Voluptuous Panic
Voluptuous Panic | |
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Origin | Grand Rapids, Michigan |
Genres | |
Years active | 2013 | –present
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Website |
voluptuouspanicmusic |
Members |
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Voluptuous Panic is an American indie rock duo founded in 2013 by Gretchen DeVault, who is the primary singer and songwriter in the prominent indie-pop group The Icicles, and music journalist/author Brian J. Bowe. The duo’s music has been described as hypnotic, textured and dreamy, mixing elements of shoegaze, dream pop and trip-hop.[1]
After the Icicles earned attention in the indie pop world through international placements in commercials for Target Corporation and Motorola, DeVault developed a need for an outlet for the more melancholic side of her writing—particularly after her struggle with postpartum depression.[2] Bowe and DeVault began collaborating in 2010 when they recorded Bowe's score for the film "The Death of an Imam",[3][4] which was nominated for a regional Emmy[5] and won the Best of Festival Award at the Broadcast Education Association's Festival of Media Arts.[6] They adopted the name Voluptuous Panic in 2013, after Bowe came upon the phrase in the book "Frame Analysis" by sociologist Erving Goffman.[7] During that period, Bowe was living in France and teaching at CELSA Paris. He began sharing song ideas with the Michigan-based DeVault remotely. This process of recording separately is one the group retains. In an interview, Bowe called the remote recording process one of Voluptuous Panic’s defining characteristics. “It’s a slow conversation, but it allows us to access deep emotional spaces that might not be possible in a room with a lot of other people,” he said.[8]
Starting in 2014, Voluptuous Panic began releasing a series of singles.[9][10] The group earned notice as “one of the most stylish guitar bands to emerge on the shoegaze scene” [11] and has drawn frequent comparisons to Slowdive, which the group cites as an influence.[12][13] In 2015, they collaborated with French electronic musician Human Koala on the song “Zyva,” which combined psychedelic guitars with modular synthesizers and drum machine beats.[14]
In 2016, Voluptuous Panic released an EP titled “Une Sorte de Panique Voluptueuse,” which was a remixed collection of its earliest demos.[15] The group also appeared on the compilation “Big Day Coming,” a tribute to the band Yo La Tengo.[16]
Voluptuous Panic rarely performs live. For a few shows in 2013, the group was augmented by a rock rhythm section that included Icicles drummer Zane DeVault; in 2014, they performed with Icicles keyboardist Joleen Rumsey.[17]
Discography
- ’’Fall Away’’ (2014)
- ’’Polar Vortex’’ (2014)
- ’’Zyva’’ (2015)
- ’’Petit Ciel Bleu’’ (2015)
- ’’Midnight Chrome’’(2015)
- ’’Trapped in Amber’’ (2015)
- ’’Une Sorte de Panique Voluptueuse’’ (2016)
- Appears on ’’Big Day Coming, A Tribute to Yo La Tengo’’ (2016)
References
- ↑ http://theblogthatcelebratesitself.blogspot.com/2015/10/midnight-chrome-with-voluptuous-panic.html
- ↑ http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/05/prweb12735512.htm
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1905039/
- ↑ http://www.muslimsubjects.org/deathofanimam/about-2/
- ↑ https://www.gvsu.edu/gvnow/2011/two-grand-valley-faculty-members-films-nominated-for-emmy-awards-5702.htm
- ↑ http://www.beaweb.org/wp/?p=408
- ↑ http://theblogthatcelebratesitself.blogspot.com/2015/10/midnight-chrome-with-voluptuous-panic.html
- ↑ http://theblogthatcelebratesitself.blogspot.com/2015/10/midnight-chrome-with-voluptuous-panic.html
- ↑ http://musichronic.weebly.com/review/voluptuous-panic-fall-away
- ↑ http://revuewm.com/music/item/2484-track-of-the-week-polar-vortex-by-voluptuous-panic
- ↑ http://www.nugazer.com/2014/03/voluptuous-panic-fall-away.html
- ↑ http://oyeminoize.blogspot.com/2014_04_01_archive.html
- ↑ http://www.nugazer.com/2014/03/voluptuous-panic-fall-away.html
- ↑ http://primalmusicblog.com/music/new-music-premier-voluptuous-panic-w-human-koala-zyva/
- ↑ http://us3.campaign-archive2.com/?u=855419532e5289d8e6ce64416&id=7283129687
- ↑ https://theblogthatcelebratesitself.bandcamp.com/album/big-day-coming-a-tribute-to-yo-la-tengo
- ↑ https://trumbullplex.org/category/shows/page/20/
External links
- Official website
- Voluptuous Panic on Bandcamp
- Facebook profile
- Twitter profile
- Midnight Chrome with Voluptuous Panic - An Interview