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. The songs blended musical elements of pop, emo revival, and folk, while still propagating the confrontational lyrical spirit of punk and hardcore. Reluctant to coin himself as a solo artist, Scary Hours was conceptualized with the intent of writing stripped down acoustic songs that could feature a revolving door of guest musicians either live or in future studio releases. 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. “Live to Serve/Serve to Live” was released with a warm critical response, making Jack Rabid’s Big Takeover “Best of 2018” list.
The Pyrrhic Victory team spent the end of 2018 and early 2019 working through the final recording process for Scary Hours’ first full-length record, entitled “Live to Serve.” The record will be released early Spring 2019 including a new version of the original single/title-track, the album boasts 9 other tracks of punk-spirited acoustic pop.
Now in May 2020, Scary Hours returns 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.
Current Release: Bullet Fairy
Scary Hours & CJ Ramone on Signal To Noise WFDU:
Press:
"Singer-songwriter Ryan Struck, who flies under the moniker of Scary Hours, creates witty and unsettling anti-folk, informed by his past in hardcore punk bands. The confrontational ethos of punk is hard to shake, especially when you live the daily grind of commuting to work from New Jersey to New York City. Struck is keen to vocalize his compelling diatribes on various matters regarding the state of the world, and does so with unbridled, tuneful panache." - Ghettoblaster
"Scary Hours create unsettling and raw anti-folk, rich with socio-political humor and the confrontational spirit of punk and hardcore...the debut album is more basement show than coffee shop – Elvis Costello meets Lawrence Arms maybe, or possibly a Bukowski-esque Bright Eyes." - Mad Mackerel
"The band’s acoustic pop punk and filtered lens radiates the confrontational ethos of hardcore—a bit like a Bukowski-esque version of Bright Eyes, or possibly a pissed off Plain White T’s high on Ritalin." - Vinyl District
"Live to Serve is superbly wrought, full of droll humor mirroring the punk attitude of quarreling with the seemingly irrelevant treadmill of the world, with all its ridiculous flaws. Scary Hours, aka Ryan Struck, comments with stylish flair and clever lyricism on matters sublime and absurd." - Tattoo.com
"Despite the serious subject matter, the band approaches life with a humorous, bordering-on-satirical perspective." - For Hits and Gigs