Unearthed from the band’s past, “Ghost and The Storm” is a soaring darkwave track fraught with emotional intensity. This was one of the very first songs the band had ever recorded with producer Josh Korody, who collaborated with the band once again on their forthcoming new record.

“Ghost and the Storm’ is exactly that – a ghost of a track,” explains Shawn Tucker. “A forgotten spirit from our past. It was too ahead of its time for us to even know what to do with it at the time we wrote it, so it remained in anonymity for several years. The song is about having false beliefs, blind and empty faith, believing your entire life that when you die you’ll go somewhere better but the reality is you just return to nothing, nowhere. To sleep and never remember your dreams is equivalent to how we die,”

The song’s striking video features actor Vince Groulx, who embodies its underlying theme of struggles with mental health perfectly.

Sean-Patrick Nolan elaborates: “The video pays homage to “Rabbit In Your Headlights” by UNKLE, one of our all-time favourite songs and videos. It depicts the uneasy feeling of questioning your own sanity as it slowly slips away from you. We intentionally left it ambiguous as to who this troubled man is and what’s causing him to be so paranoid and erratic. We are our only connection to the outside world, so when the line between reality and fiction is gradually blurred and you start to feel ill at ease in our own mind and flesh, that’s a truly terrifying and isolating thing to experience. Vince Groulx did a great job of capturing that sense of foreboding paranoia while your emotions jump from one extreme to another. The human mind is more vulnerable and susceptible to these fluctuations than we realize.”

Watch the video for “Ghost And The Storm” below:

“Ghost and the Storm” is featured on Horses at the Abattoir, which is set for release on November 19, 2021, via Freakwave.

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The post Post-Punk Duo TRAITRS Blur the Lines Between Reality and Fiction in Their Video for “Ghost and the Storm” appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

This latest track from the band, “PS Goodnight”, is a wistful and almost folk-like ballad, whose melody drifts along with acoustic guitars, cascading percussion, melancholic keys, and frontman Ean Elliot Clevenger’s sonorous vocal delivery.

On writing the song, Clevenger muses on themes of the preciousness of both time and friendships:

“The fountain of my friendships of youth flowed over with golden moments of meaning. From a young age to old, through the joy and tragedy… the entirety of my friendships, both short and long, fed/feed my roots and branches as I became/become. Terribly and inescapably, some of my divinals left this world too soon.

PS Goodnight is simply a story of the riches of friendship and the inevitability of mortal poverty. Technically and sonically, this track was sculpted from the base and beautiful guitar composition from Barry’s writing flurry. Like the other tracks of this album created in individual isolation, it landed on a mentally blurry day during the shutdown on the studio speakers of my forest set cottage like a sun-laced cloud. The hidden joy beamed through the grey melody. It was easy to let the rain come.”

Watch the video for “PS Goodnight” below:

Pre-order Creux Lies forthcoming new album Goodbye Divine here.

Follow Creux Lies here:

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The latest track, “Mouth Poisons” is a soaring guitar-driven anthem, churning with passionate vocals, and a powerful bassline—altogether alluding to the sound of the Mancunian post-punk heroes of the 80s, as well as traces of London’s Suede, and Crawley’s Cure.

On writing the song, Traitr’s Sean-Patrick Nolan explains:

“‘Mouth Poisons’ was initially supposed to be a fast, angular punk track and it remained in this form for several months until Shawn wrote the bass guitar part and completely changed the way I heard the song. His melodic bass line brought out a sadness and vulnerability in the track that I didn’t know was there. All of a sudden this frantic punk song sounded more like The Smiths or New Order, so I completely rewrote my synth part to tease out those elements even more. The break before the outro is one of my favourite parts on the album.”

On the lyrics and themes of the song, Shawn Tucker adds:

“The core sketch of this song was written late at night at a very good friend’s place in Frankfurt, Germany. ‘Mouth Poisons’ is an extremely personal song and lyrically I set myself up as the main target. It carries an air of ‘come see what’s going inside of me that wants to burn down everything in sight’. Definitely my favourite single we have ever released to date.”

