SOFT VEIN, the solo project of California-based musician Justin Chamberlain (Harsh Symmetry), blends industrial, darkwave, and electronic elements to create music about lust, love, and the human condition. SOFT VEIN burst onto the post-punk scene with a captivating blend of cold wave, industrial, and modern darkwave, debuting “GIVEUPTHEGHOST” in October 2022.
Today he follows up with the sinister, cold industrial-influenced darkwave dance track “VIOLENTIA,” with distant, distorted vocals haunting minimalistic drum machines, metallic synthetic percussion, and haunting synths. The effect paints a vivid picture of desperation and lust in the dark, but with a strangely romantic bend. The angel and devil on your shoulder duke it out in a dance-off of pulsing synth basslines, lush synth, icy guitars, and heartbeat drums. One can imagine it being sung by a ghost with a deal he needs to settle.
“It’s a song about feelings of shame, doubt, inadequacy and self-violence in pursuit of desire,” Chamberlain clarifies. We hear elements of Boy Harsher, Panther Modern, Nitzer Ebb, Selofan, and The Human League in this spooky sonic confessional.
Listen below:
The track was written and produced by Justin Chamberlain, and mixed and mastered by Ewan Alastair Kay (KONTRAVOID).
SOFT VEIN’s debut single, “GIVEUPTHEGHOST,” was released in late 2022, giving fans a taste of what’s to come as the artist began recording their first LP and performing unreleased material at select live shows.
“This project is a culmination of darker influences and life experiences,” says Chamberlain. “I wanted to make music that could feel sort of cold and industrial, but brooding and romantic at the same time; sort of a duality…so it made sense to me that my first single would be this song about love and obsession that will slowly kill you if you don’t kill it first.”
SOFT VEIN will support darkwave acts This Cold Night and Forever Grey on back-to-back shows in southern California in March, coinciding with the release of his upcoming single.
- March 3rd, 2023 – Kensington Club, San Diego, California
- March 4th, 2023 – Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California
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