The Downstrokes w/ Torino Death Ride & Babies With Rabies – Washington, DC

Founded in Maryland’s Mountains in 2015, The Downstrokes bring a sonic avalanche to whatever stage they play: high octane garage punk. Their self-released first album New York Girl, fused Lower East Side energy with pop punk hooks. Their sophomore release invited listeners to Fall in Love with Punk Rock Again (Snubbed Records). 2020’s Unsafe at Any Speed (Coffin Curse), found the band continuing to explore the boundaries of punk rock moving from the street punk anthemic “Lies That We Believed” to the call to action of “Toy Gun” to the more rogue folk of “Time Bomb.”

A few pandemic singles paved the way for their new album This Close toe Vertigo (Coffin Curse/Allegedly Records), mastered by Mass Giorgini.

Next up is a split LP with their good friends The Prozacs coming out on River Monster Records in 2024.

The Downstrokes have played all over the Eastern US and the American Midwest, and they have been regulars at the Savage Mountain Punk Fest. They’ve played with Richie Ramone, The Queers, Huntingtons, Electric Frankenstein, The Undead, Reno Divorce, Suzi Moon, and more.

“The Downstrokes revisit the real ingredients that made ’77-81 punk immortal beyond pat hard & fast playing. They reintroduce backbeat (ah!), developed riffing, leads, and melodies, lyrics that avoid sloganeering, and influences older/deeper than other punk records.” — Big Takeover Magazine 89, (Best of 2021)

““I Would’ve” may take up only 2:53 of your existence, but following up last year’s blistering already, 1981-Zero Boys-esque Unsafe at Any Speed, Frostburg MD’s The Downstrokes sure raise some holy hit-and-run punk hell on this “regrets, I’ve had a few” relationship post-mortem one-off.” — Big Takeover Magazine 91 (Best of 2022)

“These boys can whip it up, and they are masters of the three minute song. Quirky rhymes and word use is always a favourite too and it’s all over this, but no where better than “Sweet And Sour”. I’ll say no more other than youthful indiscretions should all be made into songs this good.” – Maximum Volume Music

“Puts me in mind of Richard Hell & the Voidoids a bit, but they definitely have their own sound and are as catchy as fuck.” — Issue Punk Zine

“What’s great about this album is that it manages to keep a sense of melody despite having almost Pussy Galore-levels of noisy chaos.” — New Noise Magazine