Baltimore’s Newest Hardcore Punk Band, Doubt

Meet Baltimore’s newest queer hardcore punk band, Doubt, as they drop their new single, “Delusion,” from their upcoming EP.

Doubt is the next in a new wave of bands emerging from Baltimore’s often-overlooked hardcore punk scene. Made up of singer Claire Abila, guitarists Logan Dorics and Jon Haire, bassist Pocholo Itona, and drummer Nijol Benjamin, Doubt take cues from both West Coast punk and East Coast hardcore. They follow the mid-tempo traditions of other Baltimore punk bands, but balance it out with speed uncommon in East Coast hardcore. 

Abila stars as she delivers lyrics about revenge and reclaiming power against transgressors, supported by Dorics and Haire’s hardcore punk riffs and Itona and Benjamin’s percussion. Their performance takes the already-rage-filled lyrics to a different level, with anger seeping out of every word, every guitar riff, and every drum beat. This ferocious and untamable brand of hardcore is a representation of the future excellence that exists in Baltimore. 

“Delusion” is the first single from Doubt’s upcoming EP with Get Better Records, an indie label with other notable artists such as VIAL, Evan Greer, and the Hirs Collective. Get Better Records is a queer/trans-owned label that uplifts queer, indie, alternative, punk, and hardcore artists. It is also their first single since last August when the band released two singles: “Make U Suffer” and “Mind Over Matter  (The Rival Mob).”

The single was produced by CORPUS engineer Aidan Elias in New York City, the birthplace of East Coast hardcore. Doubt’s study of the hardcore and punk genres is a testament to their dedication to the art, as well as to their belief in themselves. 

Fans of Trapped Under Ice, Ceremony, and Trash Talk will enjoy Doubt’s new single and should keep an eye out for updates from the band on the upcoming EP, as well as the Baltimore punk scene as a whole.

Photo courtesy of the band