Watch the video for “Mouth Poisons” below:

On writing Horses at the Abattoir, the follow-up to 2018’s Butcher’s Coin, the band explains:

Nolan: “To me this whole record is about passing time and aging; the frailty and impermanence of existence. How everything we know and love exists briefly before disappearing into nothing. This record covers a wide emotional spectrum from the beautiful to the horrific, overwhelming strength to heartbreaking vulnerability. We started writing ‘Horses In The Abattoir’ in Toronto during the summer of 2018 and continued writing the album on tour overseas. If there was any spare time between shows, we spent it writing in backstage areas, hotels and while crashing on the couches and floors of our closest friends. The album encapsulates both the promise and darkness that we experienced during this very exciting, but equally intense period of our lives. Professionally, TRAITRS was on the rise and our shows were getting bigger and better, but personally both Shawn and I felt like we were crumbling under the weight of personal loss, depression and exhaustion. It was a life-changing time period, for better and for worse, and ‘Horses’ documents both the darkness and light that Shawn and I endured during this time. Lyrically and musically, this is the most personal and brutally honest we have ever been. Blemishes and all, this is who we are.”

Tucker: “The theme of the record pulls heavily from the title: taking something innocent and beautiful and ending its life for no reason. In retrospect, ‘Horses’ captures the darkest period of our entire lives and that hurt bleeds out all over the record. I can definitely say we are still the same band, but certainly not the same inside ourselves. Somehow ‘Horses’ became its own beast and solidified its own place in the world. At times it seemed like all we had left was ‘Horses’ and the record felt much stronger and self-contained than us. We stepped out of ourselves for a while, imploding, almost not finding our way back. We just were not that well to be completely honest. It was a destructive time and I didn’t even realize what was happening until the storm had finally passed. Despite all this, we had written 17 songs, over a hundred fragments and were excited to start a new phase of our career with Freakwave Records. When I hear this record, it pulls things out of me that you might not want to feel or confront, but that’s what making art should be about. This record’s filled with anger, sadness, beauty, hurt, love, loss and beyond. I’m very proud of this record. It’s our best work to date, hands down, our post-depression record.”

“Mouth Poisons” is featured on  Horses at the Abattoir, which is set for release on November 18, 2021, via Freakwave.

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Creux Lies Frontman Ean Elliot Clevenger describes the song as “a track about the journey through the chasm of personal hell and the transformative ability of the heart to lend ladders to the divine.”

On writing the song, Clevenger adds: “Like all the tracks on this album, the words arose from some of the darkest moments of our life experience…When the lockdown came, the infinity of isolation became the day-to-day…I guess I was embracing that darkness and offering it some friendship; sometimes that’s all you get.”

The accompanying video, a surrealist film pays homage to Maya Deren’s eerie, groundbreaking film Meshes of the Afternoon, bringing the terrifying cloaked figure with the mirror face to a new setting: an open field of dreams. The video, like the original film, bends linear time and the imagery lends itself well to the ever-churning hamster wheel of lockdown existence. It is a fascinating, unsettling dreamscape, gorgeously filmed by the band. Deren would be proud.

Watch the video below:

Following the release of their first album, The Hearth, the band began nurturing some new compositions for a second release. This process began similar to the first album, each of working us separately on songs, then bringing the bones, veins, and skin of a track to the rest of The Creux to fully animate. The chaotic energy surrounding the band’s mix of direction was a welcome departure after playing the same tracks live for two years straight.

When the pandemic hit, the band retreated to their individual bubbles, trying to make responsible choices on how to continue writing and recording this record promptly – they had just penned a deal with Freakwave, with a target of releasing sometime in 2020.

“It was a pretty challenging endeavor for a band that typically relies on each member to bring greatness to the sound,” says the band. “We began experimenting with using virtual jam sessions and shipping files to each other. Luckily, we are all decent home sonic production creators, so creating and flying around edits and changes over the months leading up to our time in the studio wasn’t tricky.”

