Violens

Formed by former members of Lansing-Dreiden in late 2007, New York's Violens derive their name from a combination of "violence" and "violins." The band, originally comprised of Jorge Elbrecht (vocals, guitar), Iddo Arad (vocals, synthesizer), Ben Brantley (bass), and Kris King (drums), played its first show in December of 2007. With a sound influenced by such disparate elements as Zombies-style psych-pop, shoegaze, post-punk, and Miami freestyle, Violens released their self-titled EP on the Static Recital label in March 2008. Following that release, Violens toured the U.S. and Europe, tried their hand at remixes (MGMT, the Very Best), composed runway scores, and a dropped a series of seasonal mixtapes on their website. During this period the lineup of the band changed, with Brantley and King leaving and guitarist Myles Matheny joining. In 2010 the group released its debut album, Amoral, on Friendly Fire. They spent 2011 releasing songs on the Internet, creating mixtapes, playing shows, and writing new songs. One of the songs they released caught the ear of Slumberland Records, and in early 2012 the influential label released the band's second album, True. ~ Katherine Fulton