After a whirlwind of activity in 2022, the members of the Wichita, Kansas/Lincoln, Nebraska based Social Cinema asked themselves, “What next?” and arrived at a simple but important answer: “More!” 

In 2022 the quintet issued two EPs—Causing Scenes and Repeat—which solidified its hard-driving and melodically-inventive sound, the culmination of years spent in vans, all-ages venues, and recording studios working tirelessly on a sound directly pointed toward the future of rock ‘n’ roll. 

And the future is very much where the band is focused for 2023. 

“The new songs that we’ve been coming up with have been amazing,” says co-founder Logan Bush. “We really found this sound that is Social Cinema; it doesn’t sound like bands we were in before and sounds like a band that’s fully gelled.” 

The group issued its first single, “Star Quality,” in 2021 after forming from two distinct camps—Wichita’s Kill Vargas, featuring brothers Logan and Griffin Bush as well as Austin Engler and Lincoln’s Death Cow with Mari Crisler and Reed Tiwald. But the success both bands experienced pales in comparison to the enthusiasm the members have for Social Cinema. 

“This is the band we wanted all along,” says Crisler. “We’re proud of what came before but now is the time for us to show everyone what Social Cinema can do.” 

What Social Cinema can do is write songs—and sophisticated ones at that. With rhythmic energy that calls to mind classic punk, melodic and lyrical sophistication that draws on classic post-punk and alternative, Social Cinema defies easy categorization while remaining undeniably appealing from its first beat. One need only listen to the hook-laden “Pointless Conversation” and juxtapose it with the mediative, expansive “I Wanna Make It” (both from Repeat) to hear Social Cinema’s emotional and musical range as well as the seamlessness with which it blends seemingly disparate styles and mood. 

Both the energy and sophistication translate well to the live arena, a place Social Cinema has thrived from the start. 

“We’ve always been a live band,” says Crisler, “and we try to bring that energy to the songs we write and the way that we record them. That’s also why we’re looking forward to being back on the road in 2023.” 

Long a favorite in the musically fertile Great Plains region of the country, the group looks forward to expanding its audience throughout 2023. 

“There are places that we haven’t been yet,” says Logan Bush, “and some things on the horizon that will put us in front of new people—that’s always the best feeling, when you go into a new town and walk away with new fans.” 

Additionally, the band looks forward to recording more new music in the future. 

“We have plans for more new music,” says Crisler. “We’re writing all the time and we’re always coming up with songs that improve on what we’ve already done.” 

“It feels like we’re just getting started,” says Bush, “and we can’t wait to see what comes next.”