Words by Willa Rudolph / Header image by Anthony Inguil
Today, on All Hallows Eve, noise-punk band SECRET is releasing their debut album, Weapon of Choice.
SECRET is Leo Haas (bass, vocals) (she/her), Aadil Mufti (guitar) (he/him), Yas Saito (drums) (they/them), and features Jared Alvarez (drums, mixing, mastering) (he/him). Their 8-track record is an amalgamation of noise, punk, moodiness, and playfulness, culminating in a journey of thrashing guitars, fast paced drums, rousing vocals, and heartrate-increasing bass lines. “One of the big ideas driving Weapon of Choice is a series of short-stories…storybook and fantasy elements are a large part of the identity I’ve worked to curate for SECRET,” lead singer Leo Haas tells The Deli.
The first three tracks, “Some Girls,” “Go-Getter,” and “Take Another” are “more fun and playful,” says Leo. “The video we’re doing for ‘Go-Getter’ (out November 12th) is leaning into the playful mood, for sure. It’s going to have everyone in go-karts.”
In the spirit of punk, the songs are mostly around 1 minute long. Little spurts of fury and lo-fi spunk. Leo made it of the utmost importance to create a world surrounding Weapon of Choice, in “the daydreamy-punk and noise sound, the song concepts, the sticker sheet, album cover, and individual song promotion [on] tracks like ‘Igor,’ ‘Personal Vendetta,’ and ‘Application #4003’…”
As we delve into the latter half of the album, Track #4, “Igor,” takes us into a little bit of a more moody realm. We sense less playfulness and more aggression. “I see [the album] as more of a collection of short stories than an overarching story. That being said, I hope for it to convey an overall sense of escapism–the way you want to open up a book and go someplace to forget about things,” says Leo. Even though the songs are short stories, there are common themes throughout: “I’d say revenge and indulgence,” Haas explains. “Revenge occurs in it in the form of murder and intimidation, and indulgence appears through giving into desire and vices. The two together appear in the form of getting satisfaction and control.”
Track #5, “Personal Vendetta,” is one of my personal favorites. It’s so sassy and badass. Revenge is a prevalent theme throughout, particularly on this track. In the sticker sheet, you can see that storybook themes of medieval battle, bats, creatures, castles, and weapons like maces, swords, and axes all fit into the world that is Weapon of Choice. Fun fact, the word “secret” entered the English language during medieval times! The songs perfectly fit into this world that SECRET has created.
“SECRET just had its two-year anniversary, and I think the oldest track is ‘Take Another’. It’s pretty simple and short, but in your face. I actually thought about not including it, but Aadil pushed me to and said it’s one of his favorites,” Leo confesses. I’m so glad they did include it, because that’s my other favorite one! “I like to bring the basic idea [of a song] into practice with the other members, whether it’s a main riff, song concept, or barebones structure. Then we can flesh it out all together, which I think makes for a stronger creative process. With the lineup SECRET has now, I’m really looking forward to delving into a new phase of songwriting and creative work.”
Track #7 “Application #4003” “has a playful cadence with more of a dark undertone…that one is definitely about giving into desire,” Haas explains. “The inspiration for that came from folk tales about blues musicians making deals with the Devil. Only in this, it’s from the Devil’s perspective.”
The final track, “Sharpshooter” is one of Leo’s favorites. It features punk band Gun, which we’ve covered a few times here in The Deli. “I remember thinking of the hook right before I went to sleep and then getting out of bed to write the bass line,” she recalls. It begins with a bouncy drum beat before it devolves into grungy and dark bass, followed by guitar that mirrors it.
The “Go-Getter” music video, coming November 12th, is light-hearted and fun, and features members from Gun, as well. Nicole Zambrano directed it and helped Leo execute the vision she had, as well as infusing her own taste to it.
Weapon of Choice by SECRET accomplishes what they set out to do: create punky vignettes that form and exist in another world–one where you can escape and hang out for some time, ideating on plots of revenge, of taking what it is you desire, and having a raucous good time along the way.