Los Angeles based artist Violent Vickie brings raw, riot grrrl energy to her heavy, dark wave synth project which she dubs “Dark SynthRiot.” Her songs a dark and brooding, often implementing gritty textures and echoing beats. She’s fresh off the release of her sophomore LP Division, which was released on September 4, 2020. The LP is a follow-up to her debut album Monster Alley, released in 2013.
Division is a collection of songs that were started in 2014 and finished in 2019 and 2020 following the completion of earning her Masters Degree in Social Work and a stint working at a drug rehab. The album was teased with singles “Serotonin” and “Circle Square.” Vicki shares about several of the songs on her Bandcamp: “Division dabbles in a wide range of genres including witchhouse, darkwave, synthpop, synthpunk, electro and experimental. In ‘Serotonin’ and ‘The Gloom’ Vickie wildly yearns for lost love and lust, while in ‘Circle Square’ she emotes the feeling of not fitting into the box. In ‘Gaslight’ Vickie explores the cognitive dissonance that comes with loving someone that is displaying abusive behavior. ‘Lovelace’ was written after watching a disturbing documentary about Linda Lovelace’s experience in the porn industry and the tongue in cheek ‘Under the Gun’ was written about a heartless boss while driving in the car. Influences run deep on this record from dark electronic artists like Gesaffelstein, Crystal Castles, and Adult., post-punk bands like Joy Division and the Numbers and riot grrrl bands like Sleater Kinney and Le Tigre.”
“Serotonin” premiered with a witchy, black and white music video on April 10, 2020. The stunningly shot, ethereal video pairs well with the dark, atmospheric sound of the song, in which Vickie sings about her yearning for love and lust. Watch the video here:
In the video for “Under The Gun,” Vickie takes you for a late night drive through Hollywood with this fast-paced, dark techno inspired track. This imagery juxtaposed with ’50s-era secretary shots along with lyrics “you live your life / under the gun” creates a feminist commentary on the stresses of being a working professional woman in the world. While the video aired in October 2020, it could easily be placed in the ’80s with its’ overall look. Watch the video here:
Inspired by riot grrrl, electro and industrial music, Vickie programs beats, plays synth and sings, screams and talk-raps with a backdrop of hyper color visuals. The artist has toured the US and Europe, performing at several festivals and has shared the stage with The Missing Persons, Trans X, Them Are Us Too and Mika Miko. Dive into her latest album and get inspired by her dark wave sounds and riot grrrl attitude.
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