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Drab Majesty

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Drab Majesty
Drab Majesty performing live in Warsaw, 2018
Drab Majesty performing live in Warsaw, 2018
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, US
Genres
Years active2011–present
LabelsDais
MembersDeb Demure
Mona D
Websitedrabmajesty.bandcamp.com

Drab Majesty is an American musical project founded by Andrew Clinco in Los Angeles, California in 2011.[5] Clinco, the drummer for the band Marriages, adopted the androgynous character of Deb Demure for the project.[6] Keyboardist and vocalist Mona D (Alex Nicolaou) joined the band in 2016.[7]

Since signing to Dais Records, Drab Majesty has released three albums: Careless (2015), The Demonstration (2017) and Modern Mirror (2019).[8][9][10][11]

Drab Majesty combine androgynous aesthetics and commanding vocals with futuristic and occult lyrics, a style Demure refers to as "tragic wave". To create his imposing stage presence, Demure employed costumes, makeup and props to accompany his lush, '80s-influenced soundscapes.[12][13]

History

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Early history (2011–2015)

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The idea for Drab Majesty came to Andrew Clinco in 2011 while drumming for the Los Angeles-based group Marriages. Interested in creating music where he performed all of the instruments himself, Clinco wrote and recorded several songs alone in his bedroom. Clinco stated that he felt some sense of alarm while playing back the music he had recorded, claiming that it was as if another person had made it. "Listening back I just didn’t feel like I was listening to myself [...] It sounded like someone else". This experience provided the inspiration for Clinco to create his alter ego, Deb Demure.[14]

Clinco was originally a drummer, but Emma Ruth Rundle, his bandmate as the lead vocalist/guitarist in Marriages, inspired him to learn how to play the guitar for Drab Majesty. His biggest influences were Mark Kozelek's Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon projects, as well as Vini Reilly of The Durutti Column and Maurice Deebank of Felt.[15]

Drab Majesty's debut EP Unarian Dances was self-released in 2012. Initially limited to 100 cassette copies, the EP was later picked up and released by Lollipop Records.[16] The record's title was inspired by the Unarian Academy, a UFO cult whose appearances on public-access television Demure described as being "intoxicating".[14] The EP, which features some contributing guest vocals from Rundle, was described as a "space-age pastiche" and likened to the work of bands such as Slowdive.[6]

Drab Majesty signed with Dais Records in 2015 and shortly thereafter released the single "Unknown to the I", which had been described as a "lo-fi take on the 80s".[17][18] Careless, Drab Majesty's first full-length album, was released later that year. Recorded at Demure's home studio over the course of 2 years,[17] Careless was inspired by a song a close friend of Demure's had written.[14] The following year, Dais Records re-released the album with extra tracks featuring all studio material released thus far as a compilation titled Completely Careless. It consisted of all tracks from debut album Careless, plus the two B-sides from the "Unknown to the I" single, the five tracks of the Unarian Dances limited edition EP, new tracks "Waiting Game" and "Silhouette", and a remix of "The Foyer".

Becoming a duo (2016–present)

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A photo of Deb Demure of Drab Majesty
Deb Demure performing live in Brooklyn, 2016

In 2016, Drab Majesty expanded into a duo with the addition of keyboardist Alex Nicolaou, who performs as the character Mona D.[19] He is the son of horror director Ted Nicolaou and was originally brought on to enhance the group's theatrics while touring North America and Europe in 2016.[9]

Drab Majesty released their second album The Demonstration in January 2017 to favorable reviews. The Demonstration is a concept album that deals with the psychology of mass suicide, referencing in particular the ideology of Marshall Applewhite, the leader of the Heaven's Gate cult.[20] The duo toured North America with Cold Cave, and later toured Europe alongside King Dude, with whom they collaborated on the single "Who Taught You How to Love?" the year before.[21]

In late 2017, the duo released a 7-inch single, titled "Oak Wood", for the 10th anniversary celebration of Dais Records.[22] The song was written in honor of Cash Askew, co-founder of the band Them Are Us Too, who died in the 2016 Oakland warehouse fire.[23] The title "Oak Wood", according to Demure, is a direct translation of Askew's name.[24] The single featured a B-side called "Egress", an instrumental guitar piece.[25] The duo embarked on their North American Fall From the Sky tour in September;[26] the tour included a stop at the 2017 Cold Waves Festival in Chicago.[27] They extended their tour to Europe in Winter of 2018.[28]

Drab Majesty's third album, Modern Mirror, was released in 2019, supported by the singles "Ellipsis", "Oxytocin" and "Out of Sequence". The band was scheduled to play the goth, post-punk and new wave festival Cruel World in 2020, which was postponed until 2022.[29][30]

Over the COVID-19 pandemic, Demure worked more on his side project VR Sex. In 2022, Drab Majesty opened for AFI on their fall tour. Demure revealed that the band would add a live drummer soon within the next year.[31]

On June 6, 2023, Drab Majesty released "Vanity" featuring Slowdive's Rachel Goswell, the lead single to their EP An Object in Motion. The EP was released on August 25.[32] Drab Majesty opened for Slowdive during their North American tour in 2023 and 2024.[33] In May 2024, Drab Majesty released "Photograph" for the soundtrack to the film I Saw the TV Glow. Director Jane Schoenbrun asked the band to compose a song similar to "that Echo & the Bunnymen song on the Pretty In Pink soundtrack" ("Bring On the Dancing Horses").[34]

