CANDY

Part of the thriving Richmond, Virginia hardcore scene, Candy are a thoroughly uncompromising and aggressive band whose attack combines punk at its most ferocious with several schools of extreme metal, with dashes of electronica and Brit-pop for seasoning, delivering a sound that’s both eclectic and punishing, best experienced on their EP Candy Says and the album Good to Feel. Candy was formed in early 2017, featuring Zak Quiram on vocals, Michael Quick and Steve Di Genco on guitars, Cody Mollen on bass, and Andrew Stark on drums. Quiram, Mollen, and Stark were previously members of the band Malfunction, Quick played in Lost Souls, and Mollen worked with both of those bands. The quintet dropped a three-song demo in March 2017, while they released a five-song EP, Candy Says, in November 2017. Despite (or maybe because) of the EP’s NSFW cover artwork, Candy Says soon earned the group a powerful reputation in the hardcore underground, and they began touring outside their home state. In July 2018, Candy dropped a single they called “Studio F12 Demos,” a creative change of pace in which they dabbled in noisy psychedelia and dance-friendly remixes. Hitting the road, Candy found themselves sharing stages with a number of high-profile acts, including Fucked Up, Self Defense Family, Terror, Year of the Knife, and Harm’s Way. In September 2018, Candy brought out their first album, Good to Feel, released by the Boston-based Triple B Records label. ~ Mark Deming