Scary Hours

Singer/Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Struck grew up in Northern New Jersey, cutting his teeth in various punk and hardcore bands through his teen years and early 20s. Over time, varied musical interests influenced him to write songs deemed unfit for such an abrasive format, at least initially. The songs blended musical elements of pop, emo revival, and folk, while still propagating the confrontational lyrical spirit of punk and hardcore. Scary Hours found its home with New Jersey label Pyrrhic Victory Recordings when several self-produced “demos” were sent to the label. The PVR team felt the recordings candidly seized the true spirit of the songs, thus plans for a release were quickly hashed out. The first single “Live to Serve/Serve to Live” was released with a warm critical response, making Jack Rabid’s Big Takeover “Best of 2018” list.  

The LP “Live to Serve” was released in early 2019 and was also well received, getting great reviews from the likes of Ghettoblaster, Vinyl District, Big Takeover and others. 

In May 2020, Scary Hours returned with "Bullet Fairy," a new single that leaves the acoustic in its case and serves as a scathing rebuttal of right-wing political policy and police brutality. Here, Struck shows his diversity, as he returns to his hardcore roots, perhaps perceived as a better medium for addressing the political content he feels compelled to express and address. 

Now, in late 2020, Scary Hours returns with “Margins” – an 8 song blistering hardcore punk attack that is full of anger, intensity and acute awareness and articulation, showing his evolution and grasp of the reality he lives in, his disgust for many aspects of it, and his desire to be a voice of change. 

Struck says himself about the record: “With no shortage of things to write about, the record came together pretty quickly. I thought “Margins” was an appropriate title as marginalization is a heavy theme on this record. For the LBGTQ and BIPOC communities, minorities, and those who seek to speak out and denounce their systemic oppression, to merely exist is an act of rebellion. The sentiment is highlighted in the title track and carried through pretty much the whole record.”