Welcome to the third installment of Hardcore Explorer… In Effect Hardcore's attempt to show the global reach of hardcore punk. Last time around we brought you bands from upstate NY and New Zealand. This time around we got The Path from Burlington, VT and Nuggets from Gothenburg, Sweden, two bands seperated by over 3700 miles. Both bands have recent releases out and both definitely should appeal to those who follow and like the types of hardcore we cover here at In Effect. Thank you to Matt and Jocke for replying to our questions, to Tim Snow, Andreas Ljungman, Björn Wallin and Taylor Cook for the photos and to Paul Turano for graphics work. Hardcore Explorer “Mosh Unit” artwork by: Sven Gjurcek. 

IE: Please tell our readers who may never have heard of your band what your band is all about?

Matt The Path: This band is all about playing the type of hardcore/punk that we grew up listening to; short, fast and loud. Not too many mosh parts, but just enough here and there to scratch that itch too. We've also evolved a lot from the beginning and there's also elements of powerviolence/fastcore/thrash and even grind at times. Our mission is really just to express ourselves and have fun doing it. And if something we're discussing in a song or speaking about at a show resonates with someone, that's also awesome! Connection and community is what it's all about. Our lineup consists of; Jon Berg- vocals, me… Matt Kimball- guitar, Kristen Fiore- guitar, Jimi Hughes, drums and Ryan Batche- bass. 

Jocke Nuggets: So, Nuggets consists of Oscar, who plays guitar, Victor, who plays bass, Björn, who plays drums, and me… Jocke. I write the lyrics and do the vocals. We play pretty straight forward, no thrills hardcore. I don’t think we have one particular band or style that inspired us as we all listen to very different music, and often times prefer different styles of hardcore. We all like Terror, I guess. But we don’t sound like Terror.

I guess what we do like is mixing fast with slow and keeping it simple, and we also like proper hooks. We also like weed and label ourselves as cannabis positive hardcore, which is something the scene is lacking. It seems like there is straight edge hardcore and then there is coke-head/beer chugging hardcore but not much in between. So, we want to fill that void. Enter the void, and then fill it.

THE PATH @ L'ACHOPPE, MONTREAL, CANADA, MARCH 31, 2023. PHOTO BY: TIM SNOW

IE: When did your band get started and what have you put out to date?

Matt The Path: The band got started in August of 2015, when I asked our vocalist, Jon, if he wanted to sing in a band again. It'd been a number of years for him at the time. I believe and he was hesitant at first, but he eventually gave in! To date we've put out 2 full length LP’s (or perhaps 3... there's some debate within the ranks on this), a split LP with Psychic Weight, a split 7" with Gone Wrong, a 7" EP and a split cassette with Controlled Substance. There was also a lathe record we did with a couple of covers. We've actually recorded a bunch of covers, but some haven't been released yet. Big shout out to Dave Campbell of State Of Mind who's released the majority of our material.

Jocke Nuggets: We started playing together as Nuggets last year, but we have played together in previous constellations. Me, Victor and Björn used to play in a crossover band called Tramwreck and me, Victor and Oscar used to play in a short-lived, crusty hardcore band called Otukt. Those bands have both been dead for almost ten years and since then some of us haven’t played music at all, and none of us have played hardcore. Last year, me and Victor were on parental leave at the same time and hung out a lot with our kids and got to talking about how we both had rediscovered hardcore and had started listening to new bands and weren’t just revisiting the classics. Meanwhile, the scene in Gothenburg was experiencing a huge revival. Me and Victor felt inspired and asked Björn and Oscar if they wanted to get back into it.

We just released our debut album, “Inner Peace”, in August. Currently it’s solely a digital release but will be available on tape through the Swedish label Negative Aggression within the foreseeable future. Pretty early on, we got the idea that we wanted our first release to be a full album and not a four track EP or demo, as most new bands do. So, we went full album mode. “Inner Peace” was preceded by three digital singles. The ten songs on the album are the first we’ve written as Nuggets and we’re really happy with how good they came out.

NUGGETS LIVE PHOTOS BY: ANDREAS LJUNGMAN

IE: Before we pitched the idea of this interview to you had you ever even heard of the other band you are paired up with and now that you have what can you tell us about them?

