Post-Hardcore Heavyweights L.S. Dunes Fervidly Forgive on New Album ‘Violet’

Emo supergroup L.S. Dunes’ sophomore album ‘Violet’ is an acid-tongued post-hardcore masterpiece, an excellent follow-up record that captures the ever-evolving strengths of the band. 

L.S. Dunes have gone from strength to strength since their debut in 2022. Formed by members of post-hardcore and emo heavy hitters such as Thursday and Coheed and Cambria, each member of the band’s influence is apparent. They carved out a unique space in the scene with their first album ‘Past Lives’, with its sweeping melodies, anthemic guitar solos, and its vivid lyricism. L.S. Dunes’ is on its own scale, and ‘Violet’ is no exception. 

‘Violet’ further demonstrates the group’s dynamic take on post-hardcore. It is a natural successor to ‘Past Lives’, it conjures a similar rich soundscape - but it pushes the first album’s ideas further. Velvety opener ‘Like Magick’ envelops the reader within the world of the album, its gentle isolated vocal contrasting the intense yell that opened their debut ‘2022’. Singer Anthony Green (Circa Survive, Saosin) is backed by a slower tempo and rich instrumental, the jangly guitar tones - from Frank Iero (My Chemical Romance) and Travis Stever (Coheed and Cambria) respectively - playfully weaving in and out of each other. The song transitions seamlessly into ‘Fatal Deluxe’, the first single off the album and a persistent reminder of the dynamic style of the band. It is a perfect example of the balance between abrasive and gentle that L.S. Dunes often explore within their music with its call-and-response between screams and harmonies. 

Although the album still captures the fast aggression that is so unique to L.S. Dunes’ dynamic sound, there is an ever-present softness to the album that allows the sting of the lyrics to fester with great intensity. Title track ‘Violet’ demonstrates this excellently - its narrator is ambiguous in tone as Green sings ‘‘you’re going to get what you deserve’’. Seemingly through gritted teeth, there is an undeniable tinge of hopefulness peppered throughout as the aforementioned line is paired with “you are the only star”. Green’s falsetto stands out almost as if it is battling against the minor chords played behind it. The title track exemplifies the album's core sense of bitter hopefulness. 

Violet, in its own special way, is a much more positive offering than the band's debut; full of existential dread and medical imagery as a result of being conceptualised during the pandemic. Bittersweet optimism is echoed further on the next song ‘Machines’, as Green repeats “try again try again try again”. 

Stand-out tracks on the record include the biting ‘You Deserve To Be Haunted’, which demonstrates the band at their best. Fast and unforgiving. The scornful lyrics paired with the incessant interplay of guitars and the infectious bassline courtesy of Tim Payne (Thursday) converge to form a richly layered slice of post-hardcore delight. There is an electric synergy within the band, each member’s influence is apparent and recogniseable, resulting in a highly addictive style that offers multitudes to die-hard fans and beginners to the genre alike. 

Additionally, the album's closer ‘Forgiveness’ acts somewhat as a thesis statement for the record. With this newfound will to forgive, the song is pushed forward by Tucker Rule (Thursday) and his cascading drums, clean and driving as ever throughout the whole record but given their time to shine here especially. The building drums throughout the bridge heighten the emotion of the track - emphasising the notion of emotional exhaustion and desperate persistence. The grandeur of the track represents the turmoil of its narrator as Green pleads “don’t stop loving me the way you did back then”. However, true to the nature of the record you cannot help but feel this sense of hope especially as the guitars begin to reference the iconic poppy hook of The Cure’s ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ - a song with similar themes of disillusionment within a relationship tinged with a sickly positivism. It is almost as if the narrator is repeating to themselves that “boys don’t cry” as a way to move on. 

Like ‘Past Lives’, there is a sense of pain to the sound, a grandiose melancholy that is weaved into each track. A heavy emotional weight clings to the record, one that viscerally surrounds the listener, embracing them in a dense pool of sound, a comforting beast. However, what sets it apart from its predecessor and demonstrates a great amount of growth both emotionally and musically is the glimmer of light that the band have allowed to permeate their sound. There is a brilliant sense of conflicting emotion that runs from track to track, which is unendingly striking. 

L.S. Dunes are currently supporting Rise Against on tour throughout the UK and EU. The band launched the album with an intimate show at Kingston’s Banquet Records, surrounded by the passion (and sweat) of fans who received the album with open arms. ‘Violet’ is an outstanding album, coming in at just under 40 minutes, the project is a commanding example of the emotional power of post-hardcore played by some of the genre’s best. 

Eylem Boz

@itwslv

Image:‘Violet’ Official Album Cover

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