Special Interest

Formed in New Orleans in 2016, Special Interest is a four-piece band whose music fuses post-punk noise, industrial electronics, and dance music with an explicitly queer politics. The group consists of vocalist Alli Logout, guitarist Maria Elena, bassist Nathan Cassiani, and synthesist and drum programmer Ruth Mascelli, all of whom are queer and half of whom are people of colour. Their confrontational live performances quickly drew attention within New Orleans queer and punk communities before broader recognition followed. Their third album Endure received a Best New Music designation from Pitchfork and four stars from The Guardian.