New York, NY

Punk incinerators Show Me the Body made their major arrival with first album Body War in 2016, drawing on the elemental shape of hardcore to lash out at injustice. Then and since, the trio (currently made up of Julian Cashwan Pratt, Harlan Steed and Jack McDermott) has been a disruptor of the genre’s conventions. Shredding on banjo rather than guitar, vocalist Pratt slips occasionally from howls into rap and poetry, and elements of noise, sludge and electronic music frequently interject the trio’s punk core.

It’s not just in their music that Show Me the Body fights for space to exist and create. Partly inspired by their time spent with youth-run artist collective Letter Racer, Show Me the Body formed their own alliance, CORPUS, to unite artists in a community and connect with DIY scenes outside the five boroughs. The resulting mixtape, Corpus I (2017), saw them collaborate with acts like Princess Nokia, Moor Mother, Denzel Curry and Dedekind Cut. 

CORPUS has since grown into CORPUS Family, a more fulsome representation of Show Me the Body and their associates’ values. “It’s supposed to be something that galvanizes people to work on their own communities,” Steed told The FADER. They have worked to increase inclusion in music communities, reclaim space, build solidarity and even advocate self-defense. Their direct-action initiatives have included a coat drive for the people of Queens, coalition support for the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, the CORPUS Family Mutual Aid Fund and more.

Second album Dog Whistle took punk on a whiplash ride between minimalist metal, invocation-ritual industrial and experimentations that don’t quite have a name yet. But if you’re looking for a starting point, there are three excellent options all released in the last year: LP Trouble The Water (Pitchfork said the band “strike gold” with “daring” music in a glowing review), a remix album (perfect to get a sense for their genre-agnostic experimentalism) and Live & Loose In The USA (a primer for the  glorious chaos they bring to the stage).

While the band was supposed to make its Calgary debut at Sled Island 2020 (selected by Sudan Archives), now is an even-more vital time to encounter Show Me the Body, given their prolific-and-rewarding hot streak.