The Rage and Release of Upchuck

Two weeks after Turnstile packed out Project 70, there’s another must-see punk show coming through Denver when Uphcuck plays Moe’s Original BBQ on Monday, October 13.

The city proved it’ll show out for this type of music, and if you’re unfamiliar with the Atlanta crew, then the gig with local openers Cleaner and Bitchflower is an opportunity to change that.

Upchuck, which has previously shared bills with Faye Webster and Amyl and the Sniffers, is one of the brashest bands doing it right now. So much so that the furious five-piece caught the attention of Ty Segall, who produced the group’s last two albums, including the latest, I’m Nice Now, which released on October 3 via Domino Recording Company.

“He’s sick. It’s like a newfound level. He really allows us to do what we do,” says vocalist Kaila “KT” Thompson. “He gives us a lot of freedom, but at the same time, he’ll add his little ones and twos to make it better and more professional-sounding; that’s really sick. It’s all fun with Ty.”

The indie-rock guru discovered Upchcuk after hearing its 2022 debut, Sense Yourself, and reached out about working together. That resulted in him producing 2023 sophomore effort, Bite The Hands That Feeds. He also remixed Sense Yourself, further amping up the already raucous tracklist.

Thompson admits to there being some nerves about teaming up initially.

“There definitely was. It’s like, ‘Man, it’s our first time doing something.’ It was like, ‘This is real. This is serious,’” she says. “Then once we started working with him on that record, it was like, ‘Oh, wait,’ he wasn’t uncomfortable or stressed about anything. I think it’s because he’s such a chill guy.”

So Thompson, guitarists Michael Durham and Alex “Hoff” Hoffman, bassist Armando Arrieta, and drummer Chris Salado were ready to jump back into the studio with him when putting together I’m Nice Now down in Texas at Sonic Ranch.

“It was like, ‘Okay, we’re back at it again.’ It was a good time, especially at Sonic Ranch. That place is a beautiful spot,” Thompson shares. “I think this time around it was like, ‘Oh, hi, hello, we’re back.’ Same shit. There’s never ill will. It’s centering working with Ty.”

For example, after hitting a wall while working on a track, Segall suggested focusing on something fresh. The result would eventually become the first single, “Plastic.”

“‘Plastic’ wasn’t even supposed to be on the album,” Thompson explains. “We were at the studio struggling to get one of the songs we had right and in sync and making sense, then Ty was like, ‘Hey, do y’all have anything else y’all can throw out?’ It was our last day to finish recording before we had to start mixing. We all just wrote to it on the spot.”

That’s typically how she comes up with lyrics, too. The ironically titled I’m Nice Now sees Upchuck’s fury take aim at all the “fuckery” that is running rampant. Pulling from her experiences as a Black woman in America, Thompson confronts the relentless grind of injustice with a song like “Tired.” Salado, who is Latin American, also adds to the constant fight against systematic oppression by contributing Spanish verses on “Un Momento” and “Homenaje.” Loudly practicing such free speech has been an Upchuck trademark since forming in 2018.  

“It’s never changed as far as what we’re fucking screaming about. Aside from watching a real-time genocide live, we have a fascist-ass president in the works of who knows what,” Thompson says, adding that it’s not just punks who should be shouting dissent either.

“I think it’s important, punk band or not, to say something and not be silent about what the fuck is happening right now. It’s a worldwide problem. It’s not just the States, it’s not just us. It’s not just our community,” she concludes. “It’s a trickling domino effect that’s happening worldwide, probably due to Trump’s dumbass actions.”

And if that doesn’t pique your interest in Upchuck, then we don’t know what to tell you.

Upchuck, with Cleaner and Bitchflower, 7 p.m. Monday, October 13, Moe’s Original BBQ, 3295 South Broadway. Tickets are $22.