Vents MagaZine Music and Entertainment Magazine
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1. Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
Good! 2026 has treated us well. We wrapped up a spring East Coast run with Screeching Weasel, finished recording our new album in Detroit and Los Angeles, and have really been enjoying sharing the new singles (“Jewel Case” and “Cringeworthy”) with the world. “Crash” is a song we’ve been looking forward to covering for a while, so it’s been a satisfying and productive time for sure.
2. What was it about the original that made you want to give it the full Hayley and the Crushers treatment?
If you read the emails back and forth with our producer, John Miller, in L.A., you’d see us asking for “more guitar!” again and again. It’s a little like that SNL sketch where Christopher Walken keeps asking for “more cowbell.” We kept asking for guitar until it felt like us. What we love about the original is that it’s airy and ethereal, with a detached punk attitude, but we felt it had the potential to be a little snottier and a little more in your face. We’re no strangers to the shimmery stuff either, but we wanted this one to have a real punch.
3. What do you look for in an ’80s-era song before deciding that it belongs in the Crushers’ glitter-punk universe?
Punk and pop from the late ’70s and the ’80s offer up an embarrassment of riches! I love how the ’80s took ’50s and ’60s music and filtered it into something new and exciting that wasn’t afraid of a little camp and a little sheen. There’s an audaciousness to all those pop hooks and the blatant worship of pop melodies. In the ’90s, people shied away from admitting they wanted to write hooks; it became more about “I’m an artist.” We’ve always shamelessly gone straight for the earworms, and we celebrate great melodies in the covers we choose. The world is a messed-up place. We need all the ear candy we can get.
4. How did the concept for the video come together, and at what point did things start getting gloriously out of hand?
As usual, we took our iPhones out for a spin and filmed over two days around Detroit. We always just use whatever we have around us, and this time we loved the idea of taking “Crash” into literal territory. What if Hayley was driving the van and picking up hitchhikers who turned into bandmates? I’d like to say there was a lot of thought behind it, but when you watch the video, which we shot and edited ourselves, you can see we’re really just having fun. From the gas station to Dr. Cain having his Weekend at Bernie’s moment, it’s all for a laugh.
5. Do you enjoy that tension between bubblegum catchiness and punk-rock chaos, and how much does that contrast shape your songwriting?
Of course! In some ways, it comes down to our DNA. I started the band as a throwback girl-group kind of thing, and when the girls abandoned ship, Dr. Cain swooped in and added more of that chaotic energy and those fuzzy bass sounds. There’s always been this push and pull between sweet and mean, sugar and spice, dark and light. That’s what we love about bands like Ramones and the Go-Go’s. They could do both.
6. What does “glitter punk” mean to you beyond the obvious aesthetic, and when did you realize it had become an identity?
I mean, we’ve called ourselves “poolside glitter trash” since the beginning. We’re what’s left after a great pool party, all that glitter and junk that sinks to the bottom of the pool. It’s in the chaos, the fun, and the spontaneity. “Glitter punk” is just a more palatable way of saying that, though sometimes I wonder if people think we’re a glam/glitter rock band, like New York Dolls or T-Rex! “Glitter” as a genre does exist, but I rarely see bands flying that flag, so hopefully nobody minds us co-opting it a little.
7. When you’re choosing or reworking a cover, is creating that kind of immediate, visual feeling part of what attracts you to a song?
Not at all, or at least not consciously. I think we just end up making things feel colorful and visual, and then you can’t see or hear them any other way. Or maybe it’s just magic!
8. How do these songs fit together as a preview of where Hayley and the Crushers are heading?
Honestly, I don’t know, and that’s the fun of it. There are so many pop, punk, rock, and power-pop references on this record that it’s turning into a sort of mosaic, like we smashed every genre against the wall and then taped it all back together. It’s our own special Frankenstein of the pop and punk that make us the band we are. It’ll be a Crushers record, and I can’t really say much more than that right now.
9. Is there a particular song or artist from the ’80s that you’ve always wanted to tackle but haven’t found the right opportunity for yet?
I’d love to do a Blondie or Pat Benatar song, but I’d love to get the guys’ thoughts on this question. Our lead guitarist loves ’80s action-movie music and will casually put on the Top Gun soundtrack to get psyched for a show. Dr. Cain loves country music, and our drummer, Stacy, loves metal. So I think there are probably a lot of unexpected gems waiting to be uncovered!
10. How does this material expand or change the Crushers’ sound compared with what you’ve released previously?
I think we play with pop, and especially power pop, in a way we only poked at on our pandemic album, Modern Adult Kicks. That said, there’s more of a carefree vibe to it all this time around. And we also have straight-up energetic rock songs like “Jewel Case” on there, to keep it loose. We’re dedicated to these new songs, but not to the point of micromanaging the final vision for the album. It will be a fun surprise for all of us to consider where we are once it’s all said and done.
11. What do you hope people take away from the song and video?
You only live once (YOLO!) Drive it like you stole it. And try not to crash into any unsuspecting onlookers!
