Music Branding Design Journal - Apes of the State

Thanks to a song I listened to purely because the name of the band caught my attention, I now have a genre label to describe my newest music taste flavor.

The song's title is appropriately named I Listened

The genre is appropriately labeled Folk punk.

The group is Apes of the State

With notch under 50,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and a header photo that should be in the punk folk hall of fame, Apes of the State are making themselves seen on my radar in a big way, both in sound and visuals. The header photo was taken during a 2022 shindig called Stoopfest which I am sad I've never come up with anything cooler sounding.

I Listened starts off with a great acoustic build up that blends in the violin/fiddle situation that shreds towards the middle of the track and duets the singing and guitar throughout. Vocals do this thing I love in music where its equal parts spoken and sung in a range I think I can match but fail miserably after an attempt only three people should hear. Me, myself, and I.

I intend on keeping them on heavy rotation for the foreseeable future and hope I can see them perform in concert if they make their way to the middle of the states.

If there is a punk revolution coming to the side of folk and americana, I hope Apes of the State are leading the charge.

Design Journal

• Poster & Merch Design Idea - DIY punk-style poster with chaotic handwritten typography and collage elements. Ransom meets Gig Promo

• Motifs - Zine-style cutouts, gritty textures, protest imagery.

• Color Palette - Black, white, grungy reds, and blues.