Both albums drew media attention for their extensive high-profile featured artists, including Garbage's Shirley Manson, Screaming Females' Marissa Paternoster, and My Chemical Romance's Frank Iero.
[1] During the group's first few years, they issued a string of limited-release splits, 7" singles, EPs, cassette tapes, lathes, and a MiniDisc, as well as the 2012 compilation album The First 100 Songs.
Girls, Aye Nako, Priests, and Black Wine,[13][14][15] and performed at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia in April 2014 with Perfect Pussy and Yamantaka // Sonic Titan.
[20] In April 2017, the HIRS Collective performed at Get Better Records's 4th annual Get Better Fest alongside Soul Glo, Amanda X, Thin Lips, Pinkwash, and Radiator Hospital, which benefitted the Trans Assistance Project, Youth Emergency Services, and Women Against Abuse.
[21][22] They also appeared on the label's compilation album A Benefit Comp To Help Pay Medical Bills For Those Activists Fighting Against Fascism & Racism alongside Cayetana, Potty Mouth, Screaming Females, Sadie Dupuis, Worriers, Palehound, Mannequin Pussy, and Joe Jack Talcum.
Favorites..[24][25][26][10] Released April 20 via SRA and Get Better,[24][25][8] the album was noted for its long list of high profile guest artists, which included Garbage's Shirley Manson, Against Me!
In June, they recorded a five-song flexi disc EP, Coming Out of the Coffin, for a cover issue of New Noise Magazine, which featured Paternoster, RVIVR's Mattie Jo Canino, War On Women's Shawna Potter, Night Witch's Rosie Richeson, and Thou's Bryan Funck.
[39] In October 2022, the HIRS Collective announced a second full-length album for Get Better, We're Still Here, with an eponymous lead single featuring Shirley Manson and AC Sapphire.
[40][41][42][43] A second single, "Sweet Like Candy", was released in December and featured Thou's Bryan Funck, Maha Shami of screamo band NØ MAN, and former Less Than Jake saxophonist Jessica Joy Mills.
[46] The album's other guest artists, totaling 35 over 17 tracks,[47][6] included a returning Paternoster and Jordan as well as Geoff Rickly (Thursday), Jeremy Bolm (Touché Amoré), Damian Abraham (Fucked Up), Justin Pearson (The Locust), Nate Newton (Converge), Anthony Green (Circa Survive, Saosin), Dan Yemin (Paint It Black, Lifetime), Christina Michelle (Gouge Away), Jordan Deyer (La Dispute), Chris Barker (Anti-Flag), Chip King (The Body), Dylan Walker (Full of Hell), Derek Zanetti (The Homeless Gospel Choir), and Pinkwash.
[40][41][42][43] That same month, the group launched a Spring 2023 tour with a show in Washington, D.C..[46][47] They were also announced to join Toronto's New Friends Fest in August 2023, alongside Pg.
[51] In 2021, Pup was featured on a metal cover of Prince's "I Would Die 4 U" by the YouTube channel Two Minutes to Late Night alongside Lamb of God's Randy Blythe, Gorilla Biscuits's Walter Schreifels, Most Precious Blood's Rachel Rosen, and many others.
"[5] NPR's Lars Gotrich similarly wrote that "To simply call HIRS' extreme coalescence 'grindcore' does the band a bit of an injustice", noting that their album Friends.
included "sludgy punk spitballs shot from Iron Lung and His Hero Is Gone, the euphoric digital-grind of Melt-Banana, Nasum's death-metal-grooved grind and hints of Converge's chaotic hardcore roots", as well as Blood Brothers-esque screeching on "Hard to Get".
[47][3] Jenna Pup said that she had sought to make "a Hot Topic sampler-meets-hip-hop record where every single song has a feature", and noted at the time of the album's release that she was listening to music by Wu-Tang Clan, Logic, and Bo Burnham.
[47] She also said that, while obtaining features for the album was a relatively simple process, "the mixing and the mastering and putting all the things where they needed to be and figuring out the sequence of the record and how it's going to flow – those were the difficult parts.
[7] Their lyrics have addressed topics including misogyny,[60] religion and sexuality,[59] transphobic violence,[60][5] capitalism,[47][2] racism and gentrification,[9] mental health,[47] suicidal ideation,[60] overmedication,[61] and the need for self-care.
"[5][8] Pup has said that, while the group "started off with so much angst and aggression and anger", over time they chose to emphasize compassion for humanity a focus on the positive over the negative.
[60] In keeping with their political ethos, the group strives for inclusivity in their live performances, including playing at all-ages shows, performing with marginalized artists, taking a sliding scale approach to ticket prices and merch sales, and inviting marginalized concertgoers to move to the front of the crowd at shows, as well as donating concert profits to local causes.
(2018), the group had "[expanded] past the two piece guitar, vocals, drum machine, and giant wall of amps lineup that defined their sound and image" at their inception and had become "purposely nebulous in size".