NORMANS was born on the dirty streets of LA and baptized in the punk rich waters of Hermosa Beach; the city that gave us Black Flag, Red Kross, Minutemen and more. Years of exposure and participation in the myriad of genres and sounds that make up the vibrant music scene resulted in a multi-genre-bending, bass and synth fueled cacophony that pays homage to the ghosts of The Jesus Lizard, Suicide, Butthole Surfers and The Birthday Party.

In 2021, in the lingering haze of the global pandemic and several nautical miles off the coast of Los Angeles in a broken down boat, Southern California natives and stalwarts of the local DIY music scene Matthew Reid (Blonde Summer) and Michael Perry Rudes (FEELS) decided it was time to embark on a new musical odyssey together; one that championed fearlessness, rawness, and above all, freedom.

Earlier during the pandemic the duo had built a home studio with initial plans to make a conceptual exotica record. Before long their songwriting took a heavier and more energetic turn. Between 2021 and 2022 they wrote and recorded a lot of material. In early 2023, with the addition of Kyle Souza (Prissy Whip) on guitar, the band reworked and re-recorded material to accommodate Kyle’s distinct guitar sound. Since NORMANS was born from a home studio environment it seemed fitting for the band to record and mix and record themselves. In early 2023 they did just that.

NORMANS stitch together elements of surf, post punk, noise rock, and Wax Trax! Records era electro-industrial music for a sound that is simultaneously urgent, angry, and disturbingly danceable (Murder Rich and Bending The Branch). Oozing with satire and shrouded in bizarre visual art and imagery, bassist and vocalist Matthew Reid who is also a painter and visual designer, explores issues of violence, drug use, and the terrified animal caged within us all.

Reid’s visual aesthetic occasionally crosses paths conceptually with their music.
 

“NORMANS is intense and very explosive; not just sonically but emotionally with some of the lyrical content. It’s like flipping over the Monopoly board when you are losing or yelling, "FUCK" in a movie theater for no reason. It goes all the way. Whereas my visual art usually represents everything leading up to those moments or even a person’s attempts to avoid those moments entirely. My art often features stoic men or uninhibited women. Those are people who would probably not choose the darkside when confronted with certain problems. Musically, NORMANS does.”

Where their musical journey takes them will certainly keep us wondering. What is certain is the band’s willingness to propel themselves into unchartered waters, similar to the boat they found themselves on when it all started just a few short years ago.

Their 10 song, self-titled LP will be available digitally and on limited edition color vinyl on Los Angeles based label, Solid Brass Records.