Hot Cross

Hot Cross was a post hardcore band from Philadelphia that formed in 2000 and ran hard for seven years before going inactive in 2007. The group pulled together members from a long list of bands, which helps explain why their songs often sound like several ideas happening at once, but still locked to the same pulse. Over their run they released two studio albums and two EPs, then split into new projects after calling it quits.

How The Band Got Started

Hot Cross formed in 2000. The lineup included vocalist Billy Werner and drummer Greg Drudy, both connected to Saetia. Drudy also had a separate history as a founding member and original drummer of Interpol. The band’s core also included Matt Smith on bass, Casey Boland on guitar, and Josh Jakubowski on guitar and vocals, with members connected to Off Minor, You and I, Neil Perry, The Now, and Joshua Fit for Battle.

Even early on, the band’s identity was shaped by the mix of backgrounds. Rather than sounding like a single scene or a single approach, Hot Cross came off like a band built from different toolkits that still agreed on one thing, play fast and leave a mark.

Guitars Up Front and a Specific Kind of Tension

The band’s songs centered on intricate guitars, and in the early period they were known for dueling guitar lines. Their playing was heavily influenced by Drive Like Jehu, which shows up in the way riffs interlock and push against the rhythm section instead of floating over it.

Hot Cross initially signed with Level Plane in 2003. That early phase captured their approach clearly, tight writing, sharp turns, and songs that feel engineered to stay tense from the first second to the last.

Early Releases and Building a Catalog

The first release was the EP A New Set of Lungs in 2001. Two years later they released their debut album Cryonics in 2003. In 2004 they followed with the EP Fair Trades & Farewells, continuing a steady pace of output while the band remained active.

These releases established the basic shape of what Hot Cross did best. Complex guitars stayed at the center, vocals cut through with urgency, and the songs rarely settled into anything comfortable for long.

Label Move and Work on the Next Album

On May 2, 2006 the band announced that they had signed to Hope Division and Equal Vision Records and that their next full length would come out through that setup. A few months later, on August 10, 2006, they announced that they would be re recording their CD that had originally been recorded by Mike Hill. The re recording was handled by former member Josh Jakubowski.

The period between announcements and release was busy, with the band preparing for what would become their final album. By this stage they had enough material and momentum to keep moving forward, even as changes were happening around them.

Risk Revival and the End of the Run

Hot Cross released their second full length album Risk Revival in 2007. Later that year, on July 7, 2007, the band posted on MySpace that they were indefinitely inactive. The announcement effectively ended the group’s seven year run and cut their 2007 tour short.

They left behind a compact catalog that still shows how far a band can push guitar interplay when everyone in the room refuses to take the easy option.

What Members Did Afterward

After the band stopped, members moved into other projects. Bassist Matt Smith became involved with a project called Halo of Snakes, which was scheduled to release a record on Harvcore. Casey Boland and Josh Jakubowski started a project called Vista Rhymes. Their first album, VR:1, was made available for streaming in 2022.

Members

• Billy Werner, lead vocals
• Josh Jakubowski, guitar and vocals
• Casey Boland, guitar and vocals
• Matt Smith, bass
• Greg Drudy, drums

Discography

Studio albums:

• Cryonics (2003)
• Risk Revival (2007)

EPs:

• A New Set of Lungs (2001)
• Fair Trades & Farewells (2004)