Cosmic Joke: “Because there are few places that are a perfect fit for us, we kind of fit everywhere”
Los Angeles hardcore-punk outfit Cosmic Joke has spent the last few years proving that you don’t need to be a full-time touring machine to make an impact. Blending the gritty urgency of ’80s LA hardcore with the melodic hooks of ’90s SoCal skate punk and East Coast post-hardcore, the band has evolved from a pandemic-era scratch-an-itch project into a powerhouse on the legendary Revelation Records roster.
The band just released their new full-length album, Suburban Decay, and are kicking off their “European Vacation” tour today alongside Bad Beat (with select dates supporting hardcore icons Youth of Today and Shelter). We caught up with vocalist Mac Miller mid-flight to Germany to talk about expanding the band’s new album, balancing life as a veteran tour merch manager with fronting his own band, and keeping things pure when there’s zero pressure to make it a career.
PRT: When you started Cosmic Joke in 2017, did it come together simply because the right people were in the room, or was there a specific itch you still needed to scratch musically after your previous band ended?
Mac: The initial demos of the songs that became early Cosmic Joke were definitely written to itch a scratch musically- we intended to cater 80s LA hardcore such as Descendents and Bad Religion to a modern hardcore audience. There were early versions of these songs in 2017, but we never did anything with them until 2020, where we started revisiting them out of pandemic-bred boredom.
PRT: Since releasing your demo in 2021, you’ve put out music with HardLore in conjunction with Triple B, and now Revelation Records. How wild has that escalation felt, especially for someone who thought they were done making music after your last band ended?
Mac: Truly it is not anything we’d set out to do or ever could’ve expected. We are lucky enough to have friends in high places who’ve believed in us and wanted to put out our music, knowing we can never be a full time band. We thought at most we’d be a local band who’d get to open for some friend’s bands when they come to town. Not that I’m unrealistic and think we have these insane shows, but it just kind of snowballed into more and we’ve done our best to keep up with it and travel where there is demand when possible. Because there is no pressure to make it a great financial success or anything we just have the best time in the world and make the music we want to make.
PRT: Suburban Decay marks your second full-length album. What were the biggest lessons you took from recording the self-titled LP that shaped how you approached writing and tracking this time around?
Mac: The self-titled LP was actually a compilation of our demo and four newer songs. This is the first time we wrote with the intention of it being a full-length album. We still wrote and recorded these songs in two sessions, January 2026 and July 2026. The January batch of 7 songs gave us a chance to sit with what we had for the album and fill in the gaps we wanted to hear as far as kinds of songs to explore. It was kind of nice to sit back and know what we were working with and pieces of the album we still needed.
PRT: Your sound draws on a lot of different influences. You even dip into ska on “Checkered Past.” Is that the result of the five of you listening to different things?
Mac: We are all fans of so much different music- I think the baseline and mission statement for this band will always involve meshing 80’s west coast hardcore and 90’s skate punk, but we’ve also always had an affinity for Dischord records hardcore and post hardcore. I think on this album we let those colors show a little more. With songs like “Conflict of Interest” and “the Good Things I Don’t Deserve” we dipped our toe into some indie rock and post-punk that we’re huge fans of. Writing an album of 12 songs, while also wanting each song to have it’s own identity, made it easier for us to confidently take some swings, including a ska punk song. We can try different things but at the end of the day if you have me singing on it and the rest of the band doing their individual “things” it’s still going to sound like us.
PRT: And does not quite sounding like any one other band out there, make it easier or harder to fit on a bill?
Mac: I think it absolutely makes it harder for us to “fit”, but we’re not totally interested in “fitting”. Because there are few places that are a perfect fit for us we kind of fit EVERYWHERE within punk rock and hardcore. There’s really no one we’re afraid to play with and no crowd we won’t play in front of.
PRT: You spend anywhere from six to ten months a year on the road doing merch for other bands. How on earth do you find the mental and physical energy to hit the road with your own band?
Mac: It’s easy considering our band can’t “tour” for more than 20-30 dates throughout a year, so whenever we DO go out it’s almost a vacation. I love what I for work and I’m very fortunate to have been doing my job for about 17 years(!) now. Getting to travel even for a weekend with my best friends and play our songs, that 100% are tailored to my sensibilities is the most fulfilling thing I get to do, and getting out and doing it for myself has made working for other musicians much more refreshing than it was before I was doing Cosmic Joke. I love the variety in my travels.
PRT: With you spending so much time on the road, what is the one essential rule you learned the hard way?
Mac: I think when traveling for long periods of time in close-quarters with other people it’s just important to be mindful of yourself and the others around you. You’re literally living with other people in tight spaces- keep your environment clean and tidy. Also give others space when they need it, and take time to yourself when you can because you don’t get a lot of it.
PRT: When Cosmic Joke started in 2017, it seemed more like a fun side project – from what I’ve read – alongside your day jobs. Now that the band has grown, has that original mindset shifted at all?
Mac: I wouldn’t consider the band actually starting before 2021, but… not in the slightest! Personally, I wish we could do more, and I will always be the one to push us to our limit as far as everyone in the band’s time off, but doing it the way we’ve done it has kept it pure and the most fun it can be. I love the challenge of taking it as far as we can, but considering we don’t have a “career” riding on it, we truly are just making the music that we want and doing it how we want without fear of losing anything. I’m very grateful that people seem to like the new album, and I hope it is reflected in our upcoming shows being fun for both us and the crowd alike, but we would’ve made these songs this same way if it was self-released on YouTube for 20 people to hear.
PRT: Are there specific goals, bucket-list venues, or milestones you want to hit with Cosmic Joke that you did not get around to with your previous projects?
Mac: A huge one was playing Sound and Fury in LA, which we were already lucky enough to do, the next thing would be traveling to Europe (which I’m admittedly flying to while answering these questions). Releasing on Revelation Records wasn’t even on the bucket list because I didn’t think it was possible. Everything we get to do is a gift. I’d love for us to make it to Japan, maybe Australia, some more of Europe. I just want to see the world with my guys.
PRT: Your European tour with Bad Beat – which you dubbed European Vacation – starts tomorrow. Do you look at it as a vacation? Or do you look at is as an investment for the band’s future?
Mac: As I am currently flying to Germany, I DO look at it that way. I’m so excited to play shows for 12 straight days, it’s my favorite thing to do. That being said, I’ve been constantly forgetting for the last two weeks that we even have shows really, I’ve just been thinking about hanging out in strange new places with not only MY band, but Bad Beat who are our best friends, and Youth of Today/Shelter who are idols of ours. I’m just laughing at this being our reality. I say it all the time and it’s become a motto of sorts, but I truly am just happy to be here.
