Tobias Osland and Ferdinand Aasheim first cut their teeth together as pre-teens, playing pop-punk and hanging out at a skatepark in their hometown an hour outside Oslo. They drifted in and out of other projects before eventually meeting Benjamin Thomassen through the local music scene. Just before lockdown, and now in their twenties, the three moved in together and spent their time in isolation carefully crafting their vision for Hammok.

While live shows are usually paramount for bands in heavy music, Hammok didn’t have the option to perform in public. They learned how to be a band together through writing and recording, which brought a new sense of adventurousness to their music. “You begin to think in layers and production, instead of breakdowns that will make people mosh and go crazy,” Osland explains.

Kicking off with glitchy guitars on opener “The Scene” and enough energy to drag you into Hammok’s world from the get-go, it’s a fierce introduction packed with gritty vocals, rock-solid drums and enough cheeky twists and turns to reward repeat listens. The vivacious energy of hardcore and experimental textures fully blossoms here, placing them at the vanguard of forward-thinking punk. The album ranges from tongue-in-cheek ragers to tracks that blend caustic tones with a love of emo and indie. This is a record that’s equal parts scream-along, cathartic and infectious.

“Semi Automatic Machines” has an air of Refused, Adebisi Shank and The Armed. It’s a madhouse of a song, and its depth really does make you want to climb inside your own head and dance around like a fucking maniac. The screams are ferocious, and there are moments that feel like the musical equivalent of a car crash.

“Gooning For Free” carries on the raw aggression in short form, with bombastic drums, pulsing bass and wailing guitars providing the backdrop to Osland’s pit of despair. That energy carries over into the hyper-aggressive assault that follows before “Bang” arrives with a swagger you’d expect from Coilguns and Ho99o9. It’s a relentless beast that continues to beat you into submission before finally letting you go, only for “Groundbreaker” to come crashing in with its explosive hardcore stylings.

Hammok have absolutely nailed their aggression, and this album is already a shoo-in for plenty of Album of the Year conversations. “Tap Water” arrives like a smacked-up Arctic Monkeys, full of swagger and groove. The vocals are gruff but endearing, carrying you into a more hardcore-leaning passage that further cements the band’s vision for the record. Meanwhile, “CND” arrives wonky and off-kilter, armed with hard-hitting sub-bass and jagged guitars. This is not one for the faint-hearted, pummelling away and leaving a trail of anxiety in its wake while somehow still making you want to punch the air.

“When The Kids Are Too Old To Cause A Scene” is an absolute rager condensed into 1:45 and, by this point, they’ve completely won me over. “Confidence Of A Beaten Horse” shakes things up again and keeps the album feeling fresh and engaging, even with the alarms sounding towards the end. Closer “For My Friends” finishes things on a high as the band blast through with even more energy and weirdness, making this an album you simply cannot ignore.

Hammok balance poignancy with their trademark slyness and humour. True to its title, When Does This Place Become Our Scene grapples with existing within hardcore’s lineage and social politics, while also exploring broader ideas surrounding coming of age in the era of the internet and social media. For Hammok, the twists and turns cohere into a journey – a process of reaching further for connection.