Have you been searching for a rock-forward, female fronted and, frankly, addictively catchy band? Scarlet Demore may be your answer.
A Chicago-born, rising alternative punk-rock band, Scarlet Demore have spent the last few years making waves in their local scene and beyond, touring with acts such as Beach Bunny and Vial, the Minneapolis-born all-female rock outfit, and even playing the world-famous Lollapalooza.
While Scarlet Demore’s high-energy music draws in crowds, the message behind it is making them out to be an unforgettable and generation-defining act. Lead singer and front woman, Cat, is constantly finding ways to advocate for community, impact and diversity within their local scene and beyond, along with bandmates, G. Passaro (bass), Joel Smith (guitar) and Jack Kelsey (guitar). Through continuously searching for ways to make a change with their music, whether its a fundraising show or writing songs about hard-hitting topics — like sexual assault and harassment while presenting as female on “Dead Men” — Scarlet Demore is shaping up to be a cult classic.
“All you stupid motherfuckers get the hell out my show / Maybe no don’t mean yes / I don’t know still means no” … “You should of thought of that twice when you called me a whore”
Their most recent activity has included tours across the country, almost completely booked and managed by themselves. Their DIY-outlook and fan-forward experience includes small venues, sweaty pits and inclusivity for the diverse communities Scarlet Demore makes their mark in.
Scarlet Demore’s first EP Please Stop Loving Me leaned toward more indie rock with catchy hooks on tracks like “Spiked Seltzer” or “Funky Kid” – easily defining their early days as a group. More recently, I see the group starting to lean into their punk-rock influences like Fugazi, Amyl & The Sniffers and Mannequin Pussy on their latest studio release Baby Teeth with tracks like “A/B” and “Wish You The Best” standing out as cathartic and guttural listens.
Crave sat down with Cat to talk about their next moves, upcoming tour and finding human connection in live performances.
Interview edited for length and clarity.
ANNA, CRAVE MUSIC MAGAZINE: It’s been a while since I last saw Scarlet Demore headline Lincoln Hall in Chicago. What has the past year and a half looked like for the band, both behind the scenes and creatively?
CAT, SCARLET DEMORE: We toured a lot last year. We went out with Beach Bunny in the summer, then toured the East Coast with Worry Club in the spring. When we got home, we knew we wanted to write a record, but we also realized we’d been moving nonstop without taking time to process everything we’d been through.
We decided to step back from playing shows for a while, reconnect as friends, and figure out what kind of record we wanted to make and who we wanted to make it with. When your friend group is also your band, changes in those relationships can be complicated. We wanted to give ourselves room to live our lives and see what came together organically.
For months, writing felt difficult. Then, around November, something clicked. We started writing songs, found a groove, and began to understand the shared vision we were working toward. We started recording in March, and we’ll return after this tour to finish the record. We’re still writing, too, so the release process is taking longer than we initially expected — but I think that time has been necessary.
CRAVE: Your last release, “Ticket to Heaven,” came out over a year ago. How has taking a break from releasing music changed your creative process?
CAT: I’ve always rushed things. When people finally started coming to our shows, I felt pressure to keep releasing music. I’m learning to let go of deadlines, expectations and other people’s perceptions. I want to work as hard as I can to make the music I genuinely want to make and have it sound exactly how I envision it. Rushing that process would be a disservice to me, my band, and the people listening.
CRAVE: You’ve been sharing glimpses of studio time on social media. What has been inspiring these recording sessions?
CAT: The last time we recorded was the best experience I’ve ever had in a studio. We had fun, worked really well together, and it helped me trust my bandmates more. I saw how strong our shared vision could be, and I was able to lean on them throughout the process.
CRAVE: As you head out on tour, what do you hope your future self remembers about this moment?
CAT: I think just remembering that this is the life that I wanted, and I’m doing everything that I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid. No matter the size of the tour, I love to tour, and the people who are in my band now love to tour. It really just is a good bonding experience, and it’s not really about how many tickets I’m selling or how much money I’m making, because you don’t really make money on tour often at all as is. But for me, just remembering why I like to do it, it’s just craving human connection, and that’s the whole reason I started a band. I didn’t really grow up with a big community to lean on or a big family or anything, and just having those kind of shitty, hilarious experiences, and just kind of going with the flow, and having a weird show or two, they’re not bad experiences. It’s actually exactly what I want, because it’s just another story to tell. It’s part of the whole experience.
CRAVE: Chicago’s music scene has also been affected by ICE raids and police brutality. How has that affected you and the community you came up in?
CAT: The Chicago scene I grew up in has a huge Latino community, and that culture has always been a major part of the scene. I was scared for my friends and family, and worried about kids going to shows. People were afraid to come out, and our neighborhood was hit hard.
At the same time, I saw families gathering outside Latino-owned businesses to keep watch and people doing whatever they could to protect one another. I think it made the scene stronger. People responded fearlessly, and it felt like an example of joy as a form of active resistance. It was—and still is—a frightening time, but kids kept finding ways to make sure their friends and communities could safely enjoy live music.
The next move for Scarlet Demore? Surprisingly…it’s their first ever headline tour. After years of sold out hometown shows and opening slots across the U.S. it’s time for them to take the headline slot.
Courtesy of Scarlet Demore via Facebook
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