Militarie Gun talk overcoming addiction and striving for sincerity on new album 'God Save The Gun' • Interview • DIY Magazine

The September sun shines over the rooftop bar at The Hoxton hotel, as Militarie Gun open another bite-sized new chapter in their history on these shores. Fresh off their flight from the States - and in desperate need of some Red Bull - DIY are first in line for an audience with the Californian rock outfit in the middle of their whirlwind 48-hour London visit, which includes an intimate blow-out at the 120-capacity Bermondsey Social Club.

“I have family in Luton,” begins vocalist Ian Shelton, to point out some memories he’s already made on our shores. One unforgettable occasion was back in June 2023 on the day debut album ‘Life Under The Gun’ was released, which coincided with a main stage slot at Manchester’s Outbreak Festival. During the mammoth touring cycle for that record, some other highlights included shutting down sets at The Great Escape and conquering the fields of Reading and Leeds.

When that R&L visit rolled around in August 2024, Ian was burning out - but not for the reasons that might first come to mind. “The burnout was from wanting to create ‘God Save The Gun’,” he clarifies, referring to their incoming second album. “We had all of it [demoed], but those riffs remained unplayed until we finally got off the big touring schedule.” Militarie Gun’s reward at the end of the tour was not downtime or an empty diary, but a return to the studio to unleash their pent-up creativity.

“I think the good bands are a record ahead,” he suggests. Of course, with vinyl production waitlists and the logistics now involved with release cycles, most acts find themselves playing catch up, diving into their next record before its predecessor has even seen the light of day. Indeed, Militarie Gun “already have another album recorded,” Ian, who is also the band’s main songwriter, reveals.

Chasing your own tail - a blessing or a curse? “If peace comes at the cost of us not wanting to create more, I would hope that never [happens],” ponders drummer David Stalsworth. “I hope we never catch up,” adds Ian, doubling down. “That would mean the creative spark of the band is dying. The only thing that truly matters about Militarie Gun is the writing. We tour to be able to make the records… bands that are all about the touring are usually shit.”

“I’m never at peace with anything, but I know that [writing songs] is the only thing I can control.”

— Ian Shelton

Perhaps this mindset explains why their output is so consistent. The melodic hardcore of ‘Life Under The Gun’ excelled in its versatility, adopting both the haziness of Interpol (‘Will Logic’, ‘My Friends Are Having A Hard Time’) and the stadium sensibilities of Foo Fighters (‘Very High’). ‘God Save The Gun’, meanwhile, is even rougher at the edges. A concise, passionate package of firecrackers, it catapults Miltiarie Gun out of the hardcore box to make a claim to being one of the most essential rock bands on the planet.

In light of widespread critical acclaim, Ian’s unlikely friendship with Post Malone (who’s obsessed with ‘Do It Faster’) and their steady progress, ‘God Save The Gun’ is proof that Militarie Gun remain unfazed by their surroundings. If anything, this is the most vulnerable collection of songs they’ve released, tracking Ian’s battles with alcohol, the circular paradox of relapsing, and the changes he’s made to overcome these obstacles.

“Last week, I was in a corporate office, having to play the record and talk about almost killing myself,” shrugs Ian, who appears to know no alternative to honesty, however brutal. “I don’t feel a tinge of shyness. Only when I’m going to bed that night like, ‘Oh my God, you’re such a fucking weirdo.’ If anything, [Miltiarie Gun’s success] has given me the encouragement that other people feel the same way. It’s valuable to put it out there, so [someone else] can also be the similar weirdo, or feel more comfortable in their own skin.”

“He thinks he’s a lot more intense than he actually is,” says David, who became a permanent member of Miltiarie Gun last year. “I feel like it’s a burden, the things that I choose to share,” returns Ian. “Being that vulnerable and showing who you are isn’t a burden,” insists the drummer, before he turns to face DIY. “When I met Ian, I really enjoyed that he was vulnerable and shared his upbringing. I found a connection in that.”

It is through the songs, and the vehicle of Militarie Gun, that Ian finds the appropriate medium to externalise the intensity of his personality. For Dave, his present-day role behind the sticks is a product of playing along to Iron Maiden songs for several hours each day, locking himself in his room to the point of dropping out of school specifically “to play shows.”

