This past Saturday, June 7th, the post-punk industrial outfit, Youth Code, returned to The Echo in Los Angeles for their first headlining show in this city in 9 years. L.A. is the city from which Youth Code spawned so, that hiatus is enigmatic on its own. Why has it been so long and why now? The latter, easy to answer — Yours, With Malice, the new EP released last month on May 16th by Sumerian Records. Spoiler alert: It’s a fucking banger.
In the shadow of the ICE raids and protests happening downtown and all over the city, Youth Code and their supporting act, Sweat played a show- one of the best club shows I’ve seen all year and it was fitting it was at The Echo for many reasons.
I knew nothing about the band Sweat but they announced their presence with authority. Sweat are a hard-hitting hardcore-punk trio from Los Angeles, formed in 2019 by veteran SoCal scene members Tuna Tardugno (vocals), Justin Smith (guitar/bass), and Anthony Rivera (drums), formerly of outfits like Graf Orlock, Dangers, and Dogteeth . With razor-sharp riffs, metallic hardcore energy, and an unhinged and frenetic live show by their ringleader, Tardugno, they channel influences ranging from Cro‑Mags to Motörhead wrapped in a Riot Girl shell. A super tight band.
Check out Sweat’s 2020 self-titled 7″, 2022’s debut album Gotta Give It Up and 2024’s sophomore LP Love Child.
I did have an unusual amount of anticipation for this Youth Code show all day. They are one of my favorite active bands out of L.A. I had been listening to Yours, With Malice on a loop for the previous 48 hours. Sarah Taylor and Ryan George came out looking like a contestant couple on some dystopian reality show- complete with very cute passive aggressive remarks about who’s fault a short sound issue was and who was gonna get it later. They then proceeded with the talent portion of the competition. And I would instantly stop describing it as cute.
Youth Code opened with songs that ripped my soul to shreds like “For I Am Cursed” and “To Burn Your World”. Some brief sound issues aside, it was sonically perfect, once delivered. Taylor convulsed and raged- much of what I imagine was shadow boxing in her head. She was her own hype man- periodically jabbing and pounding the microphone into her forehead to push herself forward harder and angrier.
Then I found myself in the increasingly rare position of not being mad at the band for playing their “new stuff”. I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about an album that then delivered beyond what I was hoping for.
The first one was “No Consequence” performed pristinely in it’s primal screaming tech core perfection. My favorite new track performed was “I’m Sorry” and my only question is- was the apology accepted?
Taylor spilled her guts onto the stage and George captured it all, fed it through a filter, ripped it apart, sewed it back together and shoved it back through the RCA cables from his rig and back into the public address speakers at The Echo, as new sounds of a new instrument he refined in real time- and we danced to it.
A shoutout mid set to the memory of Blaque Chris left an unprompted moment of silence to commemorate Los Angeles martyrs, past and present- even as new ones were being made that very day. Because L.A. isn’t the soft, phony, pure cocaine Valhalla that some of it’s detractors paint it out to be. It’s raw, it’s dangerous and laced with Fentanyl and the police are militarized against 99% of her citizens, in one form or another.
On Yours, With Malice, Youth Code emerged from the studio like a ballistic missile carrying with them a payload of familiar but more refined material. Youth Code’s last full length album in collaboration with King Yosef- A Skeleton Key In The Doors Of Depression was the perfect pandemic period piece but Yours, With Malice feels more like the follow up to 2016’s Commitment to Complications.
related: Smashing More Teeth w/ Youth Code Orange at Union
Youth Code—vocalist Sara Taylor is more aggrieved than ever on this five-track manifesto, while producer and partner Ryan George successfully merges EBM, hardcore punk, and industrial metal into something that feels less like a throwback and more like a new decree. The production on Yours, With Malice feels concurrently more refined and filthy. Tracks like “I’m Sorry” “Wishing Well” and “No Consequence” strike with the precision of a nail bomb, wrapped in distorted synth lines and blood-curdling screams that channel a decade’s worth of frustration and, dare I say, transformation?
Lyrically, Taylor is unrelenting, navigating themes of psychological warfare, control, and survival with brutal clarity. The production—handled by Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly)—feels sharper, sleeker, and more weaponized. There’s no filler here, just five clearly stated statements of rage and resilience.
With Yours, With Malice, Youth Code reclaims the crown of modern industrial music, not with nostalgia, but by sheer force. This isn’t just a return—it’s a reset. For longtime fans of Youth Code and for new listeners discovering the bleeding edge of industrial and electronic body music, this release is a must-listen.
Expect Yours, With Malice to dominate 2025 industrial album roundups—and expect Youth Code to be louder, meaner, and more vital than ever.
Youth Code emerged in the early 2010’s, at a time when the electronic music landscape was largely dominated by polished, club-friendly production. In contrast, Taylor and George channeled the raw energy of early Ministry, Front Line Assembly, and Skinny Puppy, blending it with the fury of more hardcore and metal genres and the ethics of DIY culture. Their self-titled debut album, Youth Code, released in 2013 on Dais Records, announced their presence with a brutal force, combining distorted synths, aggressive beats, and Taylor’s throat-shredding vocals.
related: Dais Records Celebrates 15 Years of Seminal Releases at The Belasco
Ryan George, known for his background in hardcore punk bands like Carry On, provides the sonic framework through synths, samplers, and beat machines and who knows what kind of experimental computing. Sara Taylor, who worked as a tour manager before forming Youth Code, delivers confrontational vocal performances and unflinching lyrics that tackle social injustice, systemic oppression, and personal struggle.
Youth Code’s 2016 sophomore album, Commitment to Complications, produced by Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly, Fear Factory), further refined their sound while expanding their reach. The album earned critical acclaim and led to tours with influential acts like Skinny Puppy, HEALTH, and Carpenter Brut. Tracks like “Anagnorisis” and “The Dust of Fallen Rome” became underground anthems, merging beat-driven song-tech with emotional depth.
In 2020, Youth Code teamed up with Los Angeles-based electronic producer King Yosef for the collaborative album A Skeleton Key in the Doors of Depression. Released during the height of the pandemic, the project fused industrial noise with trap-influenced production and nihilistic lyricism. The record was a sonic sledgehammer that expanded their audience and proved Youth Code’s commitment to evolving without compromise.
Over the past decade, Youth Code has become a symbol of modern industrial’s resurgence. Their influence can be seen in the rising wave of dark electronic artists who blur the lines between punk, techno, noise and dance.
Beyond their music, Youth Code stands out for their unrelenting ethics and commitment to activism. They’ve used their platform to support anti-racist causes, LGBTQ+ rights, and mental health awareness, embodying the confrontational spirit of punk through an electronic lens.
Whether in sweaty underground clubs or major festivals like Cold Waves and Substance, Youth Code continues to deliver visceral performances that refuse to be ignored. With new music in the arsenal, the duo remains a defining voice in Los Angeles’ ever-evolving underground.
words: Danny Baraz
photos: Taylor Wong
