At a quick glance, Chiroptera might seem like any other teenage band trying to make it in the local music scene. But spend a few minutes watching them command a stage, and it becomes clear that this four-piece has something special.
Chiroptera describes their sound as a blend of artists such as L7, Bikini Kill, and The Used. On their debut single, “Formaldehyde”, they fluidly oscillate between brooding grunge and explosive punk rock. It’s quite the first impression from a group of middle and high school-aged musicians. No wonder they’ve played with talented local acts like BANGZZ, Narsick, and Zealotrous in their relatively short time together.
I chatted with the band shortly after they signed with local record label, Boared to Death Records. In under 30 minutes, it was clear why they’ve built up a fanbase of established Triangle musicians: they’re as charming as they are hard-working. They serve as a reminder that good bands aren’t limited by their age and are an active example of how a music community can support its rising acts.
What is the first musician that you remember obsessing over?
Finn: The first one I remember was Green Day. My dad would listen to that with his friends and I ended up liking it too.
Avery: I got into LCD Soundsystem and then realized my dad had been listening to them years beforehand. [laughs]
Mili: Slipknot popped up randomly for me one day when I was scrolling online. Ever since then I’ve just gotten more into metal and heavy music.
Cass: My dad grew up listening to classic bands like Metallica, which got me into heavy metal when I was younger.
How has your musical taste changed since then?
Finn: I’ve just gone deeper. Listening to more artists, talking with people, and getting new recommendations wherever I can. I would still listen to that today, but what I like is more diverse now.
Avery: I definitely listen to a lot of that kind of New York 2000s indie sound, but I’ve also expanded into more punk, grunge, and hip-hop recently.
Mili: I’m like Finn, just always looking for new stuff to listen to.
Cass: I’ve gotten way more into new wave and goth.
How long have y’all been involved in the local music scene before starting the band?
Finn: Since early 2024. That was my first time seeing a local band play their own show. I’d always wanted to be in a band, so that was just really awesome. I needed to do this.
Avery: I’ve been involved with doing music for years. I started by doing lessons at the School of Rock Chapel Hill. And then in the summer before eighth grade, I played in my first band for a little bit.
Mili: I’d never been involved in music before. I always wanted to be in a band, but that only started when I became friends with Cass. We’d hang out, share music, and go to shows together.
Cass: I’ve been involved for a lot of my life because my parents would always take me to local shows.
What has your experience been as a younger band coming up in the Triangle music scene?
Avery: There’s been a lot of support. I think the scene in general is very welcoming to new people. They want to have that opportunity for younger people, which I really appreciate.
One of the big boundaries for being young is there are a lot of places where you just can’t go. Like “we’d love to play this show, but it’s 21+” or something like that. Having the Triangle be so accepting of younger musicians has allowed us to get a lot more live shows, which is what we all enjoy.
Finn: From what I’ve seen, Winston-Salem has a very good youth pull with late teens and early 20s. And the beatdown hardcore genre in North Carolina is where a lot of younger people go, as opposed to the punk shows. It feels like there’s a split and I’d love to see that get bridged. And just more people coming out shows in general.
Image credit: openerphotography
What is your approach to writing songs, either as individuals or as a band?
Avery: It depends on what we’re doing or who’s bringing it. When Finn is writing music, he tends to come with more of a conceptual idea with a bass and guitar part. Usually I’ll come in with lyrics and then build off of that, because I can write stuff on piano. But I have to see how well it translates and all that stuff.
Finn: Usually we can pull the early bones together in one practice. We work very well as a group. For “Formaldehyde”, I wrote the lyrics and we worked on it during a practice when Mili couldn’t be there, so the bass line is way different from the guitar part. I just told Cass the feel for the drums and Avery made some edits to the lyrics.
How did y’all get involved with Boared to Death Records?
Finn: I met Dan from the music community. We played a show on the roof of Local 506 that he came out to. I got a message the next morning that said, “Great show last night. You killed it. We should talk about you joining Boared to Death Records.” It just kind of went from there until we recorded our EP with him. [laughs]
What was that like?
Avery: I’ve never recorded anything, none of us really have. The very idea of that almost seemed crazy. And when we were doing it, it didn’t feel particularly real. Plus, we spent some very long days working on it, so we were all very tired. But then when “Formaldehyde” came out, it was that moment we’ve been talking about. But we’re not just talking about it, it’s an actual thing.
Mili: I thought it was going to be like, “Sit down and do this. No breaks, just go, go, go.” But it was a very nice environment to be recording in. I really enjoyed it.
How has the response to the “Formaldehyde” single been?
Cass: Very positive!
Avery: People have been very nice about it, which is very nice to hear. I’m glad that people can really enjoy and have seen what we’re doing. Whether they enjoy it or not, just knowing that it’s out there in the world, people are listening to it and are thinking about it, that’s really impactful.
Finn: It’s wild, you can just go on Spotify and bam, there we are.
Besides getting your debut EP released, what are some of your goals for the rest of 2025 and beyond?
Avery: Working on a lot of original stuff. One of my favorite things is branching out into genres and seeing where we can take our sound. That’s something that I’ve been really enjoying exploring. I’d really love to continue playing live shows in various places and meeting so many new people.
The last one we played at The Pinhook was with a bunch of drag queens and we got to interact with them, which was so fun. It’s interesting to hear about people’s experiences and what they truly enjoy. I hope that we get more opportunities like that.
Finn: Definitely more playing live shows. I’m really excited to play shows that are more accessible. We love playing at the Carrboro Free Market because anyone can come. Makes it more enjoyable because there isn’t the pressure to buy anything.
Cass: We hope that when random people see us play, they can go listen to us and like what they hear.
What advice would you give other younger musicians or bands?
Avery: I always encourage people to play music, even if they suck. Anyone who’s willing to play on stage is arguably going to be better than anyone who isn’t, in terms of having that confidence.
Finn: It’s a very fun opportunity that forces you out of your comfort zone, especially when you’re young. You’re around so many older people, so it feels almost daunting. But it doesn’t have to be perfect, you just have to put yourself out there.
Image credit: Alex Goodfred
Who are your favorite local/North Carolina bands?
Cass: Shoutout to Narsick. Their music is incredible, they’ve helped us grow as a band, and they’re very supportive.
Avery: I’d shout out Hazen Rowe, he’s an amazing artist with a Radiohead meets Dave Matthews-esque sound. It’s interesting to see how he performs because there’s so many sounds. It’s such an interesting experience and it sounds great, too.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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