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Understory are an Australian rock band from the Sunshine Coast, formed in 2018 as VRLS (pronounced "varials"). The band consists of guitarists Caiden Johnson and Jayce McDowell, drummer Joel Osborne, bassist ????, and vocalist Doug Althaus. They have released one EP; Windbreaker (2019).

Formation and Windbreaker (2018–present)
VRLS were formed in May 2018, with Doug Althaus on vocals, Caiden Johnson on lead guitar, Jayce McDowell on rhythm guitar, Nick Hutton on bass guitar, and Joel Osborne on drums.

The band released a debut two-track "Paradigm" on 30 November. A second single "Blindside", was released on 22 March 2019. It was preceded by a music video on 28 February.

On 13 July 2019, VRLS performed at Brisbane's Crowbar, their biggest gig thus far. Support acts were; Grizzlyshark, All Hours, and Greywood. In September VRLS changed their name to 'Understory' citing legal reasons. Guitarist Caiden Johnson explained the name as being a portmanteau of the bands Underoath and Stories, both of which have been big inspirations for the band. On 18 October, the band now under the name Understory, released the single "Windbreaker" alongside an accompanying music video. The single was premiered a day early on AAA Backstage. A month later, on 15 November, they released their debut EP also named Windbreaker. The EP was premiered a day early by Heavy Mag. Understory then performed a limited two-date tour in promotion for the EP on 16 and 23 November.

On 19 January 2020, bassist Nick Hutton left Understory to pursue other endeavours. The position remained vacant until ????, when ???? was introduced as the new bassist.

Musical style
Vocalist Doug Althaus writes most of the band's lyrics. Lead guitarist Caiden Johnson writes the instrumentals as well as creating album artwork and editing and programming the music.

Influenced by the likes of Limp Bizkit, Incubus, Northlane and Tool, Understory takes elements from alternative and progressive genres and mix them with nu metal and punk rock.

Members
Current


 * Doug Althaus – vocals (2018–present)
 * Caiden Johnson – lead guitar, programming (2018–present)
 * Jayce McDowell – rhythm guitar (2018–present)
 * Joel Osborne – drums (2018–present)

Former


 * Nick Hutton – bass guitar (2018–2020)

Background and promotion
The first single that would later be compiled in the EP was "Don't Touch" featuring Full Tac, released on April 21, 2020. The second, "Shiny" also featuring Full Tac was released on September 4, 2020. A music video followed on March 20, 2021 two days after the EP's release.

On April 3, Lil Mariko performed for Chester Lockhart's Chester's Bday Party live-streamed event alongside Full Tac. The event also encouraged donations to The Okra Project and Red Canary Song.

Composition and writing
The main genres of Lil Mariko are hyperpop and trap metal.

The first track on the EP, "Hi, I'm a Slut" conveys sex positivity as a reclamation and response to "slut-shaming". It features heavy bass and electronic synths taking elements from both trap and pop. The track was also loosely compared to 100 Gecs, Doja Cat, and Babymetal. The second track, "Don't Touch" featuring Full Tac, alternates between synth-filled choruses and Mariko's screams. Mariko's character fully portrays a personality set on spontaneous violence. "100 Dicks" criticized men who send unsolicited dick pics to women. The track follows the standard hyperpop flow. The next track, "I'm Baby" contains some minor influences from deathcore. Mainly the fact that has a heavier sound than its predecessors, and features increasingly guttural vocals. The track "Disgusting" features guest vocals from Zheani. The sixth track, "Shiny" also featuring Full Tac was described in a similar vain to the previous. Being a sex positive, gender equalizing track full of energy. Closing track "Catboys" is an fantasied ode to pegging Catboys. Mariko commented that she wanted to combine something like catboys and drill music.

Critical reception
The Cascade praised many of the tracks on the EP, however noted that "I'm Baby" and "Catboys" fell short of the hype. The student newspaper The Globe gave the EP a positive 4-out-of-5 rating. Afonso Marques of the Portuguese University of Minho's online student journal ComUM gave it a rating of 6-out-of-10, although positive, the tracks "100 Dicks" and "Disgusting" were seen as the EP's weaknesses.

Track listing
Track listing adapted from Spotify.

Performance

 * Lil Mariko – vocals
 * Full Tac – guest (track 2, 6)
 * Zheani – guest vocals (track 5)

Production

 * Full Tac – producer, mixing, mastering, engineering
 * Russ Chell – additional production (track 4)