Drug Church

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Drug Church
Patrick Kindlon.jpg
Patrick Kindlon performing with Drug Church in Denver. March 2023
Background information
Origin Albany, New York, United States
Genres
Years active2011 (2011)–present
Labels
Spinoffs
Spinoff of
Members
  • Patrick Kindlon
  • Nick Cogan
  • Cory Galusha
  • Chris Villeneuve
  • Pat Wynne
Drug Church performing at the Ottobar in Baltimore, 2023 Drug Church Performing at the Ottobar.jpg
Drug Church performing at the Ottobar in Baltimore, 2023

Drug Church is an American post-hardcore band from Albany, New York, United States. The band has released five albums, as well as several EPs.

Contents

History

Drug Church started as a side project for singer Patrick Kindlon of Self Defense Family. After having released a three-song demo online in 2011, the band got signed by No Sleep Records by the beginning of 2012. The band's original lineup included Kindlon, guitarist Nick Cogan, bassist Cory Galusha, and drummer Chris Villeneuve. They were later joined by Patrick Wynne on bass, moving Galusha to second guitar. Their debut EP, Swell, was released in 2012, and it received critical acclaim for its raw and aggressive sound.

Drug Church's debut full-length album, Paul Walker (named after the late actor of the same name), was released in 2013 and was well received by music critics. The band's sophomore album, "Hit Your Head," was released in 2015.

In 2018, Drug Church signed with Pure Noise Records released their third album, Cheer which demonstrated the band's willingness to experiment with different styles such as grunge while retaining their punk ethos. The album was named as Kerrang! Magazine's Album of the Week [1] and received praise for its introspective and honest lyrics, as well as its willingness to tackle complex themes. [2] [3] [4] The song "Foam Pit" was included in The Alternative's Best of 2018 compilation, [5] and the band received "Most Underrated" in the site's awards for that year. [6]

The band's fourth album Hygiene was announced on November 10, 2021 [7] with the release of the singles "Million Miles of Fun" (a reference to Len's "Steal My Sunshine") and "Detective Lieutenant", and was released on March 11, 2022 through Pure Noise Records. [8] On March 1, 2023, the band released the single Myopic through Pure Noise Records, which was ultimately included on their fifth album, Prude , released on October 4, 2024. The release of Prude was flanked by the release of singles "Demolition Man", "Slide 2 Me" and "Myopic". [9] [10] [11]

Musical style

Drug Church's music is characterized by its eclectic blend of punk rock, post-hardcore, and alternative rock. Their sound has evolved over the years, moving from a raw and aggressive punk style to a more diverse and experimental approach. Lyrically, the band explores a wide range of themes, often delving into social and personal issues with a unique combination of humor and thoughtfulness. The band also mixes hardcore punk in the style of bands like Black Flag with alternative rock and grunge elements to create their post-punk/post-hardcore sound. The lyrics to their songs focus mostly on social matters and tend to be dark and/or satirical. In a Q&A Session on the website of his other project Self Defense Family, Kindlon has stated that he has no pre-written lyrics for his bands and rather writes the songs' lyrics while in the studio:

Completely different people write the instrument portion of the music. Leads to a very different feel, so, very different lyrics. Also, I write everything in the studio. So, there’s no bank of lyrics I pull from. This is made to order, not buffet. [12]

Band members

Discography

Studio albums

AlbumYearLabel
Paul Walker 2013No Sleep Records
Hit Your Head 2015No Sleep Records
Cheer 2018Pure Noise Records
Hygiene 2022Pure Noise Records
Prude 2024Pure Noise Records

EPs and other

NameYearLabel
Demo2011Ride the Fury Records
Drug Church2012No Sleep Records
"Party at Dead Man's" b/w "Selling Drugs from Your Mom's Condo"2013Secret Voice
Swell2015No Sleep Records
Tawny 2021Pure Noise Records

Singles

References

  1. ↑ "Album Of The Week: Drug Church's Cheer". Kerrang!. November 2, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
  2. ↑ admin (December 4, 2018). "Review: Drug Church - 'Cheer'". The Alternative. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
  3. ↑ Yancey, Bryne (January 26, 2012). "Drug Church (members of Self Defense Family) sign to No Sleep". Altpress.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  4. ↑ Henderson (December 10, 2018). "STAFF LIST: Henderson's Top Releases of 2018". The Alternative. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
  5. ↑ "The Alternative release new compilation; "The Alt's Best of 2018 Comp"│PUNX SAVE THE EARTH" (in Japanese). Retrieved January 9, 2026.
  6. ↑ Staff, The Alt Editing (December 18, 2018). "The Alternative Music Awards 2018". The Alternative. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
  7. ↑ Sacher, Andrew. "Drug Church announce new album 'Hygiene' (exclusive splatter vinyl & 2 new songs)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Drug Church announce new album Hygiene and unleash two new songs". Kerrang!. November 10, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  9. ↑ Sanders, Brad. "Drug Church: Hygiene". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
  10. ↑ Roesler, Brian (March 14, 2022). "Drug Church : Hygiene | Album review". Treble. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
  11. ↑ March 11, Alex McLevy |; 2022 | 6:54pm. "Drug Church reimagines '90s alt-rock with a hardcore edge on the earnest and ass-kicking Hygiene". AV Club. Retrieved January 9, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ "Learn Self Defense". Selfdefensemusic.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
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