A Wishbone in the Rye — A Spotlight on DC Lo-Fi Darkwave Artist Januarius

Anticipation on the edge of paradise forlorn,
Orphan dreams come running just as soon as they are born.
Faster than the speed of life, you sink like a stone,
Hanging from the ledge by the crack of a wishbone.

Januarius, a seasoned musician since the early 2000s, has trodden a turbulent trail through DC’s underground scene, leaving their mark with bands like The Chance, The Mirror Script, and Ghost Light. Their musical metamorphosis unfolded in Philadelphia’s South Street, a rough-and-tumble, electric haven reminiscent of the Lower East Side’s chaotic charm. Frequenting fabled spots like the Trocadero and exploring eclectic record shops and punk apparel outlets (RIP Zipperhead), Januarius was seduced by punk’s raw, rebellious essence. This yearning for a more liberated, less constricted creative space steered them toward the post-punk realm. Embracing a fierce DIY, lo-fi ethos, Januarius champions the notion that punk’s true spirit lies in defying rules, not dictating them.

“My main creative influence has always been Philadelphia,” he reflects. “I grew up in an era of urban blight, which forced me to look at the world differently and find beauty in places where one wouldn’t typically experience it…I’ve always felt like a perpetual outsider my whole life and can be rather misanthropic in terms of my hopes for humanity…Whether it was growing up gay and artistically minded in a tough working-class urban area, not fitting in with the DC music scene, or despising the soulless pablum of the modern LGBT world, I’ve always been on the outside. Never blend in.”

Januarius continues this outsider’s journey with their new single, “A Wishbone in the Rye.” In this track, the synth sings its sorrowful solo, swirling with shoegaze’s spectral tremolo, distant whispers, and layered echoes. Januarius, drawn to lo-fi’s languid allure, revels in the nostalgic crackle of old vinyl, the fuzzy hum of portable radios, and the tinny hiss of ancient cassettes. “The lo-fi aesthetic mimics the sense of listening to music on a small radio or cassette player,” he muses. “That sound sends people back to a time where core memories and feelings that have been buried somewhere in the subconscious emerge. I hope this makes people connect much more with the music.”

“A Wishbone in the Rye” spins a tale of vanishing dreams and inevitable despair. It charts the crumbling of hopes, symbolized by falling and drowning, turning ambitions into ashes. The song’s imagery—wishbones, crowns of thorns, and shattered glass—depicts the delicate disappointment of chasing unreachable ideals, culminating in a deep, despairing sense of futility. This song, a melancholic nod to J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, is more than a mere homage. “It was written as a sort of lament for a talented and promising young person who I saw get absorbed by the worst social elements of my community,” Januarius says. “I was basically saying there was no longer anyone there to catch you before you fall. It’s simply up to chance whether the vampires get their claws in you or not. A 50/50 shot, just like a wishbone.”

A distinct dimension in Januarius’s sound comes from their love for the guitar-driven rawness of The Wipers, a band whose influence resonates in the angular riffs and emotionally charged solos that thread through their music. “Greg Sage of The Wipers is perhaps my biggest musical influence,” he reveals. “He was never shy about letting the guitars rip, and I wanted to do the same—emphasize my roots as a punk rock guitar player. The idea of a guitar solo in every song is partly a tribute to Sage’s fearlessness and partly a challenge to myself to merge that unbridled intensity with the spectral vibes of cold wave and post-punk.”

Januarius’s other influences are just as eclectic. “I’ve never wanted to have any limits on what I do and try to let whatever influence bubbles to the surface take shape,” he explains. Januarius draws from literature, naming Ugo Foscolo, Arthur Rimbaud, Allen Ginsberg, Jim Carroll, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti as direct artistic ancestors of the punk movement. These influences seep into their lyrics, which, like their music, are a blend of stark realism and poetic surrealism. “The visual imagery is essential to creating the atmosphere of the song as much as the sound of the instruments,” they assert.

Tracks like “Rave On” and “Strange Illusions” echo this fusion of visual and auditory aesthetics, drawing inspiration from film and art. “David Lynch has been a huge influence on my music,” he admits. “I also love old silent movies like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Haxan, and The Phantom of the Opera. Sergio Leone is a big influence, as is the musical landscape created by Ennio Morricone in his films. If David Lynch directed a cinematic version of a Caravaggio fresco, I think it would look and feel like my music sounds.”

In his upcoming album, “Glass Eyes, Glass Ghosts,” slated for a winter release, Januarius plans to expand on these themes, perhaps leaning further into their love for noise rock and the early ’80s No Wave scene. “I’m hoping to find new unorthodox recording techniques to experiment with as well,” he hints. “I’ve always tried not to copy people who influenced me but rather to seek what they sought. I approach music like a historian in a lot of ways. Working backwards helps me to move forward.”

In this forward momentum, Januarius sees music as a key to cultural redemption. “Humans have been blessed with tremendous gifts that other living beings do not have, like emotions, creative fire, and thought,” he concludes. “We’ve squandered these things though in favor of cultural banality, tribalism, endless profit, and ideology. A better world is possible if we embrace our creative ingenuity and humanity. Music is key to that, I believe.”

Listen to A Wishbone In The Rye via Bandcamp below, and order it here.

Going forward, Januarius hopes to perform more live shows and create music videos and is currently assembling musicians to round out the project.

Folllow Januarius:

• Spotify
• Bandcamp
• Instagram
• LinkTree