The gut-punch power of Philly’s Shygodwin will shake you, it’ll command your attention. The band is an exhilarating, essential new voice in Philly punk, and they join us this week on The Key Studio Sessions.
We first encountered the project of guitarist Jasmine Godwin and vocalist Lee Woods in summer of 2023 when they performed at Break Free Fest, an annual festival centering and celebrating Black and Brown voices in DIY punk and hardcore. Decked out in formal wear, Shygodwin played a riveting set at Foto Club for that festival, and it directed us to Most Likely To, the band’s debut EP released last spring.
Shygodwin’s driving riffs and explosive vocals took over the WXPN studios this week for the Key Studio Sessions, where Lee and Jasmine, backed by drummer Splendi, rage through a set of songs breaking town topics global and personal. They dissect cultural appropriation (“Song 7”), toxic capitalism and privilege (“Baby Likes It”), and religion-adjacent conformity (“psychoLodgy”). They also talk about introspective themes like trust (“New Enemies”) and generational trauma (“Human Stain”), with a call for empathy and understanding underneath it all.
Watch Shygodwin’s Key Studio Sessions set in full below. For more, check out Most Likely To here, give them a follow at @thebandshygodwin, and see them in person this Friday night, March 22nd, when they headline MilkBoy. Tickets and information at WXPN’s Concert Calendar.