Over the past decade, Indianapolis been home to a robust and prolific underground hip hop scene AND a thriving, energetic hardcore scene. The co-existence of the two scenes is no coincidence: they are interwoven.

And that’s where Inner Peace comes in. Fronted by beloved Indianapolis rapper Drayco McCoy, Inner Peace adds a unique touch to the tried and true hardcore sound without losing a drop of that classic, primal energy. From the first lines of opener “Inner Piece” it’s obvious how much of a mark Mr. McCoy has made on the band’s sound. While he’s not quite rapping his lyrics here, his rapid-fire delivery is clearly influenced by his “day job” as an emcee. Musically, the band is tight and adventurous. Hardcore can be restrictive, but these blokes cut loose and have a lot of fun with it.

The crown jewel of the demo comes smack-dab in the middle with the boisterous “Die Quickly! Faster!”. The song blazes out of the gate at 100 mph before gradually slowing down to its feed-back drenched finale. The closing moments of the song hit hard enough to induce mosh-pit psychosis: you can almost feel your body getting slammed.

The final track -“Watch Your Head”- rages hard yet grinds to a halt all too soon. The whole demo clocks in at just under 11 minutes and will definitely leave you hungry for more. With “‘22 Demo”, Inner Peace have firmly established themselves alongside other local hardcore stalwarts like Kiddo and L.I.B.. Hopefully they can keep the momentum going and continue writing bangers like these.