Sweeter than a Georgia peach yet steeped in nocturnal allure, Atlanta-based dark synth-pop duo Teardux pushes forward with an ever-growing momentum with the debut of yet another shimmering dancefloor anthem, Violets.
This latest single, from a band that has not yet released anything less than a darkwave banger, showcases Valerie Andra’s hauntingly evocative vocals and Dylan Anderson’s exquisite command of beats and melodies. Andra’s ethereal voice, echoing early Madonna with a subtle southern twang, slices through Anderson’s chiming synths and shadowy beats, leading listeners like a spectral guide. Together, their enthralling fusion of rhythm and emotion recalls the essence of Pet Shop Boys and Xymox, yet their distinctive dance music edge distinguishes them within the underground music scene.
Violets also strongly evokes the spirit of Depeche Mode’s Music For The Masses era, particularly the hypnotic pulse of Behind The Wheel. Imagine ’80s pop and classic darkwave reverberating like a disco ball casting its fragmented light in an abandoned shopping mall. Like a forgotten place where neon signs still flicker in hues of magenta and blue, enveloping store windows in a neon-tinged ghostly glow, this is the sound and vision that Teardux pulls from their aural dream space.
“Violets is about a vivid, hypnagogic fever-dream where it’s difficult to discern reality from fantasy,” says the band. “Washes of color and blurred dark street corners. Where pieces of your relationships and daily life bleed into your dreams becoming contorted and exaggerated. All while having no agency of your own.”
The lyrics of Violets wade through the deep, melancholic waters of love lost and the lingering, spectral memories it leaves behind. Phrases such as “Your heart of stone, I slept in silence” and “This love you confiscated, I’m left with nothing but disdain” paint a vivid picture of a relationship fraught with bitterness and turmoil. The imagery of “a rose left in the dead of night” and “skies of violets” conjures a haunting beauty, a poignant blend of sorrow and splendor. The chorus echoes the themes of love seized and disdain, encapsulating the tangled emotions at play. Andra’s voice, ethereal and evocative, guides listeners through these ghostly lines, drawing them into a world where the echoes of love’s past haunt the mind like whispers in the dark.
Listen to Violets below via Bandcamp, and add the song to your darkwave playlists on Spotify:
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