LA post-punk outfit Agender confront the absurdity of modern existence with explosive third album ‘Berserk’ out now

Los Angeles-based post-punk band Agender share their biting, explosive third album, Berserk, out everywhere now. Alongside the album release, the group attempts to stay afloat in the black-and-white, stirring official music video for “Action Reaction.” Fierce and sharp, Berserk is a raw, unflinching commentary on an age dominated by hyper-information, capitalism, and self-improvement culture. Celebrate the album live in Los Angeles on March 28 at the official record release show at Zebulon with Muscle Beach and Allison Wolfe (DJ set), open to the public.

The long-awaited third album from the group is more than just a record—it’s a seismic eruption of punk that spits, snarls, and scratches at the raw nerve of contemporary existence. Over ten tracks produced by David Scott Stone (LCD Soundsystem) and lead singer, guitarist and primary writer Romy Hoffman, Berserk delivers the kind of eclectic, electric energy that traverses through the plains of pop-punk, post-punk, disco-punk, and schizo-synth-punk, and bites hard and fast, all while pushing the listener to confront the gnawing absurdity of living in the world today.

At its core, Berserk is a frenetic response to the shifting tides of life—an album that is unapologetically queer and embodies the chaos of an era where nothing feels stable, where the self is both the center of its own universe and being sucked into the disorienting orbit of a hyper-connected, hyper-consumptive culture. Hoffman says, “Everyone’s trying to improve, to ‘do the work,’ but the conundrum is: there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism. This album is a snapshot of that dilemma, wrapped in something catchy enough to make you want to dance–or scream–a solution.” Written before Trump’s second term and the fires that ravaged Los Angeles, the album remains relevant and timely, acting as a love letter to the city that built the band.

Also out today, “Action Reaction” offers a raw, introspective dive into the dichotomies of the human experience. Describing the track, Hoffman explains, “A slower, more spacious departure from previous singles, the track juxtaposes monotone verses with a sweeter, more melodic chorus—mirroring the push and pull of emotion and reason, of love and repulsion, hush and harsh, letting go versus holding on.”

Watch “Action Reaction” (Official Music Video)

The moody, striking black-and-white visual shot on a cold winter morning at Hermosa Beach, captures this emotional abyss through the metaphor of the ocean—vast, uncontrollable, and deeply tied to the sensation of drowning in one’s own emotions. Directed by Hoffman and synth player Sara Rivas, who also edited the video, Hoffman shares, “The video embraces a DIY ethos, made with no budget but plenty of heart. The video’s stark simplicity mirrors the song’s rawness, offering an intimate reflection of the struggle to escape a psychological trap, to rescue something—perhaps even oneself—from the depths of what feels like an abandonment abyss.”

Agender formed in 2011 as a solo punk project for lead singer and primary writer Romy Hoffman. Just two years later, it morphed into a trio, and by 2014, the band became known for their thrashing punk shows. The group’s first album Fixations arrived that same year, and eight years later, the introspective, tongue-in-cheek second LP, No Nostalgia was released. Buzzbands LA called 2022’s celebratory disco-punk anthem “Top Bottom Top,” “deliciously throbbing.” The band expanded on the track with an EP of remixes with the help of friends and queer icons–Le Tigre‘s JD Samson as well as Harvey Sutherland. Made up of Hoffman, Cristy Michel (bass), Christy Greenwood (drums) and Sara Rivas (synth), the quartet carves out a space that is uniquely their own–filled with fierce pride, a delicate balance of satire and earnest observations of life, and a piercing sound that energetically empowers and uplifts voices that are often stifled.

Fiery and fully charged, Berserk, out now sees Agender tackle themes like love addiction, abandonment wounds, consumerism and aging, as the ever-present tension between self-empowerment and capitalist exploitation permeate the tracks. The self-assured, impassioned project masterfully combines punk’s spirited, guttural energy with heart-wrenching moments of reflection. On March 28, join Agender live in Los Angeles at the official record release show at Zebulon with Muscle Beach and Allison Wolfe (DJ set). Connect with Agender on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more.

