LS Dunes - Violet // Album Review

Supergroup L.S Dunes are back with their sophomore record Violet - and along with that comes a lot of expectation. From their record Past Lives made during the frustration of the Covid Pandemic, the album was a roaring achievement of talents combined to vent collective anger, angst and sheer terror of the social landscape. Back now after three years, this record offers new perspective and a newer sound, but will is deliver and connect like it did back then? Here's my track by track breakdown and review of Violet by L.S Dunes;

Like Magik - 4:15

As an opener, Like Magik does it's job with scalpel like precision and emotive explosiveness. Opening with just the vocals from Anthony Green before the instrumentation fades in, you're drawn into the track, hanging on his every word. It builds and builds, bringing in all the amazing musicians in this band to the forefront of the mix before exploding in on itself with squealing guitar solos and smashing drums. I genuinely had goosebumps listening to this first track, so much so I had to physically shiver and whoop a little to myself - yes that's how good this song sounds. This is not only L.S Dunes at their best, but also at their most immersive.

Fatal Deluxe - 3:31

A track that instantly kicks ass and takes names like this one is sure to catch anyone’s attention. Drawing a lot on their old Punk adjacent sound, it uses a brilliantly distorted guitar riff under extreme vocals. It feels a lot like some of Black Flags stuff, but if Black Flag were making decent music in the modern day. The track also nails growing under its own pace, stripping itself back to a plucked motif before launching back into that punk verse again. It hits some more punchy moments before going back to that motif and creating an emotional refrain of repeated phrases that bring the song to its end. It’s a great track, full of all the things that made me fall in love with this band in the first place, but with this new shade of vulnerability I really enjoyed hearing on this record.

I Can See It Now... - 3:45

The bass tone in this track is chunky, and when you put it underpinning those beautiful nasal vocals, you get an insanely good juxtaposition. The drums are volatile, a marching tom beat that's all parts rapid and violent. The chorus took me a moment to sink my teeth into, but when it all clicks it's a joyous experience. The lead guitar ripping through the lyrics and screamed background vocals - this is L.S Dunes waving the Post Hardcore flag. It's edgy and intense, but also allows itself to flourish in those guitar parts, all whilst that bass and drum combo chuggs in the background.

Violet - 4:21

I have a lot to say about the title track of this record, because not only is it a beautiful sounding track, but the sheer beauty of the lyricism in this song is something to marvel at. The dichotomy of the delicacy of the vocal performance and the deep seated regret in the lyrics, but then that explosive extreme emphasis on the ends of words adds this whole other layer to L.S Dunes, and opens up those wounds that were first looked at in Fatal Deluxe. We see that motif again of the screamed backing vocals, and it adds that extra layer of sound to the mix, that perfect complexity. The chorus and bridge section should be studied, they have this inexplicable swing to them, as well as that punk violence and distorted chords - playing with the balance of their own range and sound.

Machines - 4:06

Machines is an amazing track that is not only listenable, but also insanely replayable. It has everything that's good about this band distilled down to an awesome bitesize chunk. You want an ass kicking chorus? Got it. Emotive verses with awesome lead guitar? Got it in spades. Lyrics that bleed and bite all at once? What more could you want? This song is just what L.S Dunes do best, this strange emotional volatility. It builds to this awesome crescendo of a chorus, with crashing cymbals and those insane extreme vocals dancing across the top. The mix never gets muddy, never gets overwhelming, just holds that perfect balance of bringing enough texture to make the song exciting and interesting.

You Deserve to be Haunted - 3:28

Leading straight on from the last track, this song takes no break. It slams into insane extremes and wailing guitars, with sweeping lyric sections. It slides on into the chorus, with a drum beat that thrives on a brilliant ride beat, before using that thick bass tone to move straight back into the chorus. That bass tone that sits perfectly below the rest of the instrumentation is really the star of this track - although the makeup of this track is classic L.S Dunes. It's not a showstopper of a track, and to be honest, the things this track flexes have been done a little better on other songs, that by no means connotes that this track isn't good.

Holograms - 3:41

This track is yet another tour de force of what this band does best. Introspective lyrics layered over some killer backdrop. The vocals are what make this song so good, the screamed backings and insane highs of the chorus make this one a real flex of Green's vocal chops. Once again, nothing insane to note, but goddamn does this track sound good. It's a song that's physically satisfying to listen to, everything fits into place, the chunky bass, the vocals and smooth drum beat, it all just works pretty seamlessly. Great track.

Paper Tigers - 3:48

Boy, do I love Paper Tigers. Released as a single a little bit ago, I've had a long time to fall in love with this track. At it's core it's a volatile masterpiece of Post - Hardcore magic. That intro, with the guitar and smashed symbols says enough. This is a song that bleeds the very DNA of this band. Lyrics so emotive and raw over some of the most sharp instrumental performances I've heard - it's a pleasure to listen to. Paper Tigers is simmering, crunching proof that this band is not going out without a fight, and it's going to be on their own turf, and until they draw blood. I love this track, it's a top three on this record for sure - and Iero's insane guitar skills on this one lay the foundations for a truly impressive show.

Things I Thought Would Last Forever - 3:43

Need an easy listening experience after all the explosive emotion and violence? This track is exactly what you need. Not a straight up fist fight, but also not a walk in the park, this song is as much of a middle ground as you can get. I'd be remiss to say this one is boring - it's quite the opposite. It's full of brilliant guitar moments, more impactful bass and crashing cymbals, but it's at a pace that might be a little more manageable. A slower burn for sure, but a decent entry that changes the pace for the better.

Forgiveness - 4:20

I prattle on and on about how a closer for a record has to be pretty dead on. It has to boil itself down to the entirety of the project its on, deliver themes and core sounds all in a digestible chunk of wizardry, and boy oh boy is Forgiveness one of those rare nuggets of perfection. A ballad of emotional purity, of lyrics that truly ooze emotional sincerity and bared scars, and some drop dead performances from the supergroups line-up, this song keeps you perfectly on tenterhooks from front to back. The thumping tom beat creating that perfect tension that allows that chorus to really hook you in - it's masterful. It ties this entire record into a pretty little bow, leaving me really satisfied with this project front to back. This is another emotional song that i really connect to, this theme of regret in our past, asking for the grace of peoples forgiveness until they eventually forget our previous trespasses, I feel that to my core. It's one hell of a closer, and one that hits close to home for me.

Overall: I say this a lot, but allowing this record to truly sit with me over the past few weeks has made me realise that this album came around at the perfect time. Chocked full of violence, agression and attack, but also introspection, gushing vaulnerability and lyricisim that is next to none, Violet is a bit of a masterpeice. I say a bit, because the odd track in there didn't change my world view at times (I'm looking at you You Deserve to be Haunted) but it by no means takes away from this record and all it's brilliance.

Rating: 4/5