it dives deep into themes of grief, abandonment, and despair, carrying forward the heaviness of 2022's Disaster Fatigue while pushing DISCOURAGE into harsher, more unrelenting territory.
In Lieu of Flowers... cements DISCOURAGE as one of the Bay Area's most vital and uncompromising voices in modern hardcore.