post punk – Rad/ATL

After more than a decade between releases, the March Violets return with Crocodile Promises, a sleek and muscular new album that is as much a return to the group’s classic gothic rock and post-punk form as it is a bold step forward. The secret to the Violets’ success has long been their penchant for crafting undeniably catchy songs that thrive in an atmosphere of rich imagery and ambiance. Press play on the ‘80s hits: “Walk Into the Sun,” “Snakedance,” “Grooving In Green,” “Crow Baby,” et al. The art of balancing complex harmonies and melodies with lyrics steeped in perfectly compelling abstraction is the March Violets’ strong suit. For Crocodile Promises, core members vocalist Rosie Garland and guitar player Tom Ashton were joined by former Violets bass player Mat Thorpe (also of the group Isolation Division). Together, they fleshed out nine new numbers at Ashton’s SubVon Studios in the rural countryside near Athens, Georgia, where Ashton produced the record.

Crocodile Promises opens with “Hammer the Last Nail,” a song that’s bound by billowing and shadowy textures that slowly open up to reveal the album’s vast and majestic palette. Thick and undulating guitar riffs and constrictive hooks match Garland’s bewitching traipse into modern terrain. “Bite the Hand” and “Virgin Sheep” kick up the energy with a full-bore punk charge.

The “Kraken Awakes” and “Mortality” are slow-burners invoking tales of revenge and deceit. “This Way Out,” builds into a roaring and hypnotic groove, with its thumping beats and Garland’s pointed delivery.

The March Violets: Mat Thorpe (from left), Rosie Garland, and Tom Ashton. Photo courtesy Jace Media.

There’s a real sense of urgency at work in Crocodile Promises. The production is as subtle as it is sweeping when it needs to up the intensity, pushing heaviness, real-world angst, and aggression into new dark realms, alternating between understated tension and unleashed power.

The March Violets play the 2nd Annual Southern Gothic Festival at the 40 Watt Club in Athens October 25-26.

Friday, October 25
March Violets, Korine, Tears for Dying, House Of Ham, Vincas, Panic Priest, and Miss Cherry Delight. Find Friday night tickets here.

Saturday, October 26
The Chameleons, Vision Video, and Deceits. Find Saturday night tickets here.

Tickets for both nights can be found here.

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To herald the arrival of the autumn equinox, Hip To Death has unleashed a new video for “Burning Heart,” the first single and video from the group’s second proper album, TMI America. “Burning Heart” is a fiery and noirish affair, steeped in texture. The triple threat guitar assault from John, Kasey, and James Breedlove is thick with time-stretching distortion, billowing around a searing lyrical mantra: “This burning heart’s for you. Our love will always be this true. Cut my leather skin. Waste my weathered skin.”

Drummer Mike Pazdzinski and bass player Todd Caras drive the song forward with tight, constrictive rhythms.

The album was recorded on a 4-Track in husband and wife John and Kasey’s home in Roswell, GA. Later, the tracks were mixed and mastered by the Athens-based Leeds U.K. transplant Tom Ashton of gothic post-punk luminaries the March Violets. Ashton runs SubVon Studio in Athens, GA, and his touch rings loud and clear with “Burning Heart.” Each grinding moment unfolds with a stylishly murky traipse that evokes the sounds and vision of mid-’80s U.K. goth, while embracing the dark and aggressive immediacy of the here and now.

“We were definitely going for a different kind of sound on this record,” John says. “It all seemed to come naturally, though. I’d been a fan of the March Violets for a while, and I really loved the work he did with them. His guitar work on “Snake Dance” is rad, along with everything else they did. I learned from our good friend Trey Ehart from the band Entertainment that Tom was in Athens. I talked to Tom over the phone for an hour or so, and I instantly took a liking to his attitude. We vibed right from the get go—he’s a super positive dude. I hired him just to master the album, but he dug the songs so damn much that he ended up putting his touch on it and mixing and mastering the whole album. We all love what he did. He really listened to what we were going for, and he killed it!”

The video was directed by Kasey Breedlove, and features a cameo from Atlanta-based photographer, art teacher, and model Rose Riot. Press play and zone out.

TMI America is available now on Die Indy Records.

Tag: post punk

The March Violets push subtlety and aggression into new dark realms with ‘Crocodile Promises’

Video premiere: Hip To Death’s ‘Burning Heart’