For The Hazards, No Turning Back describes where the band finds itself after years of writing, recording, performing and figuring out exactly what they want their music to sound like. We caught up with the band a second time, and this was a full circle moment as The Hazards were our first Band Spotlight feature. Keep reading or watch the interview to learn about what went into making No Turning Back.
Featuring JackL on guitar and vocals, Jeff on bass, Dro on guitar/vocals, and Carlos on drums, The Hazards return with No Turning Back, a nine-track album shaped by time, experimentation and the band’s evolution together. The new album hits. Period.
Watch the full interview below:
The record arrives after what the band describes as its longest recording process yet. Some of its material dates back to 2021, giving the songs years to evolve before reaching their final versions.
That extra time ultimately became part of what defines the album.
Rather than settling for the first version that sounded good enough, The Hazards repeatedly revisited songs, added layers and even re-recorded performances as their playing improved. Knowing when a song was actually finished became one of the biggest challenges.
“We’d go back and record the same song like 50 times,” the band joked during our chat.
That persistence also marks a shift from their previous album, Modern Medication. Where that record embraced a raw, garage-style approach with much of the band playing live, No Turning Back gave them room to experiment with overdubs, layered guitars and vocals, effects and different recording techniques.
The band summed up the difference simply: time and experience.
Finding The Hazards’ Sound
Ask The Hazards where you’d find No Turning Back in a record store and even they have trouble putting themselves into one box.
Underground punk is the obvious starting point, but the album reaches beyond straight punk with elements of alternative, hard rock and indie music woven throughout.
“Alternative is the perfect umbrella,” the band explained before suggesting you’d probably still find them somewhere in Amoeba’s underground section.
Or, according to the rest of the band, the bargain bin.
“The discount section.”
“Bargain bin.”
“We’re on layaway.”
The jokes come quickly when they’re together, but underneath them is a band increasingly comfortable with letting its influences coexist instead of trying to fit into a single genre.
From an Acoustic Guitar to “Punk Shit”
One of the album’s most energetic tracks, “Punk Shit,” started unexpectedly on an acoustic guitar.
Dro had been sitting on its opening riff before bringing it into a jam with Jeff and Carlos.
“If it sounds heavy on acoustic, I think it’ll sound heavy on electric,” he recalled.
As the three developed the song, its chorus began taking on a Black Flag-inspired feel. When there was talk of changing it, the response from the band was essentially: absolutely not.
Once JackL added his vocals, the track found another gear. The band describes his delivery as direct and in-your-face, fitting a song they now love using to energize a live crowd.
It’s also an example of the collaborative process behind No Turning Back. While ideas might originate with one member, the band says everyone had input into what the songs eventually became.
Songs Years in the Making
Several tracks on No Turning Back existed in some form long before the album was completed.
“Graves,” the album’s first single, was nearly left behind altogether. The band had jammed on the song before temporarily forgetting about it until they rediscovered the idea and realized it deserved to be recorded. It was eventually expanded, released as a single and given its own music video.
“Cherry’s Kiss” also has a long history. Its opening riff dates back to around 2022, and the band sees the finished song as one of the clearest examples of the line they walk between punk and alternative music.
Other favorites include “Punk Shit,” album closer “No Other Way” and the re-recorded “Mexican Standoff.”
Picking favorites, however, proved considerably easier than remembering what they’d actually named some of the songs.
Many existed under working titles right up until the album was being uploaded, leaving the band occasionally referring to tracks by names that no longer technically exist.
Maybe remembering titles is overrated anyway.
“We just like playing these songs.”
Recording From Long Beach to San Pedro
Recording No Turning Back began with Zach of Cosmic Kitten in the band’s Long Beach, CA practice space, where recording equipment had been set up for the project.
Partway through the process, the setup moved to a new space in San Pedro, where The Hazards continued and ultimately finished the record.
Schedules helped stretch the process considerably. The members of The Hazards balance the band with full-time jobs and their lives outside music, while Cosmic Kitten also toured during the recording period.
Deadlines came and went.
Yet the delays had an unexpected upside. With more time between sessions, the members could return to recordings with fresh ears and, sometimes, improved musicianship. Parts that had once seemed finished suddenly became opportunities to do something better.
Instead of viewing that time solely as a setback, the band ultimately sees it as part of what allowed No Turning Back to become the album it is.
No Going Home, No Turning Back
The album’s title comes directly from its title track and the line:
“No going home, no turning back.”
It quickly became something bigger than a lyric.
For The Hazards, the phrase reflects where they are as a band after the work, frustration, experimentation and years that went into making the record.
No matter what happens, they keep moving forward.
Even when the repetition of being musicians begins to wear on them, something inevitably happens that pulls them back in: a new opportunity, a new song, a show or simply missing music when they’ve been away from it.
As the band put it, they’re already in too deep.
There really is no turning back.
Defining Success
That attitude also shapes how The Hazards define success for the album.
They’re deliberately hesitant to attach a number of streams, views or other benchmark to whether No Turning Back succeeds.
Once the record is out, listeners can decide how they feel about it. The band already knows how they feel.
They love these songs.
For them, success is being able to continue creating without constantly worrying about how well the music is performing. If people discover the record and connect with it along the way, even better.
The long process also brought the members closer together, both creatively and personally. Years of writing, recording, playing shows and traveling together have made the finished album something all four members can claim as their own.
Beyond Streaming
No Turning Back may not remain a digital-only release.
The Hazards say they want to produce physical copies of the album and have specifically discussed pressing it on vinyl.
For a band rooted in the local DIY scene, there’s still something meaningful about listeners being able to physically own the music rather than simply finding it in a streaming library.
For now, though, No Turning Back is out and ready to be heard.
After years of unfinished songs, re-recordings, changing titles, missed deadlines and the occasional studio vending machine stealing their money, The Hazards finally have the record they’ve been working toward.
Nine songs later, the title feels pretty damn appropriate.
There is no turning back.
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Concert lovers turned creators. Highlighting creators, bands, stories, sounds, and places you need to know.
Disarray Magazine is an independent media platform established in 2009, spotlighting rap, R&B, punk, hardcore, alternative culture, live music, food, nightlife, and the chaos in between. Created by journalist Christy Buena, C² exists to document the bands, people, and moments shaping the scene.
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