Eleven days ago, a previously unknown melodic hardcore band called Valley Girl released their four-song demo on YouTube. The project, which essentially sounds like a more metallic version of Turnstile, began circulating online and attracting some enthusiastic endorsements, even more so when people noticed hardcore producer extraordinaire Taylor Young (Nails, Twitching Tongues, God’s Hate) was on the boards, with his brother Colin on drums.

Saturday, the band played its first show, opening a six-band bill at Midnight Hour in San Fernando. The performance involved a surprising reveal: The vocalist is Jesse Rutherford, frontman for the glossy Tumblr-era pop-rock band the Neighbourhood, best known in tabloid circles as Billie Eilish’s ex-boyfriend. He’s the dude from “Sweater Weather,” a song that has been streamed more than 2.6 billion times on Spotify alone.

As Revolver reports, news of Rutherford’s involvement has been polarizing. The backlash was loud enough that one of the other bands who performed felt compelled to post a Twitter thread defending Rutherford’s hardcore cred. Cosmic Joke’s Mac Miller (no relation to the late rapper) wrote the following about Saturday’s gig and his friendship with Rutherford:

Maaaan I really didn’t wanna get into this shit but-
1. Jess started going to shows with me over 15 years ago and had played it low key because he didn’t want to be taking attention.
2. Reasonable to hate on any band for the music but insane to make it personal with a stranger.
3. Valley Girl moved quietly and announced on the show anonymously so people would come out strictly for the music. They opened a 6 band bill and supported every other act. At the end of the day I just wanted to have my friends play our show, and I’m glad I did. They belong here

Below, hear Valley Girl’s demo and watch their debut performance.