INFAMOUS STIFFS Show Why Punk Should Never Be Polished on New EP "The Ornery Six"

Southern California punk rockers INFAMOUS STIFFS have released their EP "The Ornery Six" on Golden Robot Records. "The Ornery Six" is a six-song EP that punches hard and fast, clocking in at around 15 minutes — pure punk adrenaline distilled into a compact, no-nonsense format. The name “ornery” isn’t just clever wordplay; it speaks to the EP’s defiant, snarling, and rebellious energy. It’s not polished radio punk — this is raw, blue-collar, Southern California punk rock with roots in skate culture, garage grit, and East Coast snarl.

Infamous Stiffs aren’t trying to reinvent punk — they’re reaffirming it. This EP is a reminder of what punk sounds like when it's not concerned with being cool or commercial. Just six dirty, loud, unfiltered punches to the gut. In this new interview, we talk with the band about their music inspirations, punk scene and much more.

Let’s start with the title — why "The Ornery Six"? What’s the story behind the name? 

We had six songs and we were burnt out on the word Angry or Aggressive. So our play on those words was to reach back and go, good old fashion style.

  Which track from The Ornery Six do you think captures INFAMOUS STIFFS’ sound best, and why? 

It's a tough one to answer but we'll give it a go. No Static captures our sound on this release best. Straight forward, quick and to the point. But also with this release we ventured out as well, doing song structures we hadn't done on this first release. See the song "Lonesoul".

How would you describe the sound of this record compared to your previous work? 

We reached down more with this release. We have two new fellas and it has made the writing process fun & exciting.This release packs a bit more punch, and the tracks flow more smoothly

You’ve said this isn’t polished “radio punk” — what does punk mean to you in 2025? 

For us personally it still means individuality. Being true to yourself first and foremost. Trying things you may not have tried before and just doing it. Being radio friendly could and would help the pocket book probably, but that means you might have to bend somewhat for somebody, somewhere down the line and that's where the individuality can get construed as lack luster creativity.      

  You’ve all been part of the punk/hard rock scene for years. How has your perspective changed — or stayed the same — since you started?

 Being a punker means always being a punker. When we started hanging out in the punk rock tribe it was right where we needed to be. Nowadays, it seems to be more homogenized for the masses. We were hated by every walks of life back then and now it's almost normal. There are some aspects that have remained and some that are just days gone by. It's like a watered down cocktail in a sense. When it gets watered down so much, it just loses what it was supposed to be. Don't get us wrong though, there are kids out that still wanna fuck shit up cause they believe in their cause, just not as many.