“California punk rock changed my life. It showed me exactly what I want to do and who I want to be,” says Violet Mayugba, guitarist and singer for San Francisco-based punk band Destroy Boys. At the age of 15, Mayugba and band co-founder Alexia Roditis were going to show after show, becoming a part of the vibrant Sacramento scene. “Vi and I were both like, ‘Let’s start a band!’” says lead vocalist and guitarist Roditis. “I was going to play drums and Vi was going to play guitar. I showed Vi a song I had, I didn’t even actually sing it, it was just a voice memo,” they remember.“ Vi said, ‘No. You’re going to be our singer.’” Since those early days, Destroy Boys have made waves from the California shoreline to the UK with their visceral, personal tales of scene bullies, elitist cliques, betrayal and unrequited love. It’s very important to Destroy Boys that their team be diverse and inclusive – something they finally have the ability to mandate. “Having more women and nonbinary people behind the scenes will hopefully curtail issues in the industry,” Roditis feels. “It’s important to have women, and queer people, people of color, and disabled people in all aspects of the music industry.” Their new single “Muzzle” – written like all of their songs from deep personal experience – is about disrespected boundaries, being seen as disposable, and fighting to reclaim your power.