Creux Lies also notes that this album offers a complete range of emotions throughout the record: “prepare to find yourself ass shaken, and watery-eyed before you raise the needle.”

Pre-order and pre-save Creux Lies forthcoming new album Goodbye Divine here.

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“Misunderstanding” emerged as a concept following a strange writing session/coping moment during lockdown. An earworm refrain from a dream served as inspiration – and by dawn, the song took form. With the dark, frenetic energy of bands like Editors, Interpol, and even a hint of Duran Duran, Creux Lies delivers a track that is both highly infectious and deeply unsettling.

“As with many tracks on this latest album, my tentative register was landing a bit lower from trying to sing it out in the early morning hours,” recounts frontman Ean Clevenger. “So, the profound, moody thing resonated, and the song unfolded around my fingers on the synths.”

The band fleshed out the track during production and elevated this song to its current incarnation. “Ironically, the lyrics and message behind the track illuminate a moment of clarity when the misunderstanding of a perspective actually reveals itself as absolute authenticity,” Clevenger concludes.

The stunning, surreal video, starring actor/dancer  Jessica Will with cinematography by Phil Mohr, is a nightmarish, sinister dreamscape straight from the subconscious that bore the song itself. Its gorgeous, eerie effects heighten the song and give the impression that the veil is thin between dimensions.

Watch below:

Pre-order Creux Lies forthcoming new album Goodbye Divine here:

Follow Creux Lies here:

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The clip for “Blue” was taken from Creux Lies Live-Stream Performance on November, 15th 2020. In it, frontman Ean Clevenger takes the stage, showcases the resonant power of his emotive vocals, soaring over the backdrop of sighing keys and delicately plucked guitar strings.

Watch Creux lies turn “Blue” below:

On signing with the new label, Freakwave, the band has stated:

“We are beyond excited to be able to team up with the new Freakwave label for our upcoming releases! Eric, Thomas, and the entire Freakwave / Schubert team are long-term pros of not only the industry at large but also specifically with our dark scene. We are stoked for what the future will bring from this international partnership as we plan to spend much of our efforts and art to countries around the globe. See you all soon!”

“Blue/The Veil“ will be released as a limited to 500 copies world-wide 7’’ in blue vinyl in February 2021.

Pre-Order here

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Darlings of the international post-punk scene who made a name for themselves with their scene hit “Portals”, Creux Lies are eager with this new deal with Freakwave, to release the follow-up to their successful 2018 debut album The Hearth in 2021.

The band recently met with their new label partners in the form of Celsius Management + Hardbeat Promotion Managing Director and Freakwave Co-Labelhead Eric Burton as well as Schubert Music Managing Director / Head of Recorded Music and Freakwave Co-Labelhead Thomas Thyssen to trigger the signing of the contract and future cooperation.

Creux Lies:

“We are beyond excited to be able to team up with the new Freakwave label for our upcoming releases! Eric, Thomas, and the entire Freakwave / Schubert team are long-term pros of not only the industry at large but also specifically with our dark scene. We are stoked for what the future will bring from this international partnership as we plan to spend much of our efforts and art to countries around the globe. See you all soon!”

Eric Burton (Celsius Management + Hardbeat Promotion, Managing Director + Freakwave, Co-Labelhead):

“With Creux Lies we were able to sign an absolute dream band on our Freakwave label. Hardly any other band excited me as much at the first concert as Creux Lies, which, besides the songs, is mainly due to the vocals of Ean Clevenger, whom I consider one of the best singers in the alternative scene. In the future, many bands will have to be measured against Creux Lies. “

Thomas Thyssen (Schubert Music, Managing Director/Head of Recorded Music + Freakwave, Co-Labelhead):

“Creux Lies belong to the absolute spearhead of the busiest, hardest working and – above all – most talented acts in contemporary post-punk and cold wave. We are therefore very happy to welcome Ean and his boys to Freakwave. The only thing that is even greater is the joy of brand new material from the Californians in the coming year!

