Formed in San José, CA, Voluntary Hazing is a fairly large and dorky ska/pop-punk band (although they sometimes stumble into psychedelic, or disco, or acoustic music).

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Their first full-length original record, 'Addictive Little Sounds,' was released on July 19, 2024 and is now streaming everywhere. The ~addictive little sounds~ in question are the notifications of one’s smartphone. The loose concept of the album is how those little computers in our pockets affect our anxieties and influence how we operate outside of our phones. Everything was DIY, recorded in living rooms and garages and produced by trombonist, Ryan Heisinger, on his laptop. (No mouse, just him and his trackpad against the world.)

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VH is made up of a bunch of marching band geeks that grew up being classically trained, but they began experimenting and decided to play some rock music with their horns.​ They used to start almost every practice with "Sell Out" by Reel Big Fish, and they've had eight bassists since their unofficial inception in the oh-so-fateful fall of 2017. They have a full horn section with trombones and trumpets, and alto, tenor and bari saxes.

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THE BAND DOES NOT ADVOCATE HAZING. I REPEAT, THEY DO NOT ADVOCATE HAZING. It's all voluntary. That's a fun story you'll definitely have to ask them about.

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In the meantime, enjoy the music. Some of their mothers are a little wary of it. But it's fine. Really.

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Actually, it's not.

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This is so sad.

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Alexa, play Despacito.