Matt The Path: Unfortunately I had not heard of Nuggets previously! Well, I'm about halfway through their album on Bandcamp and it's a really interesting blend of sounds! The vocals remind me a lot of Dan Yemin from Paint It Black. The guitars have a real dense tone. I hear NYHC elements… there's groove, but also a good balance of fast parts to keep it punk. Every once in a while you hear these post hardcore licks in the guitars. They keep it interesting! I hope they can make it to the US at some point!

Jocke Nuggets: I had not heard of The Path, prior to this interview. They fire though. Vocals are crazy good and I love how they mix up the really fast parts with slower, more straight forward punky parts. I’ve mainly listened to the “Prison Planet” album, and I might be misunderstanding or reading too much into it, but it feels like a concept album, which I really like. Rock opera shit!
 

IE: Can you name a few of the biggest influences on your band whether it is within the realm of hardcore punk or “other”?

Matt The Path: The biggest influence across the band historically would probably be Kill Your Idols. They were a huge launching pad for us. Also the hardcore/punk scene in Vermont of the 2000’s was a big influence. One of our good friends, Spencer Crispe, is also a huge influence/supporter of The Path. He did vocals in a band called My Revenge! He's never once given a fuck about what anyone thinks of him. He's been wearing the same clothes for 25 plus years and does the craziest shit. One time he sprayed me with a super soaker full of clam juice. Did I mention he's a lawyer? Max Ward from 625 Thrash/Spazz, aside from being a great friend and collaborator has influenced us with bands he's been a part of. I'd say we're all unequivocally influenced by people who are not assholes. Sincerity and compassion go a long way in this dumpster fire of a society we've built. We are interested in being friends with/playing with bands who want to build bridges, not burn them down. But alas, hardcore and punk don't always attract the most well adjusted folks, so we also got to hold space for personal growth. It takes a village.

Jocke Nuggets: Personally, I grew up listening almost exclusively to hip-hop. Then, in my late teens, I went full skinhead, and discovered punk through Oi! It might seem like hip-hop and Oi! are two genres that are miles apart, but I think there is an “I’m great, you suck” attitude that can be found in both. I try to, and hope that I do, bring that attitude and energy into Nuggets. Victor was big into Rage Against The Machine when he was young which I think still inspires him. Like being a young teenager and feeling that music could incite riots. Then his way into hardcore came by way of Raised Fist. Oscar was introduced to the Swedish first wave punk band KSMB by an uncle when he was a kid and then played in a grindcore band early on, after listening to Give Up The Ghost. Today, he is probably more inspired by other stuff. He's more into British music like The Libertines and Gorillaz, basically stuff where members from The Clash have been involved. I’m not sure about Björn, but he is the closest thing to a metal head in the band. I think. So, we all come from pretty different musical backgrounds. I hope that works in our favor but who knows? We might have been in a completely different league if, for instance, I knew who the hell The Libertines are.
 

IE: Can you name 3 things that you would categorize as “awesome” about living where you are from?

Matt The Path:

1. Vermont is super laid back. There isn't a lot less pettiness in our scene. We stick together.

2. Getting outside and doing shit in the mountains. Skiing, snowboarding, hiking, biking. So much open space.

3. Slower way of life… you especially notice this when you travel to major cities and then come back. Really grateful for that. Stress kills!

Jocke Nuggets: That’s a difficult one! First off, I’m gonna be boring and say the hardcore scene. At the moment it’s really strong and there’s a lot of cool shit happening. Then I’d have to say just the fact that it’s home. I grew up here and I’ve lived here almost my entire life, and this is where I have my family and my friends. That’s really important to me but I guess it doesn’t say much about the city, really. Thirdly I don’t really know. Public transportation? Bit pricey though.
 

IE: Name 3 things that suck about living in the area you are from?

Matt The Path:

1. No decent Mexican food here. It just doesn't exist.

2. A lot of touring bands just don't prioritize coming here, so sometimes you gotta travel out of state to see things.

3. There are F15 airplanes that routinely do test flights over Burlington and it's really really fucking loud.

Jocke Nuggets: This one’s a bit easier. First off, the place fucking sucks. It’s a boring God damned shithole city being gentrified to death by stupid fucking assholes. Second, having horrible fucking piece-of-shit-opinions is being normalized by the stupid political climate. And lastly, weed is hysterically illegal and we have backwards-ass laws enforcing a very dated view on it. Fuck that.
 

IE: Do you feel being where you are from makes it a lot harder to get noticed outside of your hometowns?

