As the Violens kick off their Spring Tour (dates below), we thought we'd give you a little look into their upcoming album True. Listening to Violens' True it may come as no surprise that much of it was recorded between gigs—that indeterminate haze between the bright, bus-size bulbs of showtime, and the small, faded night lights of tour bunk beds . 'Dreamy' is a word that gets thrown around a lot when discussing Violens, but it seems like a deferred word to use: Violens takes bands like Sonic Youth, Pale Saints, and Cocteau Twins as inspiration, but True finds them hitting their own groove, able to catch whatever hits their ear, take it in, and bring out a refreshing spin. True is more desaturated LP. The LP is still thoroughly 'dreamlike' for ardent Violens fans, but the LP is more urgent. If someone is dreaming to the menacing sounds on interlude 'Lavender Forces' and reverb rocker 'All Night Low', they are likely dreaming nothing you want to know about.
On 'Every Melting Degree', the singer intones "When did you switch accelerated states"? The listener feels the switches on True, the switches from light to dark, Beach Boys to Bauhaus, but the transitions are seamless. 'Lucent Caries', the other interlude, is a superb example: The track begins as a gothic folk kind of melody. The guitar plucks create a swirling, singular scene. But only moments later, the guitar plucks begin to recede, and we hear an incoming drone. Faint echoes at first, but then we drop into a complete drone textured treasure that is a fitting companion to 'Lavender Forces'. The connections between tracks feel intuitive and inspired. True is a true album: Each song has its own vitality, but none feel as if they could exist without the others, and without the exact order they were placed in.
In stretching their sonic and thematic outreach, Violens have come closer than ever to home. If life's arc is made up of the things that happen the most, and a dream life is made up of the most that can happen, Violens succeed in finding a rich space—and, dare I say, possibility of life—between the two. True is out May 15th on Slumberland Records. Go with the vinyl when you pick up True. Violens' own Jorge Elbrecht has heard the test version, and it is 'far superior'. Believe him.
Preorder Violens' True on directly from Sumberland Records.
Preorder Violens' True on directly from Sumberland Records.
Violens Spring Tour Dates:
| 5/03/2012 | Philadelphia, PA | Johnny Brenda's w/Lower Dens | ||
| 5/04/2012 | Washington, DC | Rock & Roll Hotel w/Lower Dens | ||
| 5/05/2012 | Baltimore, MD | Otto Bar w/ Lower Dens | ||
| 5/16/2012 | New York, NY | Le Poisson Rouge (Album Release Event) | ||
| 5/31/2012 | San Francisco, CA | Cal Academy of Science with Weekend * | ||
| 6/03/2012 | Los Angeles, CA | Part Time Punks at The Echo | ||
| 6/14/2012 | Toronto, ON | Horseshoe Tavern (NXNE) |
