Sitting between hardcore, punk, and post-hardcore, Baltimore’s Tripper are building a reputation for songs that wrestle with difficult emotions through sound that is both punishing and cathartic. Their new single “Puppet” dives into the heavy subject of dissociation, carried by vocalist Nic Ledford’s raw delivery. “The track focuses on heavy themes of dissociation and not feeling in control of my body or my mind,” Nic shares. The song surges forward with thick riffs and crashing drums, creating a space where internal chaos becomes something physical and loud.
Hardcore has long been a genre about channeling struggle into community, but it has often been dominated by male voices. In recent years, the rise of female and nonbinary front people has pushed the sound into new territory, challenging the idea of who gets to scream, rage, and lead the charge. Nic’s presence in Tripper underscores how vital this shift is—bringing fresh perspectives into a style that for too long has been a boys’ club. When a song like “Puppet” speaks to losing control of body and mind, it resonates differently coming from a voice that cuts against the genre’s old stereotypes.
Tripper’s punk-leaning hardcore style lands with the same immediacy that made bands like Punch, Gouge Away, and Scowl so vital to the scene. There’s a jagged, restless quality to “Puppet” that feels closer to the tradition of hardcore as protest, yet their noisy edges also hint at something more experimental. Where some bands in the genre lean on sheer volume alone, Tripper add nuance, balancing chaos with intent. That balance puts them in conversation with the best of today’s female-led hardcore acts, carving out a place where intensity doesn’t erase vulnerability, and where vulnerability itself becomes another form of strength.
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