Hang Him to the Scales

Hang Him to the Scales is a Brooklyn based alternative rock and shoegaze band whose name draws on Eastern shadow puppet theater, and whose sound layers dream pop textures with a distinctly Eastern sensibility. Rooted in New York's independent scene since 2021, the band has released two EPs and a debut album, played festivals including New Colossus and the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., reached the global top four of the Dr. Martens Alternative Platform, and earned a spot on Rolling Stone's list of America's next top creators. This integrated visual identity roots the band's image in the same cross cultural ground as its music. The mark is constructed from Seal Script, the ancient Chinese writing system of the Qin Dynasty, whose symmetrical forms and flowing strokes echo the scale embedded in the band's name. The palette translates traditional Chinese indigo dyeing into the melancholic blues of shoegaze and dream pop. The result is an identity that connects the band's name, sound, and heritage, carrying a rising voice of the Asian diaspora in New York's independent music scene.