Scrubs On Their Debut Release, Making Punk Music, And Representing Durban

Scrubs is undoubtedly one of the most exciting young bands to come out of Durban in a while. The band is capable of delivering one of the most riveting live performances one can pay to see, and their almost carefree approach to creativity serves as a breath of fresh air in a world full of musicians chasing perfection. We had a chat with the hardcore punk outfit and further unearthed a gem worthy of your time and playlist placement upon the release of their upcoming debut offering, Diary of a Madman.

How The Band Started

Scrubs is a band consisting of Mitch, Kai, and Ben, a trio of young musicians from Durban sharing a strong musical bond. According to them, the band experienced numerous chops and changes before morphing into the ultimate punk machine.

Kai says, ‘Ben and I just started jamming, and we had a friend who played drums, so I was like, let’s form a band, but we needed a bassist, so I nagged Ben to get a bass, and it happened. Then our drummer, James, dipped into England.’

Ben follows up, ‘We got another drummer after James left, and I think he only came to two out of the twenty practices we tried to have. We had to let him go, and a year after that, I messaged one of my friends, saying Kai and I are trying to get the band going; do you know any good drummers that live near us? He happened to say, Yeah, I know a guy; his name is Mitch; here’s his Instagram. Within 10 minutes, I DM Mitch, invite him to my place, and he says sure, I’ll pull through. The first song that we all played together just clicked, and we realised this is the band and this is what it’s going to be, and since then it has just worked out.’

Making Punk Music

Scrubs initially played indie-type music as a result of being influenced by the music they were listening to at the time, a sound which was abruptly ended by their hunger to kick things up a notch and embrace the carefree energy emitted by 80s classic hardcore bands like Black Flag and Minor Threat.

Ben says, ‘Going from a Mazzy Star cover to playing a Black Flag or a Bad Brains cover felt right for the band because Kai and I wanted something heavier and more energetic in a way. So we could just go on stage if we ever got a chance and then just go bat-sh*t crazy for the crowd and not care what anyone thinks. The whole punk movement is like, You don’t give two sh*ts what people think; you do whatever the f*ck you want to do; nothing is going to stop you; punk is punk.’

Balancing Scrubs And Academics

With Kai currently studying, Ben fresh out of one of the most brutal high schools in KZN, and Mitch still in grade 11, finding a constant balance between prioritising the band and academics is an experience that is proving to be rather fruitful for the boys.

Mitch says, ‘It’s interesting going into all these things because I do a lot in school and I’m also in the church band as well. I’m also in the choir, and then there’s scrubs, and it’s all such different genres from each other, and then I also have to focus on academics and sports, so it’s weird, but I manage to find time for scrubs, and it’s so sick being able to practice on the weekends.’

Debut Release

Scrubs is currently in studio recording their debut album consisting of seven or eight songs. They have been recording since January 2023 and have been trying to get it out, but have encountered some challenges.

Ben says, ‘The record label we were with wasn’t really supporting us because they were more into reggae and indie kind of stuff, more calm music that would make them money, so they really lost interest in us. For the past two months, we’ve just been going to Kai’s house and recording everything, maybe going to a studio once or twice to get things down super tight. We’ve been trying to release something for quite a while now, but we’re happy to say by the 15th of September our first single will be released, which we are really happy about because we’ve mixed and mastered it really well.’

Representing Durban

Successfully breaking out in the South African music scene is difficult, but when it comes to Durban specifically, some would say you’re practically playing the game on hardcore difficulty. Scrubs air out some of their concerns, observations, and aims in relation to Durban.

Ben says, ‘As a punk band releasing stuff in Durban, we’re really worried about whether we’ll get the traction or the popularity we think we’re going to get with what we’re releasing. I think in the 2010s, the only big bands that really came out of Durban were obviously Mouse, Black Math, Thorns of Ivory, and Your Cynical Sanity. The other day I was listening to a metal playlist on Apple Music, and out of nowhere a YCS song came up right after an American band that was really well known, and I was surprised that a Durban band was on this massive metal playlist with over 100k downloads. So we’re just trying to keep that Durban sound going and trying to keep it 031 straight because no one’s better than the 031, and I think we can agree with that.’

Conclusion

There should be no doubt by now that Scrubs really are a band to keep on your radar, especially if you’re looking for something refreshing that hasn’t really been on offer in South Africa. It’s a group of passionate young musicians that are just keen to play a show near you and serve some of the best punk music you’ll ever hear on a streaming platform of your choice. Pre-save their upcoming single, Diary of a Madman, here and keep it locked on their socials for future updates.