Power Trip

NYHC pioneers CRO-MAGS have unleashed their newest single, "Wired For Chaos," a song about being "wired for chaos from birth."

Cro-Mags are back. Harley Flanagan’s venerated New York hardcore institution have announced they’ve signed with the BLKIIBLK imprint, and they’re celebrating that feat by unleashing their first song in six years, a pummeling, PTSD-inspired anthem called “Wired for Chaos.” The song, which shares its name with a 2024 documentary on Flanagan’s life, was recorded with Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Code Orange), who co-produced the song with Cro-Mags’ leader. Musically, it begins with a quarreling rumble — which Flanagan likens in a statement to sounding like an “aggressive metal intro befitting a UFC walk-in or a video game”— before shotgunning towards a double-time crossover arrangement. Thematically, Flanagan explains of “Wired for Chaos”: “The song is literally about being programmed and wired for chaos from birth, not just by environment, but by parents, trauma, childhood experiences, and the resulting PTSD that I personally struggle with as a result.” The single arrives in a music video that finds Mags fans of all shapes and sizes making their way to see Harley and Co. crush on-stage. Flanagan suggests there’s ties between the new vid and their similarly live clip-loaded music video for Age of Quarrel classic “We Gotta Know,” though this latest film reflects the modern Mags diaspora. “I am proud to say that we are one of those few bands that have a multigenerational audience and bridge the gap between hard-core kids, metalheads, punks, skinheads, and more, as seen in the audience of this video, which was filmed at our shows on the past few tours,” the bassist-vocalist explains. “Not many bands have such a blended fan base besides Motörhead, and I am proud to say that we are following in that tradition.” “Wired for Chaos” is the band’s first release through BLKIIBLK. It’s unclear if a full-length is in the works. Cro-Mags’ last LP was 2020’s In the Beginning. Cro-Mags North American tour dates 2026:9/26 Daytona Beach, FL Party Weekend10/4 Sacramento, CA Aftershock Festival