ACL Interview: Meet Snõõper, Nashville’s Thrashing “Wiggles of Hardcore”

Renowned for papier-mâché-adorned live riots and supercharged set lists, Nashville's Snõõper rejects their own recorded pace and lights the metronome ablaze.

"Every set keeps getting faster because we keep practicing the songs more, so we're like, 'Damn it! We're two minutes under the last time,'" laughs vocalist Blair Tramel over Zoom.

Before garnering double-time endorsements from Black Flag's Henry Rollins, the art-punk spectacle began as a 2020 recording project between Tramel and guitarist/songwriter Connor Cummins. Bassist Happy Haugen and drummer Cam Sarrett joined the mix shortly before the group launched into live performances with post-lockdown ferocity.

Nuclear core acquired, Snõõper entered the studio to bottle lightning with July debut Super Snõõper. Composed of resuscitated living room demos, the album spins 23 minutes of thrashing tempos and laser precision.

"From a hardcore punk background, some of my favorite records are under five minutes," Cummins says. "We tried to re-create that live. On the demo recordings, they were really thin and you couldn't hear the energy. Now, we blast through everything as fast as possible to bring the most energy we can to the show."

The guitarist likens Snõõper's live experience to "sensory overload," anchored by synchronized choreography, neon tracksuits, and cutthroat chants. When the enormous props and puppets Tramel fashions are brought into the equation, the self-dubbed "Wiggles of Hardcore" live up to their name.

"I've been making papier-mâché heads for a long time, and I used to think it was funny when people would come over, put them on, and sit around the house," the bandleader recalls.

Snõõper's current pièce de résistance is a smiling, green mosquito puppet, fan-named the "mosh-quito." Each set, a brave bystander dons the towering insect head before swarming the mosh pit. "He gets dented and then I'll add another layer of papier-mâché," Tramel notes. "He's been fixed a million times now, so he's pretty indestructible."

Lucky for Austin, Cummins and Tramel told the Chronicle they have every intention of bringing their bug-eyed creatures to Zilker Park, rain or shine. Tramel also sources prop suggestions before logging off: "I genuinely like asking people, 'What do you think we should do?' Because it's a fun challenge to be like, 'We could make that, and we could make it huge!'"

Here's hoping the "mosh-quito" dons a giant cowboy hat come Weekend Two.

Saturday, 3pm, BMI stage