aaamusic | On 17, Jun 2010

New York’s Violens (pronounced ‘vy-lenz’) announce their highly anticipated debut album ‘Amoral’, due in September.

The first single ‘Acid Reign’ will be released as a limited edition 7″ on July 26^th through the band’s own imprint Static Recital. B-side ‘Space Around the Feel Station’ features Washed Out and is exclusive to the 7″ (available in Rough Trade shops).

Violens sound has evolved immensely since the release of their self-titled EP in late 2008. Tracks like “Already Over” and “Doomed” featured a mix of sun-soaked harmonies alongside 60s psychedelia and polished 80’s new wave that acknowledged influences from The Zombies to Prefab Sprout.

The meticulously layered production of ‘Acid Reign’ fits synthetic piano leads and frenzied, percussive guitars over acrobatic bass lines and apparitional harmonies. The sounds are pushed through coarse-grain distortion, delay, and reverb evoking image trails and rising smoke. Singer Jorge Elbrecht’s somnambulant phrases “I can tell that face you’ve shown is full / you’re always standing on bullets of sentiment” give way to more conscious ones, lines that seem to question whether lyrical content can “cut across” and mean anything at all.

Also known for his work with art collective Lansing-Dreiden, songwriter/producer Elbrecht showed off his lighter side on a collaboration with Caroline Polachek of Chairlift when the pair recorded their own duet synced to Justin Beiber’s video for ‘Never Let You Go’. As Pitchfork describes, “it looks like Justin Beiber is singing Polachek and Elbrecht’s Italo-disco jam, making for a video that’s equal parts awesome-surrounding and surreal.” http://bit.ly/bieberviddy

Later this summer Violens will release a new mixtape featuring remixes, covers and new collaborations. Their recent ‘Winter Mixtape’ featuring the sounds of Wire, The Byrds, Saint Etienne, My Bloody Valentine, and many more amongst their own unreleased songs is available along with the new single for free download at www.violens.net

Having previously supported Grizzly Bear, Deerhunter, Bat For Lashes and White Lies, Violens will head out on tour with MGMT in the US this August. They will be debuting a new line-up centred round the vocal harmonies of Elbrecht, Iddo Arad (synths) and Myles Matheny (guitar).

UK live dates for September to be announced soon.