Militarie Gun : God Save the Gun
The line between admitting that things have “not been great” and threatening to “murder” yourself out of exhaustion is at once vast and desperately thin. That fact that Militarie Gun frontman Ian Shelton is able to extract an entire album’s worth of material walking that line is both a testament and a threat. “How are you gonna say sorry to the person who discovers your body, after all you just murdered their friend,” sings Shelton on the reassuringly titled “I Won’t Murder Your Friend.” This is just a taste for what Militarie Gun has in store for God Save the Gun, their second proper studio album and follow-up to their 2023 breakout Life Under the Gun, a record that tracks despair, confusion and subtle progress in loud, chaotic detail.
There were a lot of reasons Life Under The Gun hit so hard back in 2023, but the heart of Militarie Gun lies with Shelton’s ability to blend throttling noise and energy with the kind of genuine pop sensibilities that are often resisted by bands of their ilk. What’s perhaps most impressive is that this approach never once feels calculated or cloying, even as their massive hardcore punk hooks make their way into Taco Bell commercials. This is fact directly tied to the bare-metal charm of Shelton’s feral id, a heart that drips steadily from its place on his sleeve. All of this remains as present as ever on God Save The Gun, whether it’s in the flailing limbs of “B A D I D E A,” the coiled energy of “Kick,” or the tightening vise grip of desperation on “Throw Me Away.”
“I wouldn’t wish me on anyone” Shelton sings on the latter, in one of the most electric moments on the record. It’s self-loathing, sure, and it’s not the only example, but it’s also pissy, brash and confident in a way that never makes this overly indulgent. Shelton has talked a lot about how his personal life has affected God Save The Gun. Though he is resistant to the idea of turning “personal trauma into a marketing hook,” he’s talked in press materials about losing control and tumbling into the sort of addictive behaviors that have been a part of his life for as long as he can remember. “I’ve been drunk every day for a month, I learned from you and Mom,” he sings on the shockingly gentle “Daydream.” It’s a slide that is readily apparent on the album, and seemingly not something Shelton was worried about staring directly at. “God Owes Me Money” may sound like a cheeky bit of fist-shaking anger, but is Shelton’s genuine attempt to balance the till with a universe, begging to know what he might be owed for his suffering. “Don’t know why I was left outside,” sings Shelton of a childhood spent in turmoil. “Things you’ll never remember, I’ll never get to forget.”
This narrative arc of destruction, both self- and otherwise, is a perfect foil to the pure, visceral catharsis that drives Militarie Gun’s best work. You don’t need to follow Shelton as he delves into personal trauma to enjoy the call-and-response vocals, pummeling drums, and deep well of muscular riffs, but it sure doesn’t hurt. To Shelton’s credit, God Save The Gun is never one-note, even as cyclical behavior serves as a driving force. “I thought you were waving, turns out you were drowning, really wish I could read your mind,” he sings on God Save The Gun’s penultimate track, acknowledging, even as he struggles to keep his head above the waves, just how crowded water has become.
Label: Loma Vista
Year: 2025
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Militarie Gun : God Save the Gun
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