“There’s a restlessness in me that I can only get through by creating something,” says Ian. “The only time that I really feel peace is at the end of a day where I’ve made something new… but I would also say ‘at peace’ is the wrong term for anything in my life. I’m never at peace with anything, but I know that [writing songs] is the only thing I can control. Artists get robbed of happiness because they have to be concerned with ticket sales.”

“A creative space has to be a place where you can fail, be emasculated and not let it put you on the defensive.”

— Ian Shelton

Letting the impulse of their joint creative spark dictate proceedings comes with its own level of contentment; allowing spontaneity to take centre stage in an industry that demands much of your life to be planned out for you - much like when touring held back their urge to pen ‘God Save The Gun’.

“It was so visceral, [how the album] was just pouring out, with no premeditation,” says Ian, reflecting back on those impulsive moments. “There was so much joy in making this record. Even though the songs are about heavy topics, there’s so many great memories of making it. We were trying our best to embrace the intimacy and vulnerability of everyone.”

Despite a continued focus on male mental health, it’s still rarer than it should be in the world at large to find examples of five men being so open with one another. And in a time where the likes of Andrew Tate and Elon Musk are infecting the minds of young men with toxic, backward ideals of masculinity, the natural disposition of Miltiarie Gun’s members is all the more poignant.

“A creative space has to be a place where you can fail, be emasculated and not let it put you on the defensive,” declares Ian. “I’m comfortable failing in front of people, and saying things that don’t land.” This ethos - one of the founding principles to Militarie Gun’s creative process - is arguably as vital as the messages of the songs it helps birth.

The narrative arc of ‘God Save The Gun’ properly begins with the hard-and-fast ‘B A D I D E A’. Confessing that he’s “been slipping up”, the record’s lead single was a last-minute inclusion that Ian had initially written for, incredibly, a Doja Cat hardcore record. “Trying to put someone else’s skin on made that work,” he admits.

“I was actively making mistakes in a way that I was uncomfortable with,” he continues. “It’s a binge and a purge, where you act on instinct for a long time, and then you finally step back and take inventory of all the things you’ve done. [Before] ‘Life Under The Gun’, I had never drank alcohol, and by the time we got through the touring cycle, I was drinking every day, starting at noon. The sum total of this record was talking about addiction from the first-person perspective.

“At a certain age, you’re always trying things, and then you start quitting things. We toured with Manchester Orchestra, and I was sober for the whole tour. On the final night, to celebrate that I made it through the tour, I was drinking again. I was really trying to figure out the parameters of where I was at. Can I find moderation? I’m not a moderate person, so it doesn’t exist for me, unfortunately.”

“My goal is to maintain where I’m at,” he says today, perhaps armed with better tools to deal with any future relapses. “I’m happier, more reasonable, and a little less fun. People looking at my life externally might think it’s all upwards, but there’s a lot of emotional valleys in there.”

“Irony, to me, is the death of sincerity.”

— Ian Shelton

From the cosmic synth hook of ‘God Owes Me Money’, to the strings-fuelled ballad ‘Daydream’ and the Britpop-coded ‘Kick’, the album’s shifts in pace and style represent a more ambitious band than the group who released ‘Life Under The Gun’. You can hear the pain and passion seeping out of Ian’s distinctive, grating vocal delivery, a rare constant in their sea of anthemic rock.

On suggesting that there’s almost a British irony to lyrics like “If I kicked you in the face / I’m sorry, but I would do it again,” and “Thought you were waving / Turns out you were drowning”, Ian interrupts. “I think irony is poison,” he states. “We’re not ironic, we’re cynical. Irony is to address what’s terrible and not offer a solution, [whereas] we are actively looking to change what we’re speaking on. Irony, to me, is the death of sincerity.”

That exact push for change and self-betterment is what brings the narrative arc of ‘God Save The Gun’ to its conclusion. “The ironic version would be to put out the record, and I’m [still] getting fucked up every day and making bad decisions,” Ian concludes. “When it came down to observing my own behaviour, I said, ‘I need to make a change.’ For the record to be honest, have teeth, or any actual value, I had to make a change in my own life.”

‘God Save The Gun’ is out now via Loma Vista.

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