London alt-rock quartet Dead Patrons count members of Joyzine favourites Les Futiles, Hot Sauce Pony, Rat The Magnificent, Marksmen and Starsha Lee amongst their ranks, but nothing in those bands’ fine repertoires quite prepared me for the gothic post-punk majesty of ‘Lover’, their debut single, which we’re delighted to bring you a first chance to see and hear today on Joyzine.
A dark and writhing creature, undulating on a menacing rumble of bass and tumbling, tom-heavy drums, joined by guitars that jump from shuddering balls of electrical energy to an almost hallucinatory pizzicato that threatens at times to bury Paul Killengray’s vocal, adding to the track’s heavy sense of anxiety and claustrophobia, finally fading and falling into a bed of melancholic strings (provided by Kate Arnold and producer John Clayton).
Asked about the band and their debut release, guitarist Ross Davies explained, “Dead Patrons started as a dare. This was just before covid hit. Once in lockdown the themes of isolation, anxiety and aggressive self reflection became writ large over the songs that started flowing out of us, captured and enabled by the steadying hand of John Clayton at One Cat/Antenna studios. This is the first single to come from these sessions, of which a larger body of work will follow imminently.”
It’s accompanied by an equally dark video which sees comedian Seann Walsh indulge in a boozy party for one. “Lover is about a breakdown,” Ross continues. “Of a relationship. Of the self. The video (shot by Tom Brewins of USA Nails) stars Seann Walsh. He went hard on our behalf. It’s pretty method. Anyone who knows what he’s been through will see it.”
Watch the video for ‘Lover’ below.
‘Lover’ is out on Friday 28th October – pre-save on Spotify here
Find out more on Dead Patrons’ official website
Article by Paul Maps
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