North London’s chaotic punk provocateurs Toxic Barbecue are back with “Hater,” a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it barrage of bratty vocals, snarling riffs, and sparkling synths that clocks in at just under two minutes—and wastes none of them. Equal parts tantrum and triumph, the track is a glitter bomb lobbed straight into the face of fake friends and good vibes gone sour.
From the first beat, “Hater” kicks the door in. The drums thunder like a bar fight in a karaoke lounge, while the synths shimmer with the over-caffeinated energy of 2000s mall pop left to rot in the back of a punk squat. The band’s influences—nu-metal rage, punk rawness, grunge snark, and Y2K chaos-core—are all on glorious, contradictory display.
Lyrically, “Hater” is a spit-flecked kiss-off delivered with tongue firmly in cheek. Lines like “No, we can’t be friends” aren’t just said—they’re shrieked with the performative venom of someone halfway between a tantrum and a TikTok rant. It’s ridiculous, it’s cathartic, and it’s kind of brilliant.
If their previous projects, Entertainment Value and A Cause For Concern, were warnings, “Hater” is the explosion. Toxic Barbecue don’t care about genre rules, industry polish, or your opinion—and that’s their superpower. With a DIY heart and a hyperpop-adjacent snarl, they’re building their own lane, glitter-caked and flaming from both ends.
This isn’t punk revivalism. This is punk post-postmodernism, drenched in irony, sequins, and pure unfiltered rage. “Hater” is the anthem for anyone who’s done pretending to be chill — and it absolutely slaps.
