“We’re either the surprisingly poppy band on the hardcore show or the surprisingly aggressive band on the indie rock show,” laughs Public Opinion frontman, Kevin Hart. While this might be a challenge when it comes to finding the right live bills, it’s also exactly what makes Public Opinion such an exciting new band in the punk scene. The Denver-by-way-of-Seattle group specialize in razor sharp songs that provide bite and melody in equal measure, and now with the release of their latest EP, Modern Convenience, Public Opinion are diving into that sonic conflict, and coming out of the scrap with their most appealing songs yet.
“I mostly just wanted to try to do something that was a little bit less tough all of the time–less straight ahead hardcore,” Hart says of the band’s 2020 inception. “I still think of it as a punk band, but I also love lots of classic punk and 2000s alternative guitar stuff, and wanted to incorporate more of that.” After releasing Public Opinion’s debut single, the project expanded into a full band– guitarist Antonio Vargas, bassist Sebastian Stanley, and drummer Brent Liseth round out the lineup–and the group released the Pay No Mind EP in 2021. Hart continued to hone the band’s sound and when it came time to record their next batch of songs, he turned to longtime friend and Militarie Gun/Regional Justice Center mastermind, Ian Shelton to produce Modern Convenience, along with engineer Phil Odim.
No stranger to bringing memorable hooks to aggressive music, Shelton brought a valuable outside ear to the recording process. “I’ve known Ian for about ten years and it was really interesting to have him in that role,” Hart says. “He pushed me to try a lot of things I wouldn’t have considered before, especially with vocals.” Shelton adds, “I always gravitate towards bands that are interested in combining sounds or influences that might not immediately seem like they’d fit together, so the way Public Opinion are able to blend anything–from ‘80s hardcore to early aughts rock–is really up my alley. It was fun to work with them and encourage them to draw out the melodic elements in their sound even further.” The resulting five songs are either the work of a guitar pop band that plays with uncharacteristic ferocity, or perhaps a hardcore band that can’t help but write pop songs; in any case, it’s a blend of primal first-wave punk and unabashed catchiness that grabs the listener by the head and doesn’t let go.
The sound of Modern Convenience isn’t the only thing rooted in discord: lyrically, Hart is preoccupied with the unsettling interconnectivity that permeates our lives, and the strange gratification that comes from having easy access to conflict at our fingertips. “A lot of these songs are about confrontation,” he explains. “The negative way we interact with one another on the internet is pretty overwhelming. It’s wild how easily we end up inviting this constant state of conflict into our lives. I think these songs are kind of about taking stock of my own relationship to that kind of frustration.” The EP’s blistering title track opener directly addresses these themes, while also providing a fiercely catchy chorus that would make The Hives jealous. Elsewhere tracks like “Polite Conversation” and “Fixated” bring plenty of punk stomp as Hart rejects the pressures that come from constant comparisons and social hierarchies–with the latter featuring a vocal appearance from Shelton.
But Modern Convenience is not all furious venting of frustrations. On EP standout “Sweets All The Time,” Hart focuses on a romantic relationship–a tangible real-life connection that overshadows all internal doubts or ephemeral irritations. The track is also Public Opinion at their most overtly poppy, with an anthemic chorus that’s sure to be stuck in listeners’ heads long after it’s over. And on “American Bandstand” Hart spits out a tongue-in-cheek lament of music scene pretensions with a snark to spare. “It’s not really about feeling raw towards anyone,” he laughs, “it’s really just a reminder that sometimes this is all pretty ridiculous.” That mischievous side shines throughout Modern Convenience, and serves as a winking reminder that when it comes to rock & roll, maybe it’s fun to stir up a little trouble after all.
