Hans Gruber and the Die Hards – Or Hans Gruber and The Die Hards

Self-Released

During the Summer of 2024, while staying with my friends Kurt and Rosey Armstrong in Austin, I had the pleasure of visiting their band, Hans Gruber and the Die Hards, in the studio as they were recording their next album. The band’s generous hospitality, along with their balls-to-the-wall shredding, exemplifies the two pillars of what makes this band so special. It only makes sense that the sweetest and funniest group of ex-vangelicals in this industry are also making some of the most diabolical-sounding politically-charged ska music you’ve ever heard – and having an absolute blast doing it. 

Controlled chaos is the most succinct way I could ever begin to describe Hans Gruber and the Die Hards’ music, and their latest studio album, Or Hans Gruber and the Die Hards, is no exception. In a world full of bullshit minimalism, The Grubes are only concerned with delivering their own brand of maximalism, filled to the brim with piss, vinegar, and loads of heart. Drummer Chris Thompson's playing is in its own universe, I'm sure in no small part because he recorded in a separate room of the studio. 

While the Grubes have never been strangers to thick, unconventional textures in their music, this latest offering is chock-full of instrumentation you might not expect from the worlds of ska or hardcore, featuring over 30 contributing musicians. Whether it’s the flute performance by Monica Salas trickling in through tracks “Everybody Wants to Be Oppressed” and “One Day” or the enchanting acoustic guitar by producer Drew LeClair in the final minutes of “Bedbug Bailout,” your ears will be splitting themselves in all directions trying to keep up with everything the band is throwing your way. 

The standout moments on Or Hans Gruber and the Die Hards – the riff-heavy, rock sensibilities of “It Gets Worse,” the uncharacteristically upbeat and deceptively familiar musical pockets of “Throwdown,” and the enchanting, cumbia spirit of “Chambacú” – all pinpoint the varied personalities and eccentricities at work in crafting the album. The opener “Everybody Wants to be Oppressed" and the finale “Bedbug Bailout” bookend the album with a political throughline that adds even more depth to the proceedings. The band’s collective frustrations with the status quo are nothing new, but a welcome avenue to mirror the fiery instrumentation throughout the record. The Grubes continue to kick ass, make the best out of this often shitty existence, and are crushing it all together as one, ever-expanding family.