The term “hardcore” means a lot of different things to a lot of different people and I’m not here to discuss the purist definition or the umbrella term that it’s become in today’s society. Through the commodification and many attempts to find its place in the mainstream, people have forgotten that this genre of music is, at its core (pun intended), a much more aggressive and far more creative offshoot of punk rock and its very ethos are rooted heavily in building a community for anyone who needs it.

Body Minus Head are from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. (I’ll lie and say that’s kind of near Toronto for those of you who only know Canada from our one single city) and they play a style of hardcore that is so rare and special it can only be discussed in relative comparison to a handful of under rated legends. Not Just A Phase is honored to be debuting their third single “Reset To Factory Default.” The track we’re debuting here today showcases just a small sample of the vast spectrum of punk and hardcore influences that have shaped the glorious (and headless) body of work that is their debut album An Exercise in Self-Sufficiency. Most notably influenced by Canada’s finest metallic hardcore band Cursed, the Body Minus Head sound is as malicious as it is melodic and methodic. Every note, every feral word screamed at you, every textured dash of noise implemented, and every single aggro drum hit feels meticulously placed into what I consider to be the most eccentric metallic hardcore album of 2025 so far.

Their guitarist Kyle tells us how the origins of the band were to showcase a sound and style they feel is under represented in today’s heavy music scene: “My initial pitch while seeking players to start playing these songs with me was that I wanted to do something in the world of Cursed, His Hero is Gone and Tragedy, with a bit of the 2010’s Deathwish style stuff like Trap Them and Oathbreaker. Essentially, I felt as though the hardcore or hardcore adjacent stuff I was hearing lacked any punk. I just wasn’t hearing it anymore. It was either just ‘capital-H hardcore’ or way too riffy and metal tinged for my liking. I don’t think we fully ended up as punk as I initially set out to be sonically, but that was a give and take as I added members from way different ends of the spectrum to the band.”

“I had seen Alexandra play guitar and do backups in Basque and just admired her passion and fervor in that band and figured she’d be a good fit if she was open to just being a vocalist for a band. I thought it was only going to be one guitar for a while, but Tim convinced me Luke would be a good fit and he was bang on. I knew I needed on bass someone who knew the world I was trying to pull from and with my lack of music theory, Duff’s a great translator for the rest of the band to explain what I’m trying to get across sonically on each track having played with him for so long in Wayfarer.”

“When Alexandra got on board, she injected a bit more screamo sound than I had envisioned, Luke and Tim both have more of a metal style that I think permeates the sound while Duff and I attempt to anchor it more with a punk feel. That’s the beauty of adding these people though, they all injected a piece of themselves into these demos I had early on to create this all. We sort of ended up somewhere in the middle of all these separate influences.”

WHAT DID THE BANDS WRITING PROCESS CONSIST OF FOR THIS RECORD?

Kyle: The writing process for about 80% of the record was the same. Some of these songs I’ve had for years. When I would run into writer’s block with my other band, which is not heavy at all, I’d sort of mess around with this kind of stuff to maybe shake something loose and mix things up for that project. Eventually, after years of writing for that band I had a good amount of these songs written that I wasn’t doing anything with. I started demoing them where I’d just record myself playing drums, bass and guitar and used those to pitch a few people I wanted to play with.

I’ve known Tim, our drummer, for years so I knew it would be fun to play with him. We’d take my demos and just fill them out together with my only guidance really being I didn’t want anything to end up too technical. It’s about the progressions, the feel and the dissonance more than the technical difficulty. Luke brought the main riff in for one of the tracks which we then finished together in the room for the first time and towards the tail end of writing he and I managed to really lock down the final song together. I generally tend to work the skeletons of these songs alone but when I finally got over myself and worked with him on it, I think it made the final product much better.”

“WE JUST WANT TO PLAY HEAVY AND FAST. WE WANT AS MUCH OF THE PUNK ETHOS AND SOUND THAT WE FELL IN LOVE WITH AS KIDS WHILE PAYING HOMAGE TO THE BANDS I THINK ARE FRANKLY OVERLOOKED AND UNDERREPRESENTED IN HEAVY MUSIC TODAY.”

- KYLE, @BODYMINUSHEAD

Born with something missing Uncanny valley, flaw in the human form Gravitation towards your suit and tie All the wreckage it leaves behind

It finds home in your weakness Finds a home in your weakness

Transpose the thought To land more softly on the palate Any meaning cools off A delicate receding How long can you curb the ambition To scratch that incessant itch

Everyone eats some thing Everybody sleeps Fill the niche, fill the niche I will Kill what must be killed

“We’re all really happy with the record. Ten songs in less than twenty minutes and I think it really shines front to back as a complete record and should be listened to as such. I know in the streaming age that’s not really how most people consume music, but I think the sum here is greater than the parts when consumed that way, much like all the records that influenced it.”

SO WHATS NEXT FOR THE BAND AFTER THE ALBUM DROPS?

Kyle: “The six months it took from starting recording to finally releasing the album feels like a lifetime in this style of music so I’m already sort of thinking ahead to where I want to go next sonically because writing and recording is really where my heart is with this band.”

The album is being released on vinyl through No Funeral Records. It will drop on May 30th, 2025. The release show for the album will be July 11th in Kitchener at the Union with Cease and Wedge, alongside a few others.

ANY CLOSING WORDS FOR THE READERS?

Alexandra: “Support your friends and support your community. It is imperative that we are present for each other - both in times of need as well as those of joy. Work hard together. Celebrate together. Take up as much space as you need and allow others to do the same. Sharing our frustrations and passions and art with people who genuinely care and respect one another is a miraculous thing to bear witness to and participate in. In so many words, it is lifesaving.”

Follow Body Minus Head at the social link below to keep up to date with their upcoming album drop and plans for 2025. A limited run of /100 vinyl will be available through No Funeral Records on May 30th. If you’re feeling adventurous, the members of Body Minus Head remain very busy playing in various other bands such as Basque, Liral, Exalt, Wayfarer and Mockingbird Wish Me Luck.

Body Minus Head is Alexandra on vocals, Kyle & Luke on guitars, Duff on bass and Tim on drums.

Follow them on Instagram here : Body Minus Head

Writer : @just_reidz

Editor : @garevthistle

05/26/25

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Body Minus Head

WHAT DID THE BANDS WRITING PROCESS CONSIST OF FOR THIS RECORD?

“WE JUST WANT TO PLAY HEAVY AND FAST. WE WANT AS MUCH OF THE PUNK ETHOS AND SOUND THAT WE FELL IN LOVE WITH AS KIDS WHILE PAYING HOMAGE TO THE BANDS I THINK ARE FRANKLY OVERLOOKED AND UNDERREPRESENTED IN HEAVY MUSIC TODAY.”

- KYLE, @BODYMINUSHEAD

SO WHATS NEXT FOR THE BAND AFTER THE ALBUM DROPS?

ANY CLOSING WORDS FOR THE READERS?

Amid The Old Wounds

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NOT JUST A PHASE