Los Angeles – While at first glance, the idea of an electro-pop band fronted by Dillinger Escape Plan’s Greg Puciato sounds a bit unexpected. But, when the layers are peeled away it actually makes a whole lot of sense. Rounding out The Black Queen alongside Puciato is Nine Inch Nails and Puscifer’s Joshua Eustis and Steven Alexander, who has worked with Dillinger Escape Plan and Nine Inch Nails. Already boasting super-group status, the trio called upon Justin Meldal-Johnsen to helm the production booth, bringing in even more star power. After teasing fans with video clips and one-off singles, the band finally released their debut Fever Daydream.
While there is some influence from Eustis’s glitchy EDM group Telefon Tel Aviv, for the most part the song structures on Fever Daydream fall firmly into conventional pop song standards, the exceptions being the opening and closing tracks. There are huge, unforgettable choruses, moody verses and atmospheric interludes on nearly every single one of the 10 tracks. The Black Queen makes a fairly unique style of music that is difficult to compare with many other contemporary artists. There are flourishes from several older genres like New Wave, Goth and even classic R&B and dance music, but altogether this is a very forward-looking record.
Many have described the music on Fever Daydream as sounding “cold,” and frankly that is the first thought that comes to mind on the second track, the first true “song” of the album, “Ice to Never”, after the prelude-like opening of “Now, When I’m This”. Considering the title of the song, this chilling affect is clearly an intentionally sought-after quality. Formed in Los Angeles, The Black Queen’s music is heavily influenced by the atmosphere of Downtown Los Angeles in the late hours of the night – and for anyone who has spent time there after dark can attest that they do a great job of capturing the neighborhood’s vibe. The songs are cold and distant, a bit eerie, but at the end of the day are also quite beautiful and soothing.
So far The Black Queen has released “Distanced”, “Maybe We Should”, “Ice to Never,” and “The End to Where” from Fever Daydream, creating a music video for the first two. “Ice to Never” and “The End to Where” contain two of the album’s biggest choruses, with hooks that are impossible to get out of your head. Of all of the singles, “Distanced” has the strongest Nine Inch Nails influence, with Puciato keeping his vocals restrained over a burbling synth line that ever-so-slowly is revealed to be actually quite danceable. Towards the end of the album, “That Death Cannot Touch” has a verse with some heavy vocal influence from Trent Reznor, but veers off into a soothing chorus that is a little poppier than anything NIN is known for.
In the minds of super-fans, The Black Queen’s debut will probably fall short of the incredible hype that built from the moment Puciato announced he was working with Eustis. However, alongside Alexander, the three are able to create an intriguing and original sound that provides a foundation to grow from. It remains to be seen whether Fever Daydream will simply be a one-off collaboration between the three musicians, or the start of a promising new direction.
The Black Queen has played two shows to date, an appearance in Los Angeles on 1/29 and another in London on 2/3. Keep an eye on their shows page for any new announced concert dates.
Matt Matasci
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