
After a band as talented as L.S. Dunes is crafted their stunning debut album, Past Lives, the pressure was compounded for them to deliver once again. Luckily the “supergroup” of drummer Tucker Rule and bassist Tim Payne (Thursday), guitarist Frank Iero (My Chemical Romance), guitarist Travis Stever (Coheed & Cambria) and vocalist Anthony Green (Circa Survive, Saosin) are well up to the task at hand on Violet. The set was once again produced by veteran hit-maker Will Yip and showcases the subtle improvements the band has made to their already dynamic sound. The record is filled with several ambitious moments that hit the listener in the feels right away. Look no further than the opener of “Like Magick” that starts off with Green doing his vocals a cappella before the rest of his bandmates join in on the mix.
On the new album Travis Stever shares, “Violet is a sonic journey into the depths of every band member of L.S. Dunes. The collaborative efforts to bring each song to a full potential came naturally. It’s the album that has always lived in us individually but could only be made together. It has melodies that have lived within me since I was a child. It was only with this band I would be able to find a place where they could find a home in song.” While Past Lives showcased the promise of the future of this ultra-talented group of musicians, Violet feels more like the band becoming more of a single unit in their artistic development.
After the cool guitar groove found on the opener, L.S. Dunes settle into a comfortable setting on “Fatal Deluxe” that begins with shouted vocals from Green before he later croons, “It’s a faceless crowd / A conscience lost / A dark secreting content salvage yard / Shallow grave / It’s a toxic themed anniversary / Where everybody goes as their own ghost / A viral funeral post.” The vivid lyrical imagery is what we’ve come to expect from Anthony Green, but he really does an outstanding job of making us believe in every pointed lyric.
After an interesting drum fill by Tucker Rule to open “I Can See It Now…”, bassist Tim Payne comes in with a pulsating bass line that reverberates throughout the heavy song. Green continues to captivate in his overall vocal performance as he gets his bandmates to rally around him. The title track remains the standout in the set as Green sways above the smooth mix on the mid-tempo ballad in a swooning fashion. The chorus of, “Know that I forgive you, but I never will forget / Unmoved by the attention / So I reverse the sentiment / The closure that I gave you, I regretted it,” pulls the listener in and provides some key insight on the complexities of relationships.
The steady beat and pulse of “Machines” is one of the more straight-forward rock songs in L.S. Dunes arsenal, and they highlight their improvements in their band chemistry greatly here. “You Deserve To Be Haunted” leans more into the progressive hardcore that Thursday have leaned into, but guitarist Frank Iero has his fingerprints all over this song too as he overlays his guitar attack with slick precision.
The back half of the record has tons of cool moments too. From the bass-driven “Holograms” to the dynamic brilliance found on single “Paper Tigers,” the band really continues to amaze. On the latter, Green expands upon the brief first chorus by adding in some additional context in later iterations of the chorus singing, “You’re gonna have to be the one that’s gonna change that / Bow down and shake the Earth / Whatever moves the world / You’re gonna have to be the one that’s gonna change that /
Remember, time doesn’t change our odds.” The great lyrical wordplay remains top notch.
”Things I Thought Would Last Forever” explains the state many of us are in these days doom-scrolling our phones in the second verse of, “If we trace the wave / Exists a twin fire / What’s keeping you awake / Upon the screen light / Find and split the days / A deadly soundbite / What’s keeping you engaged / Upon the screen light.” Album closer, “Forgiveness” is a solid reminder of all the styles that each of these talented musicians bring into L.S. Dunes, and makes for a memorable and lasting statement.
As much as I loved Past Lives, I strongly believe Violet is the better of the two records as it solidified my feeling towards these band members coming together. They were meant to create this music at this exact time when the world needs it most. The post-hardcore scene may occasionally be hit or miss, but L.S. Dunes deliver all over on this incredible sophomore statement. Music is forever, and long live L.S. Dunes.