In a recent surge of new, young New York hardcore bands, No Values stands out among the crowd.

No Values is a 5-piece hardcore punk band based out of the five boroughs, consisting of frontman Iyoub Sahin, guitarists Karin Sa and Milo Amez, bassist Ivan Batista and drummer Jon Barcenas. 

Their music pays tribute to old school hardcore with a modern, heavy edge, citing Bad Brains, Outburst, Madball and Sick of it All as influences.

The band released “True York Hardcore Demo” on Aug. 16, a four-track demo tape featuring fast-paced and heavy-hitting tracks like “Intro,” “Ruminate,” “G.T.F.O” and “Time Goes On.” They celebrated the release with a show on Oct. 30 in Brooklyn, starring current NYHC groups Combust, FERMENT, Beg to Differ, Majunche, Runnin’ Hot and 100 Hour War, along with themselves.

“It was crazy, honestly,” Sahin told The Torch. “A lot of things were in the works still, the day of. But when it finally came down to it, it felt amazing. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. Everyone put on a great show.”

The band formed in early Aug. 2024 when Sa and Batista approached Sahin to start a new project at a show.

“It was actually Karin that approached me first… we were introduced to each other at some shows at the Gold Sounds and the Meadows,” Sahin said. “I would always see him and Ivan, they would always be smoking cigs and moshing here and there. I think it was at Soul Search, we started talking and he was like ‘Yo, we should start a band’. I was like ‘Yo, let’s do it.’”

After about a week, the three started jamming after recruiting Amez and Barcenas. No Values was born and played their first show at the Asian American Unity Fest in May of this year.

A huge part of the band is their “True York” mentality.

The influx of transplants in NYC over the last few years has been subject of disapproval for many native New Yorkers. No Values tackles this head on with their lyrics.

”I had a conversation with Jon at Ivan’s house about it. Basically, True York is for and by New Yorkers,” Sahin said. “It’s like FUBU, for us by us. It’s to uplift New Yorkers in the hardcore scene.”

Sahin highlights the struggles of many native New Yorkers in their daily lives, his upbringing and scene tourists in songs like “G.T.F.O” and “Ruminate”. The band puts a strong emphasis on NYHC being for anyone, but not for everyone.

”I don’t want to hear anything from somebody that’s from Virginia or wherever, to give me politics on what New York Hardcore should be or what it is. I don’t want them to create the culture around it. New Yorkers are culture. We have that ingrained in us,” Sahin added. “It’s not to take away or negatively create this distance between us as people. It’s to make sure that New Yorkers have a say in the New York hardcore scene. That’s what True York hardcore is.”