Decent Criminal is a combination of abrasive love pop, cynical self-reformed guitar rock, and barbershop surf punk from Santa Rosa, CA. Brothers Tristan and Hunter Martinez are tight—6 a.m. ride to the airport tight; live, jam, and work together tight; kids of divorce tight. That bond is the burning center of a band who has brought an upbringing of 70’s glam rock and 90’s alternative to stages that have welcomed everything from 80’s hardcore to noise pop. They have and can play with anybody.

Growing out of their small town with friends Brian Gellman (guitar/vox) and Alex Kouninos (bass), Decent Criminal put their name on the map with 2017’s Bloom—an album ferocious with clean-to-distorted guitar bursts and delicate major-to-minor chord progressions. Bloom found the band in support slots for nationally known touring acts, earning them a fan base outside of their usual touring routes. With the addition of bassist Jesse Hernandez, the band was now touring heavier than ever.

2019’s Bliss continued this progression and landed Decent Criminal their first European tour. Bliss showed the band breaking away from the grungy remnants kept alive by their earlier days i