The HIRS Collective are bringing the spirit of collaboration back to punk rock

Punk rock has always been rooted in collaboration. 

From split seven-inch singles to shared stages and loaned equipment, it’s a genre that thrives on the collective effort of its community, and few artists have embraced that spirit more than the HIRS Collective. 

First formed by collective members Jenna and Scott over a decade ago under the name HIRS, what started out as a DIY grindcore project releasing multiple 100-song albums has grown into a project underpinned by an ethos of de-individualization. On 2018’s Friends. Lovers. Favorites, the spirit of the Collective was fully realized, featuring guest vocals from Laura Jane Grace, Garbage’s Shirley Manson, and former G.L.O.S.S. frontperson Sadie Switchblade, among others. Since then, the HIRS Collective have become a hub of collaboration for notable punk collaborators united by one clear vision — to defend the survival of trans and queer outcasts.

Read more: 11 LGBTQ+ artists pick their favorite queer icons

First using the term “collective” to describe their project on a 2015 split release with Boston DIY punk band Peeple Watchin’, the collaborative spirit of the Collective started when the duo invited a group of friends to contribute vocals after a recent surgery left Jenna unable to scream.

“By opening things up, you get such a radically weird output. I’ve never listened to one of our songs for the first time and completely predicted what was going to happen. Usually, the song is completely different and beautiful, and it changes everything,” she starts. 

[Photo by The Tinfoil Biter]

Known for their distinct abrasive blend of grindcore, powerviolence, and hardcore, on their latest album We’re Still Here, the Collective have opened their doors to 35 different musicians and vocalists, each adding their own penmanship and flair across 17 tracks. 

From My Chemical Romance’s Frank Iero to Anthony Green and Anti-Flag’s Chris #2, the Collective’s pursuit of expansive collaboration has allowed them to find recruits in every corner of the punk world while remaining entirely self-managed and self-produced. By prioritizing the love of creation over any desire for public acknowledgment, with no application forms to fill in, no vetting process, and no fancy cards you need to flash on the door, the HIRS Collective are cultivating a boundaryless sense of community.

“HIRS are such a unifying band among the freaks. I even met people who have seen and hosted them on a recent trip to Alaska, of all places. I can’t say that about many other artists,” Screaming Females’ vocalist Marissa Paternoster says.

It’s a sentiment echoed by Thursday’s Geoff Rickly, who was initiated into the Collective on their latest album, collaborating on the explosive “So, Anyway…” with Kayla Phillips, vocalist of Nashville grindcore band Bleed the Pigs.

“They’re one of the fiercest, most vital bands in heavy music today,” he adds. “When Jenna approached me and explained the project and the radically collaborative nature of the contributions, I knew I wanted to be involved. Getting to be on a track with Kayla Phillips made the whole thing even more enticing. Her approach left me speechless. That is how to scream.”

Run on the simple philosophy of “If you want to be a member, you can be,” the HIRS Collective have become home to a union of the scene’s most forward-thinking creative minds — each dedicated to amplifying its messages far and wide. 

Affectionately dubbed “the Hot Topic sampler” by Jenna due to it featuring many names that punk fans have grown up alongside, We’re Still Here showcases the wealth of connections the Collective now have at their disposal. Welcoming old friends, new friends, and utilizing the network of their members to capitalize on any “one degree of separation” moments, they’re shaping a scene entirely of their own creation — and if you want in? Just say so.

“Someone said to me, ‘I wish I could be a part of the collective,’ and that’s all you have to do,” Jenna smiles. “We needed someone to scream ‘no’ at one point on the record, so I said, ‘Even if you just yell it into a Voice Memo, send it to us and you’re on the record.’ Being able to offer something that feels so empowering is incredible.”

Alongside uniting musicians, friends, and fans within the punk sphere, the Collective have become known for their visceral live shows. Moving beyond the bravado and tough guy mentalities that can dominate circles of the hardcore scene, by serving up dance breaks in between songs and bringing surfboards to shows, they’re providing what Jenna refers to as “chaotic good for the people.”

With no ownership or entitlement binding the Collective — with Jenna and Scott only recently relinquishing anonymity as founders — everything that they create belongs to the community they are cultivating. Driven by a radical drive for inclusion, this unconventional approach has allowed Jenna and Scott to transcend beyond their role as musicians and connect with everyone who comes into their world.

[Photo by The Tinfoil Biter]

“I hope that the HIRS Collective aren’t just alive when the music is happening, and every time I think of our vision I think back to a show where a couple of our trans friends asked if they could sing a song with us,” Jenna recalls.

Bringing a second microphone onstage for their set, each new song saw a different face hopping up and taking turns fronting the Collective for a few minutes as Jenna looked on.

“I barely had to sing at all, so I ended up climbing the rafters with my long mic cord and watching the events happen. I got to watch our own band play with a bunch of people going haywire, and it made me so happy.”

With We’re Still Here now serving as the Collective’s mantra as they continue welcoming new members to their ranks and sharing their message of collaboration and compassion with the world, the future seems limitless. Embracing community in all its forms in pursuit of a punk scene without barriers, the HIRS Collective are an everlasting reminder that we are always greater than the sum of our parts.

“When we’re both gone, I hope that it keeps going and that there’s someone we can pass the torch on to. I want this to be able to last forever, not just as music, but as an active project. I want this to continue until the sun explodes. We’re still here, and that will be something that we can say forever,” Jenna finishes.