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TRAITRS’ Sean-Patrick Nolan and Shawn Tucker have developed a large international fan base the old-school way within the past four years: producing good music, playing live wherever and whenever possible, and then giving their best on every damned evening and – to put it bluntly – thereby winning over pretty much every single person in the room.

Songs like “Thin Flesh”, “Witch Trials”, “Youth Cults” and “The Lovely Wounded” have been essential parts of the setlists of Cool Goth DJs around the world when you actually still could go to clubs.

The Toronto based duo used the COVID-19 self-isolation downtime creatively to work diligently on new material, which will see the light of day in 2021. Official news on this will follow in the coming weeks and months.

As the rampant pandemic currently dictates, TRAITRS met in a video call with their new label partners in the form of Celsius Management + Hardbeat Promotion Managing Director and Freakwave Co-Labelhead Eric Burton and Schubert Music Managing Director / Head of Recorded Music and Freakwave co-label head Thomas Thyssen to toast the signing of the contracts and the future collaborative shenanigans.

Shawn Tucker (TRAITRS):

“It’s a huge honour for TRAITRS to be the first band announced on the Freakwave roster. It was crucial for us to find a new place to call home and we’ve found it with Freakwave. I couldn’t be happier to start the next phase of our career with this talented team led by Thomas Thyssen and Eric Burton. With the support of Freakwave, Sean and I can continue to develop and produce our art to the best of our abilities on a much larger scale.”

Sean-Patrick Nolan (TRAITRS):

“Our goal from day one was always to create music and art in the freest and purest manner possible in the hopes that one day we could potentially live off of our art. With Freakwave and Schubert, it appears this may in fact become a reality. This is an exciting time for us and an exciting time for our fans. 2020 absolutely fucking sucks, but Shawn and I and the entire Freakwave family have busted our asses to ensure next year is a much better one.”

Eric Burton (Celsius Management + Hardbeat Promotion, Managing Director + Freakwave, Co-Labelhead):

“Starting the machines of our Freakwave label with TRAITRS is great. The band is highly motivated and knows exactly where they want to go. I am very happy to be able to accompany TRAITRS on this new path.”

Thomas Thyssen (Schubert Music, Managing Director/Head of Recorded Music + Freakwave, Co-Labelhead):

“Since we have been working with TRAITRS on different levels for a longer time already, this next step and signing them to label- and publishing deals was ultimately only a logical consequence. In any case, we are immensely happy to welcome one of, what we believe, by far the most exciting and promising Post-Punk acts of the modern era as the first band to be signed to Freakwave.”

While we wait for new material from TRAITRS, you can find their back catalog on the duo’s Bandcamp page here.

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As for the title, Freakwave takes its moniker as an homage to cult music and pop culture fandom throughout the 80s and 90s.

Read the full press release below:

FREAKWAVE is a new label born with the start of the new year, which will focus 100% on contemporary Post-Punk and Cold Wave. The two label heads running things behind the scenes are no strangers to the genre, on the contrary: Eric Burton and Thomas Thyssen have been leaving their traces in various functions since the 1990s, whether as promoters, musicians, organizers, DJs, journalists or artist managers in the (inter)national alternative and (dark) wave scene.

FREAKWAVE is distributed by The Orchard, the world’s largest indie distributor. Furthermore, the label is linked to a new, international label structure that Schubert Music Europe at the beginning of the year.

The first artists to be contracted will be announced in the coming weeks.

Thomas Thyssen (Freakwave, Label head):

“With Freakwave, we want to offer particularly outstanding bands and artists from the post-punk and cold wave scenes a contemporary home with in-house connection to: one of the world’s leading independent music publishers – Schubert Music Publishing –, our own management company, Celsius Management, backing from Hardbeat Promotion, Germany’s longest-serving alternative promotion agency and an internal booking division. Eric and I look forward to officially announcing our first signing soon.”

Eric Burton (Freakwave, Label head):

“Freakwave and the associated company environment of Schubert Music offers our artists an ideal combination of label, booking, promotion, publishing and management services. These departments must always work closely together and be able to implement tasks and achieve goals promptly. In our new setup, we have now created the ideal framework for this.”

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