// Step 2 This & Afterthought

Devon Cooper doesn’t talk about music like it’s some sacred ritual. When he talks about what’s been on his mind lately, he starts somewhere else entirely. “Mostly trying to find some inner peace inside all of this civil unrest we’ve been dealing with these last few years,” he says. “Been trying to focus on giving myself some grace and allowance to appreciate life even if every day feels like the end of times.” It’s not the answer you expect from someone fronting a hardcore band, but the contrast makes more sense once you talk to him for a bit. Devon’s pretty mellow in conversation. The aggression in the music shows up somewhere else.

“I’m almost always stuck creatively.”

“I’m pretty mellow for the most part,” he says. “But I think maybe the aggression in the music is an expression of a part of myself a lot of people don’t really expect. Hearing a chill guy from work yell about how much he hates people.” For him, the two things don’t really contradict each other. One just ends up louder than the other.

When it comes to writing, there isn’t much mythology around the process. No routines or rituals. Just work. “There’s nothing unique about days that I make music,” he says. Flow state matters, but he’s not waiting around for inspiration to show up. It’s something he tries to stay inside of by working consistently. “I feel like I work really hard to exist in that state of mind more often than not.”

Most of the songs with both of his bands are written collaboratively. Instead of isolation, the process tends to happen in pieces between people. Lyrics can start in unexpected places. “I’ll hear some lyrics that just feel super tough and have a hardcore element to them,” he explains. “Then I’ll use those lyrics as a starting point and try to build around those to recreate the sensation I got from the rap song in a punk language.” Translation is a good way to think about it. Rap lyrics become the foundation for hardcore songs. Classic rock riffs get reshaped into something heavier. Recently he’s been pulling ideas from Judas Priest and bending them into new directions.

Creativity doesn’t always arrive cleanly. “I’m almost always stuck creatively,” he says. “I get these moments where I have an idea that I like and I write it down for later.” Over time those fragments add up. Eventually there are enough small pieces to build something from.

Recognition in the scene hasn’t really shifted his perspective on things. “At my age, not really,” he says. “Putting music out sort of feels like dropping skate clips. You get a little bit of hype and attention when stuff premieres, but the next thing comes out and it’s their turn.” The attention itself isn’t something he’s particularly interested in chasing. “Probably the fact that I don’t really enjoy too much attention. Step 2 This is the only music thing I’ve ever done that more than a few people listen to. It’s already far exceeded the listenership I thought it would ever have.”

The band doesn’t operate around a single message either. “There isn’t some looming message the whole band has. I think the cool thing about hardcore is that just existing in that space is the message.” Sometimes simply showing up is enough.

Step 2 This didn’t begin in the form it exists today. Earlier versions of the band had a different name, a different lineup, and even a recording that never ended up being released. “It just didn’t feel like the right time to finish that one.” Shifts like that happen naturally. Moving into singing instead of playing changed the way he could guide the direction of the band. “I think moving into singing from playing has really helped me be able to steer things with this band in a direction that I’ve wanted other things to go.”

There’s a bigger picture in mind, even if it isn’t something he spends much time explaining. “We definitely have a big picture idea.”

Outside of the band, music still shapes the rhythm of his days. When he’s working or editing, he listens to jazz. When writing lyrics, it’s usually rap. Guitar ideas tend to come from classic rock. The album he returns to the most is Viva Hate by Morrissey. Lately though, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back by Public Enemy has been on repeat.

Right now, his focus is simpler than any big plan.

“The show I have to play tonight.”

001 DEVON COOPER

WHY I STARTED JUKE