Members

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  • Andrew "Deb Demure" Clinco - guitars, vocals, percussion (2011–present)
  • Alex "Mona D" Nicolaou - keyboards, vocals (2016–present)

Discography

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Studio albums

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Singles

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  • "Unknown to the I" (2015)
  • "The Heiress"/"The Demon" (2016)
  • "Oak Wood" (2017)
  • "Ellipsis" (2019)
  • "Long Division" (2019)
  • "Oxytocin" (2019)
  • "Out of Sequence" (2019)
  • "No Rain" (2020)
  • "Photograph" (2024)

EPs

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  • "Unarian Dances" (2012)
  • "An Object in Motion" (2023)

Compilations

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  • Completely Careless [2012-2015] (2016)

References

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  1. ^ Bergstrom, John (18 July 2019). "Drab Majesty:; Modern Mirror (July 11, 2019)". PopMatters. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  2. ^ Hubner, J (11 July 2019). "Album Review: Drab Majesty's Modern Mirror (July 11, 2019)". Backseat Mafia. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  3. ^ Feenstra, Gerrit. "Drab Majesty on Touring with Their Idols Smashing Pumpkins (December 4, 2018)". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  4. ^ Gravley, Garrett. "Review: Drab Majesty at Club Dada (December 5, 2018)". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Drab Majesty's Deb Demure Wants to Whisk You Off to an Icy Dreamland Where Gender Doesn't Matter". Noisey.vice.com. 23 June 2015.
  6. ^ a b Tavana, Art (3 October 2014). "Drab Majesty Is L.A.'s Most Glamorous Freak". Laweekly.com.
  7. ^ "This is what Drab Majesty would play at their funeral". Interviewmagazine.com. November 3, 2017.
  8. ^ "Modern Mirror, by DRAB MAJESTY". Drabmajesty.bandcamp.com. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Johnson, Dan (10 November 2017). "The End Is Here: The Rise of L.A.'s Drab Majesty". Los Angeles Downtown News.
  10. ^ "The 101 Best Songs of 2017". Spin.com. 20 December 2017.
  11. ^ "Drab Majesty: The Demonstration". Kjnk.org. March 14, 2017.
  12. ^ "Drab Majesty: The tragic wave of the silent ones". Gazette Musicale. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  13. ^ Carpenter, Lorraine (2017-01-17). "Drab Majesty's divinely inspired tragic-wave music". Cult MTL. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  14. ^ a b c Bennett, J (23 June 2015). "Drab Majesty's Deb Demure Wants to Whisk You Off to an Icy Dreamland Where Gender Doesn't Matter (23 June 2015)". Vice. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  15. ^ "Drab Majesty Talks Chorus Pedals, Casio Synths, and the Selfless Act of Songwriting". reverb.com. 2017-11-14. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  16. ^ "Drab Majesty". Dais Records. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  17. ^ a b "Drab Majesty - Careless LP". Dais Records. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  18. ^ Purdum, Grant. "Drab Majesty - Unknown to the I [Cassingle; Dais] (4 August 2015)". Tiny Mix Tapes. Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  19. ^ "Drab Majesty - The Demonstration". Dais Records. Dais Records. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  20. ^ "Drab Majesty's divinely inspired tragic-wave music". Cultmtl.com. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  21. ^ "Drab Majesty's Highly Anticipated Sophomore LP "The Demonstration" Review (16 January 2017)". CVLT Nation. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  22. ^ "Drab Majesty Honors the Memory of Cash Askew in New Song 'Oak Wood' (1 September 2017)". Post-punk.com. September 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  23. ^ "Them Are Us Too Co-Founder Cash Askew Among Dead in Oakland Warehouse Fire (4 December 2016)". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  24. ^ "Drab Majesty Releases 'Oak Wood'; Embarks on Expansive North American Tour (1 September 2017)". BroardwayWorld. Wisdom Digital Media. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  25. ^ Chandler, Anna. "Drab Majesty, Boy Harsher, Pyramid Club @The Jinx (13 September 2017)". Connect Savannah. Connect Savannah. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  26. ^ Marotta, Michael (23 June 2017). "Live Demonstration: Drab Majesty Announce North American Tour (23 June 2017)". Vanyaland. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  27. ^ Pettigrew, Jason (8 November 2017). "Cold Waves Festival Jumpstarts the Fury of Industrial-Rock (8 November 2017)". Alternative Press. Alternative Press. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  28. ^ "Drab Majesty perform 'Dot In The Sky' and 'Not Just A Name' live at the Museum of Surgical Science (8 December 2017)". Post-punk.com. 8 December 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  29. ^ "At this weekend's Cruel World festival, goths and new wavers will sweat to the oldies". Los Angeles Times. 2022-05-13. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  30. ^ Roberts, Randall (2020-02-12). "Morrissey, Bauhaus, Blondie headline new '80s alt-music festival, Cruel World". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  31. ^ "617 Q&A: Drab Majesty embrace the isolation and all that comes with it". Vanyaland. 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  32. ^ "Slowdive's Rachel Goswell Guests On Drab Majesty's "Vanity": Listen". Stereogum. 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  33. ^ "Slowdive plot US tour with Drab Majesty around 2024 Sick New World Fest".
  34. ^ "The story behind every song on I Saw The TV Glow". The FADER. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
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