Griffen Handshake just came hot, and with their latest EP, Three Strikes and You’re Out, the Pittsburgh-bred trio slams together a punk rock tornado mixed with a dance party on steroids. It’s five tracks of pure adrenaline that’ll make your head spin and your feet move. This ain’t no common record— it’s a big ol’ “screw you” to boring tunes everywhere. It’s rough, and loud, and it’s the sound of a band locking into their most electrifying lineup yet.
Let’s break it down: Millen and Arjun Schuchert are the kind of brothers who probably fist-bumped their way out of the womb. Raised on a diet of basement jams and Rock Band 2 marathons, these two cut their teeth in Pittsburgh’s grimy punk underground, sharpening their sound like switchblades. But it wasn’t until they roped in Gio Mori—a scene veteran who’d been shredding with other bands—that Griffen Handshake truly ignited. After a handful of 2023 rehearsals that must’ve blown the roof off, Mori slid into the lineup like a missing puzzle piece, bringing a thunderous low end and a veteran’s stage presence.
Don’t bother labelling this EP—it’ll duck the punch. This is a genre-hopping beast, snarling with the restless energy of a band refusing to be pigeonholed. Opener “Three Strikes and You’re Out” and sophomore track “Morgan” slap you awake with a dance-punk hybrid that’s Dua Lipa’s neon grooves and Green Day’s bratty rebellion. Millen admits the track was born from a dance-music binge, and it shows: synths buzz like a live wire, while the rhythm section beats like a nightclub stampede. It’s a bender, but live crowds are already eating it up, proof that Griffen Handshake’s audacity pays off.
Then there’s “Wings,” the final track that starts as a brooding Radiohead-esque lament before exploding into a Cedric Gervais-worthy EDM crescendo. Millen’s quote here—“It’s me vs. me that’s the game I’m playing”—cut deep, echoing every artist’s battle against self-doubt. The song’s build-up is pure sonic alchemy, blending everything into a cathartic release. Meanwhile, “Kicking Rocks” goes into grungy nostalgia, using distorted guitars and a DIY soundbite of slamming car doors (recorded on the streets of Pittsburgh, no less) to soundtrack its tale of haunted memories. It’s a mosh-pit anthem in waiting, dripping with the earthy grit of the band’s punk roots.
Recorded in the Schuchert brothers’ basement and polished at Evan Yester’s West Gen Studio (the same spaces that birthed their 2023 EP IN YOUR FACE), Three Strikes thrives on contrasts. The title track’s vocals are soaked in a knotty guitar amp plug-in, turning the voice into a distorted war cry. It’s this tiny tweak that just blows your mind, showing how these guys love to mess with the rules. Engineers Evan Yester and Joseph Hartwell Jones (mixing) and mastering gurus Mike Hillier and Stuart Hawkes deserve props for keeping the chaos cohesive—this EP sounds like it’s teetering on the edge of collapse, in the most kickass way possible. If you get a chance, catch Griffen Handshake live. They’re playing Mr. Smalls Theatre in Pittsburgh on March 22, and it’s gonna be insane. Their EP release show at Bottlerocket Social Hall back in January was off the hook – just a non-stop assault of face-melting riffs and raw feels.
Three Strikes and You’re Out is the sound of a band tearing up the rulebook, mashing punk’s fury with dance’s euphoria, and staring down self-doubt with a smirk. From the glitchy synth madness in “Wings” to the street noise chaos of “Kicking Rocks,” Griffen Handshake is proving that rock ‘n’ roll isn’t about following rules. It’s about rebellion, reinvention, and telling the world to go screw itself when it tries to hold you back. And hey, keep your eyes peeled: their upcoming music video for “Morgan” (dropping soon) is bound to be as unhinged as the track itself. Consider this your wake-up call—miss ‘em live at your own peril.