At this very moment, few bands in hardcore and metalcore are being hyped as much as Knocked Loose. Having gone from a solid local act to headlining and support juggernaut in just a 5-year span is very impressive no matter what their genre is, and given that it’s harder than ever for bands to create a sustainable income and hype for themselves, what KL have done is even more astounding. They’re now a band that even gets big-time slotting on major festivals, too.
Billboard is blue. pic.twitter.com/Rd5ZW8v2aL
— Knocked Loose (@knockedloose) September 3, 2019
How did they achieve their notable accolades on the notoriously difficult sophomore record, though? Hitting #26 on the Billboard Top 200 is not an easy thing to do. A Different Shade Of Blue is certainly a musical success, with collabs w/ETID’s Keith Buckley and the vicious breakdowns on “In The Walls” being particular highlights. However, the (relative) fame of Knocked Loose, who are now selling out 1000+ capacity venues on tour, certainly didn’t come overnight.
Even before their current success, Knocked Loose have always been about working hard for what they have, building community around their energetic brand of heavy music, and touring with just about anyone. Owing to their diverse fanbase, some of the band’s earliest tours and festivals were with everyone from Vice to State Champs, Counterparts to On Broken Wings, and many more that we’re not mentioning here.
It’s important to call attention to the initial release of their song “Mistakes Like Fractures” earlier this year. The single, which was released earlier this year before ADSOB was announced as an album release, also features a cover of The Warriors, as well as a remastered version of their early-career fan favorite track “All My Friends”. This is notably important because one, the band’s new single built up even more hype for them earlier in 2019. Two, pulling off a solid cover of The Warriors, one of the most respected and underrated bands in hardcore, paid tribute to their influences while also introducing their fanbase to an important part of their foundation. Three, their remastered version of “All My Friends” introduced a fresh coat of paint to a fan-favorite track. Like the kids say these days, that’s a big-time power move.
A Different Shade Of Bernie https://t.co/iviVZxzMVi
— Knocked Loose (@knockedloose) August 25, 2019
Proudly representing Louisville, Kentucky (seriously, did you saw the band had a huge billboard in the state?), Knocked Loose’s success isn’t a fluke of any sort. By putting out high-quality heavy music that brings seemingly disparate fanbases together, working hard, and touring with bands that might not be “cool” to tour with, Knocked Loose are doing things by their rules, their way. That’s a formula for success, and the best is yet to come.