Matt The Path: Being a band from Vermont makes it a thousand times harder to get out there. It is the first nail in the coffin. We're the black sheep of the Northeast. But we also have a lot more freedom to shape our scene in unique ways because of that.

Jocke Nuggets: Not really. I think that the internet and social media has kind off blurred all those lines. Looking at webzines, blogs, podcasts, Instagram accounts, and stuff like that, most of those that have talked about us, and the release of “Inner Peace” have not been Swedish. People who like the kind of music that we make have ways to find us, regardless of where they live. Of course, when it comes to live shows it’s always gonna be easier booking stuff close to your home turf though.

IE: Can you talk a little about your band name and how you came up with it?

Matt The Path: It's a Kill Your Idols song! It is on their first 12" EP. Early on in the band we learned the tune and played it at a show on Long Island. I honestly thought people would go nuts and sing along, but instead most people just stared at us with their arms crossed. Haha!

Jocke Nuggets: I came up with the name ten or fifteen years ago when I first had the idea that I wanted to start a cannabis positive hardcore band, and I thought Nuggets was a suiting name. That never came to be at the time, but when me and Victor started talking about starting a new hardcore band, I pitched the idea, and we went with it.
 

THE PATH @ DESPACITO, BURLINGTON, VT  AUGUST 12, 2023. PHOTO BY: TAYLOR COOK 

IE: Both bands have interesting artwork for your last release. Can you talk about who drew your covers?

Matt The Path: We don't know the person who did the “Prison Planet” artwork personally. They're an illustrator in Sweden operating under the name Mistgrafik. Jon was looking for something post-apocalyptic in comic book style to fit the album's concepts/themes. This person certainly pulled it off! The basic concept is that in the future after all our resources are depleted there are humans unable to escape Earth because they're trapped in by a ring of space junk. But of course all the billionaires were able to leave before it got too bad.

Jocke Nuggets: Victor does all out covers. He used to be a pretty active writer but now he’s got a kid and can’t really find the time to run around at night as much as he would like, so our artwork has become his artistic outlet. Regarding the cover for “Inner Peace”, it has a connection to a sample we’ve used on the album. I don’t know if anyone’s picked up on it but that sound-of-a-black-hole clip that NASA released a while back is actually running in both the intro and the outro of “Inner Peace”, so the artwork connects to that. And a black hole somehow feels like the ultimate inner peace. For the singles Victor pretty much just experimented and drew what he felt like.

IE: What kind of jobs does everyone in your band have?

Matt The Path: I coordinate services at an alternative mental health program. Jon is an insurance underwriter. Kristen directs a summer camp in upstate NY. Both Jimi and Ryan teach in public schools currently.

Jocke Nuggets: Me, Oscar and Björn all have office jobs. Doing office stuff. E-mails and such. Victor climbs down in holes in the ground and fixes busted pipes and water leaks and stuff.
 

NUGGETS: PHOTO BY: BJORN WALLIN 

IE: Craziest shit you have ever seen at a hardcore show?

Matt The Path: My friend Jesse rode his motorcycle into the middle of a pit and started revving the engine and popping wheelies. There was black smoke all over. Myself and some others then followed this up by pouring bags of flour all over each other. It was so hot and humid in the space that the flour on the floor started to rise like bread!

Jocke Nuggets: I’m gonna have to say the resurrection of the scene in Gothenburg is the craziest shit I’ve seen lately. Some really dedicated people (shout out Moral Panic) have put up shows and created a really strong all-ages scene here. And when we started going to hardcore shows again after not going to local shows for maybe ten years and saw packed houses and kids tearing it up and going completely ape it felt almost surreal. 
 

IE: What’s next for your band?

Matt The Path: Currently we're writing and arranging a bunch of new songs for another full length. That probably won't be out for quite a while. Also trying to coordinate some shows for the Pacific Northwest next summer.

Jocke Nuggets: We’re working on new songs and we’re gonna put out an EP with four new songs as soon as we can. Other than that, we hope to get out and play more live shows. We’re also working on our first merch and we’ll have some t-shirts available shortly.

CRUCIAL LINKS: 

THE PATH: INSTAGRAM

THE PATH: BANDCAMP

THE PATH: SPOTIFY

THE PATH: "GOOD MORNING MATT KIMBALL" VIDEO

NUGGETS: INSTAGRAM

NUGGETS: BANDCAMP

NUGGETS: SPOTIFY