As Knocked Loose chipped away at what would become their 3rd album, they felt the pressure from all sides. Internally, there was the need to challenge themselves as songwriters while retaining the merciless intensity and unflinching honesty that have always been their calling cards. Externally, there was a whole new set of eyes on the Louisville quintet, following a banner year in which they’d brought their underground-seasoned sound to some of the world’s biggest stages such as Coachella and Bonnaroo.

The creative process was arduous, writing close to 40 songs across a span of 4 years before locking in the 10 tracks that make up new LP You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To. In the end, vocalist Bryan Garris, guitarists Isaac Hale & Nicko Calderon, bassist Kevin Otten & drummer Kevin “Pac Sun” Kaine honed a diverse, cohesive and savagely intense album that both sums up the massive strides they’ve taken during their decade as a band, & asserts their boundless potential going forward.

There’s no ceiling for hardcore in 2024 — even an outfit as uncompromising as Knocked Loose can turn up in mainstream-adjacent spaces and win over new fans. But there’s a center to what they do that will never change: uncompromising heaviness, sonically & thematically. Everywhere Knocked Loose have been is here on this record — but so is everywhere they may yet go.