Watch “Things Things Things” (Official Music Video) | Listen

Watch “Jeans” (Official Music Video) | Listen

Berserk (LP) Tracklisting

1. Life Is Acid

2. Damaged Girls

3. Things Things Things

4. Action Reaction

5. Dissonant Disco

6. Vacuums

7. Youth

8. Logo

9. Jeans

10. I Need a Break From the U.S.A

ABOUT AGENDER

It’s hard to put Agender into any box: With Australian songwriter and musician Romy Hoffman at the helm, the quartet makes schizo, synthy, paranoid, post-punk with a dash of dysmorphic desire. And fans? They revel in their sweeping existential terror that comes with a fetish for femininity.

Initially formed in 2011 as a solo punk excursion for Hoffman, Agender was born when she decided to get sober. “It started as impulsive, a way to cope with all these new, raw feelings. I played every instrument myself on the first Agender record.” But as quickly as it started as a solitary endeavor, it evolved into a trio just two years later. By 2014, the band had become known for its intense punk shows and had released its first album Fixations via Desire Records. Since then, the queer post-punk outfit has now become a full-fledged quartet with bassist Cristy Michel, drummer Christy Greenwood and synth player Sara Rivas rounding out the band. Still, Hoffman still remains its focal point as the primary writer in the group.

Hoffman moved from Melbourne to Los Angeles in 2014, built a life for herself in a new city, released a solo record of dark, driving electronic music, started running two of L.A’s biggest queer parties (‘Homoccult’ and ‘Lez Croix’), and situated herself as a respected DJ. The process of making No Nostalgia, the band’s second album, was slow and steady: the songs were penned pre-pandemic and partially recorded then, but finished during COVID. No Nostalgia came from Hoffman reaching the crossroads of oscillating between bouts of extreme nostalgia and extreme amnesia. With the record, she wanted to strip it all away. “When we live in a world where everything is nostalgic, I’m trying to imagine a world with none of that, but it’s impossible. Even if I’m just commenting on society, it’s still referential to something, therefore relies on memory, therefore I’ve thought myself into a corner. It’s from this corner that I write,”

No Nostalgia was rooted in satire. “This record is poking fun at modernity and postmodernity,” says Hoffman. “It’s satirical. It’s a bird’s eye view of where we are and the absurdity of everything.” Inspired by everything from The French Situationist Movement to Wire and Buzzcocks, No Nostalgia is a canvas painted with singular, striking post-punk strokes.

Since its release in 2022, the band has played Substance Festival alongside Ohsees, Chat Pile, Lightening Bolt, Special Interest and TR/ST, toured with CSS for their 2024 reunion tour and opened for bands such as Pansy Division.

The band’s third album Berserk, due out March 7th, is an explosive, genre-bending reflection on the chaos of modern life. Drawing from post-punk, disco-punk, schizo-synth punk, and pop punk, the album captures the tension between the self at the center of its own universe and the forces pulling it apart. With themes ranging from existentialism and love addiction to consumerism and the existential void, Berserk is a raw, unflinching commentary on an age dominated by hyper-information, capitalism, and self-improvement culture. The album’s 10 tracks are fast, fierce, and catchy—blending punchy hooks with sharp social critique in a way that only Agender can.

Written and recorded over a few months, Berserk captures a deeply personal yet urgent reflection of the times we live in. While written before the Trump presidency and devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, the album feels more timely than ever. It’s a love letter to L.A. and a critique of how we got here—a call to embrace punk rock as a means of surviving, questioning, and dancing with the void. Berserk is punk in its truest sense: messy, imperfect, and unafraid to confront the madness of the world head-on.

While Agender is Hoffman’s current focus, her experience in music spans more than two decades: She began her career as a teen playing guitar in Ben Lee’s pop-punk band Noise Addict and later became the first hip hop artist (and second Australian) to sign to Kill Rock Stars, as Macromantics. Later, Hoffman began making dark electro-pop and house music under ROMY.

No matter what project she’s working on, Hoffman believes she’s a medium for a message: “I’m delivering something that needs to be said.”