DESTROY BOYS Share New Single 'Shadow (I'm Breaking Down)'

Destroy Boys have dropped a new single, “Shadow (I’m Breaking Down),” via Hopeless Records.  Once again working with Carlos de la Garza (Bad Religion, Paramore, The Linda Lindas), the new single exemplifies the trio’s penchant for mixing their high-energy and raw sound with their honest and unapologetic lyrics.

They share, “‘Shadow (I’m Breaking Down)’ is about compassionately confronting the parts of yourself that you don’t like, or do like but might be toxic. It’s an introspective piece, taking notes from various spiritual beliefs and psychological research.”  

Destroy Boys kicked off their 2023 touring schedule with a slot at Coachella in April.  And on the heels of supporting Blink 182 and Turnstile for a 2-week run, the band are taking their show to New York City’s Irving Plaza tomorrow night (July 14) where they will headline their own mini festival, DestroyFest ("a new traveling festival with some of our favorite bands"). Destroy Boys bring the festival to The Metro in Chicago on July 22. 

In addition they are headlining a run of dates with Gully Boys & Jigsaw Youth before heading to the UK and Europe next month.  Destroy Boys are also scheduled to play Salt Lake City’s Mind the Gap Festival on August 26 and Bumbershoot in Seattle on September 2. Tickets are on-sale here and all dates are listed below.  

“Shadow (I’m Breaking Down)” is the follow up to “Beg For the Torture” which the band released earlier this year.  Punk Rock might have been the force that brought Destroy Boys together but it’s far from the only touchstone for their music.

From their first record through the present, they have continued to write and sing about what they know. School drama and elitist cliques encountered in their teens have given way to the pain of relationships and the inherent feelings of misunderstanding and isolation that is all too common for young people navigating a hybrid of real and digital worlds.

Started in 2015 by Sacramento teens Alexia Roditis and Violet Mayugba while they were still in high-school, initially the band released several home recordings as their lineup evolved. Destroy Boys' first proper record, Sorry Mom remains a classic for the band’s fans, having spawned their underground hit “I Threw Glass At My Friend’s Eyes and Now I’m On Probation.” The follow up record, Make Room was tracked in just 4 days and yielded favorites such as “Crybaby” and “Duck Eat Duck World” (later featured on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater soundtrack).

Adding drummer Narsai Malik to the fold in 2018, Destroy Boys began to tour in earnest, venturing as far as the UK, opening for numerous up-and-coming indie bands. As their own songs took off on Spotify and Tik Tok they signed with LA Punk/Emo label Hopeless Records in 2020. Working with Philly producer Will Yip (Turnstile, Braid) their first Hopeless release was the snarling, one minute ripper, “Muzzle.”  

The eventual LP Open Mouth, Open Heart, released in late 2021 chronicled a band dealing with familiar pandemic-frustration and the rise of online gossip and bullying, and they dealt with these head on with songs ranging from “Escape” to “Locker Room Bully.”

Watch this space for more music and news from Destroy Boys.

Destroy Boys tour dates

7/14 - Irving Plaza - New York, NY  +

7/15 -  Black Cat - Washington, DC   #

7/16 - Preserving Underground -  Pittsburgh, PA #

7/18 - The Rec Room - Buffalo, NY #

7/19  - Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH #

7/21 - El Club -  Detroit, MI #

7/22  - Metro - Chicago, IL +

8/8 - Proxima - Warsaw, Poland 

8/10 - Sziget Festival - Budapest, Hungary 

8/12 - Open Flair Festival - Eschwege, Germany 

8/13 - Taubertal Festival - Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber, Germany 

8/14 - Fluc - Vienna, Austria 

8/16 - Junkyard - Dortmund, Germany 

8/17 - Lux Club - Hannover, Germany 

8/18 - Paradiso - Amsterdam, Netherlands 

8/20 - Pukkelpop Festival - Hasselt, Belgium 

8/21 - Rescue Rooms - Nottingham, UK 

8/22 - The Fleece - Bristol, UK 

8/23 - CHALK - Brighton, UK 

8/26 - Mind The Gap Festival - Salt Lake City, UT 

9/2 - Bumbershoot - Seattle, WA 

9/24 - House of Blues - Anaheim, CA (Frank Turner’s Lost Evenings) 

10/15 - Lunario Del Auditorio Nacional - Mexico City, Mexico

+ destroyfest

#with gully boys & jigsaw youth 

^ with die spitz

Photo by Ambar Navarro

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