Militarie Gun

Militarie Gun’s new album, God Save The Gun, starts with a confession. “I’ve been slipping up,” frontman Ian Shelton roars on “B A D I D E A.” It’s raw vulnerability tucked among distorted bass and blown-out drums, the perfect intro to one of the year’s most compelling rock records. Not just bold sonically, it’s a deeply human document of being at your worst when life should be at its best, a surreal mix of self-destruction and belief.

“I’m well aware that being this vulnerable turns my personal trauma into a marketing hook,” Shelton says. “But I’m fine with it. I started speaking about addiction as someone affected by it, and ended up struggling with it myself.” While 2023’s Life Under The Gun reflected on family trauma, God Save The Gun puts Shelton at the center. He realized just before recording that he wasn’t playing a character anymore. “When I read the lyrics, I could see they were saying, ‘you’re fucking up.’”

Despite the chaos, Shelton and his bandmates William Acuña, Kevin Kiley, Waylon Trim and David Stalsworth met the challenge of following up their acclaimed debut. The lineup solidified during extensive touring, making the group stronger. “It’s like we had a fast car and just figured out how to drive it,” Shelton says. “We wrote for three years with one goal: make a classic. The songs had to be emotional, and the music had to fully hit. Big ideas need big songs.”

To get there, the band brought in new and returning collaborators. Shelton continued working with Phillip Odom, co-wrote with James Goodson (Dazy) and Nick Panella (MSPAINT), and teamed up with producer Riley MacIntyre (Adele, The Kills). “We picked Riley because he understood what the songs were about, not just how they sounded,” Shelton says. “He’d be there before I arrived and stay after I left.”

The result is a huge-sounding record built by real people, not computers. Its emotional weight matches its sonic scope. The cover art shows Shelton as a cult leader, twisting the idea of charisma. The closing title track brings a glimpse of hope. “Your people love you, they don’t let it show, and I know you’re out of control,” Shelton howls, naming others but clearly speaking to himself. “You shouldn’t have to wait until your life is completely destroyed to try to improve it,” he says. The final line lands with clarity: “If you want to keep your life, you gotta let it go.”

——— SUPPORT ACT

Spite House (QUE)